Senator Patricia Torres Ray – connect, learn, understand

Interview by MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

I came to Minneapolis when I was 22 years old, in 1987. I was born and raised in Pasto, Columbia, a city of half a million people near the southern border with Ecuador. Pasto sits at about 9,000’ elevation and is surrounded by lots of small villages. It’s a beautiful place. I left for one good reason. I fell in love with my husband, whom I met when he was studying anthropology at the University in Pasto.

We were married and settled in Prospect Park, just across the river from here. It was November when we arrived, and I remember thinking I had never seen such a deserted city. I didn’t know that people would come out of their houses again in the spring, that everybody was just hibernating the way they do here when winter comes.

I spoke no English – not one word – and the language barrier was painful. I had to learn how to connect with people in this very different culture. Lucky for me, we lived close to Pratt School which was a major ESL center back then. I went to English classes every day, and those people quickly became my community. I could walk to school and I didn’t have children yet, so it was fairly easy for me. With transportation issues and a family, I don’t think it would have been so easy to learn English. Interestingly, in that big school there were only a couple of other Latinos at the time. I made lots of Vietnamese, Hmong and Laotian friends because that’s who was immigrating to Minnesota in large numbers in the late 80’s.

I got a job right away working in a factory where we printed labels on plastic bottles. It was a really good-paying job. I made $10/hour plus benefits, and I was proud of what I earned. I wanted a job where speaking English wasn’t a requirement. I went to school all day, and worked the shift from 3pm until midnight.

After a year, I transferred to the University of Minnesota and my options became clearer. I learned rather quickly how to connect with people there, and this learned ability has been central to my work and to my life ever since. Three words that really matter to me are connect, learn and understand.

In Columbia, where students go right from high school into professional career training, I was just one year short of finishing my law degree. I ended up graduating from the U of M with an undergraduate degree in urban studies, fascinated by thinking that focused on city planning and urban development. At about the same time, I started working as a Guardian ad Litum for Hennepin County. I loved being with the kids and advocating for them in court. Advocacy for children of color in the child welfare system became a passion that has stayed with me to this day.

Eventually I took a job with the state, where I worked on the Chicano/Latino Affairs Council for 14 years. I was lucky to have for my colleagues several American Indian women who were really smart, savvy, long-time social workers. They took me under their wing and taught me a lot. Our interactions, especially around work we did on the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, shaped my future as a policy maker and a thinker.

I applied to the Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs and completed my master’s degree there while working ¾ time for the state and raising my two sons. I have been very fortunate to have a fantastic partner in my husband. This time in our lives was more stressful than when I first arrived in Minnesota. I felt pulled in so many different directions, but I was willing to sacrifice so that I could make a difference in my community.

I first ran for senate in this district in 2006. I’ll be starting my third term soon, and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve my constituents in District 63. I had to overcome a lot to get where I am but I think, from an immigration standpoint, that it’s much harder now. For me in 1987, it was enough to be married to an American citizen. I was granted temporary residence for the first three years and then my residency status was made permanent. That’s not the way it works anymore.

I’m encouraged by President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Immigration law is unbelievably complicated, but I believe we’re starting to go in the right direction. I know there is hesitation in the immigrant community to come forward because the legal status that will be given to parents under DAPA will be temporary, but I would encourage people to apply anyhow. It’s the only way to start the process and begin the path to a better life.