On May 28, 2026, I, Valery Acevedo-Salvador, had the opportunity to witness and partake in a truly inspiring event: the End Child Poverty CA & SEIU CA annual IMAGINE Rally & Advocacy Day at the State Capitol in Sacramento. 

The IMAGINE Rally was a wonderful day filled with advocates and community members asking for changes in California’s laws and state budget to protect our families, our children, and our workers. 

I am a recent graduate of the University of the Pacific (UOP). UOP is in Stockton, which happens to also be my hometown. Two weeks before the rally, I earned my bachelor’s degree with departmental honors in Political Science with a minor in Pre-law. 

Earlier this year, as part of my senior year at UOP, I became a “Radical GRACE Intern” with End Child Poverty California powered by GRACE. It has been a great opportunity to see how California still needs to be held accountable to its values of prosperity and opportunity for everyone. Without advocacy – people urging their elected leaders to do the right thing – California can easily follow the path of the federal government. Their attacks against children, immigrants, and workers have broken apart families and ripped away benefits like Medi-Cal that so many people rely on. 

As a Radical GRACE Intern, I was able to join the IMAGINE Rally and enjoy the amazing activities that ECPCA and SEIU CA provided. More than that, I had the privilege of speaking to the crowd alongside my fellow interns. I was joined by Inez Montserrat Medina Caro and Deborah Aguirre. All three of us were selected as this year’s North Star speakers. 

Being able to speak at this powerful event was a unique experience in itself, but it was also empowering and fulfilling for me as a first-generation Mexican American. Knowing that I have the power and voice to speak up for myself and my community can never be taken away. I was proud to proclaim to the crowd at the rally, “Who matters most? Our community, our children, our families, and our workers!” It was an electric feeling that words will never be enough to describe. That feeling has stayed with me since.

Following lunch, many of us had the opportunity to go to the offices of state leaders – both assemblymembers and state senators. We participated in legislative visits, meeting with staff from each office. Our groups met with representatives across the California legislature. Community members urged leaders and their staff to see the direct negative impacts of program cuts. We are very concerned that continuing to follow through with budget cuts mirroring those of the federal government would be disastrous for Californians. 

Listening to community testimonies like that of Jennifer, part of SEIU’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) coalition, was extremely impactful. Having a face to match to the problems the End Child Poverty CA Coalition has been trying to address made our current situation feel much more scary, in a way. Yet, it also made the ECPCA team and allies, in my eyes, that much more worthy of having not only my own support, but that of the communities they serve across the state. 

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READ MORE: IMAGINE 2026: Californians Rally for a Future Where Every Child Can Thrive

Overall, the IMAGINE Rally was an experience that left me wanting to learn more and do more for our people. I come  from an immigrant family., I’m the first in my family to be a high-school graduate, community-college graduate, and university graduate. 

Opportunities to advocate, like the one I was given on this day, are rewarding. They show that the struggles of breaking through barriers and stereotypes of gender, race, and immigration status are indeed worth it. 

California is capable of reaching great things in my eyes. However, this is dependent on whether we allow our state to mirror the federal government’s decisions, or we continue fighting for our people and help California stand apart. 

We need to protect those who matter most: our community, our children, our families, and our workers!

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