George's Blog: Mixteco Community

Have you heard of a people group named the Mixteco? They are an ethnic indigenious people group from Oxaca, Mexico. The Mixtecs were a major group of people in pre-Columbian times and also served an important role in the Aztec Empire. Currently in California, there are a large population of Mixteco people in Ventura County, who came to the US as migrant farm workers. Their legal status depends mostly on if they were here before 1986 or after. Most migrant workers who came before 1986 were given opportunity to become legal residents, but not after 1986.

As a people group, they experiences many unique challenges. They usually are much poorer than most poor people who are receiving State or County aid. They usually work very hard, both parents, and having to leave children for others to take care of. They usually have no choice but to seek health care at a later stage of illness or pregnancy, because they cannot afford to take days off. A good majority of them also do not speak Spanish or English, they speak Mixteco. In our Ventura County health system, there are only a few translators who speak both Mixteco and Spanish, and only 1 who speaks English, Mixteco, and Spanish. Can you imagine the problem that can cause?

There are also numerous challenges in the way they approach healthcare, namely doctor visits when they get pregnant. Usually, it takes 4 seperate appointments for someone to have a pregnancy follow-up (Doctor, WIC, MediCal, Ultrasound/Lab). These hard working Mixteca women cannot afford to take off even 1 day without getting paid, nevertheless 4! Our healthcare system is not conducive in addressing their needs... and think about it, the clinic that I work at, sees a majority of Mixteco patients! You think something should change so they can see the doctors earlier for health needs! You think that somebody already has this figured out! NOT. Actually, many problems still exist, and Mixtecan patients still only get to see doctors way later in their pregnancy for check ups and for doctor visits. Difficulty in accessing healthcare has direct correlations with personal health complications! This is a huge issue! WE NEED CHANGE! And, we don't need Obama to do it! We need regular people like us to step up!

So, I went to an event today that benefits the Mixteco community. Once a month, a bunch people get together and bag groceries for 270+ Mixteco families. We placed many fresh fruits and vegitable into a bag along with several canned-foods. Many Mixteco families also get large tube of tooth paste, soap, diapers, and a good ole time gathering together with other Mixtecos during this event. Here are some pictures for your browsing pleasure. If you would like to know more or to get involved, you can contact me. Leave me a comment with your contact information, I will get back to you. Thanks.