Meet Us
Esperanza’s board and staff consist of dedicated individuals from all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual identities, religious and political ideologies, and socioeconomic upbringings. We came to the Esperanza at different times in our lives. Some of us have stayed a while, some have left, and others return and leave as their needs direct them. We are people surviving in a world overwhelmed with hate and anger, but we are also people who still hold on to hope. We believe in the role of art and culture in helping to share that hope. We believe that peace and justice can be reached, but we are people who also know that the road to esperanza, peace, and justice takes time and patience. Despite this, we are committed to the mission and vision of the Esperanza. We are Esperanza.
Staff
Graciela I. Sánchez
Director
Graciela follows in the footsteps of her mother and abuelitas, strong neighborhood women of color cultural workers and activists of San Antonio. As a Buena Gente of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, a community-based cultural arts/social justice organization, Graciela works with staff and community to develop programs that culturally ground working class and poor people of color, queer people and women, individuals who are survivors of cultural genocide. Facilitating conversations on issues of colonization, genocide, power, violence, racism, sexism, and homophobia among others, Graciela works with community members to develop and curate programs such as CineMujer, Uprooted: Tierra, Gente, y Cultura, Palestinians and Other Occupied Peoples, as well as organize gente to challenge oppressive laws in San Antonio, the United States and the world.
Kayla Miranda
Westside Housing Advocate
Kayla Miranda, is a housing justice advocate organizing in the Westside of San Antonio. She resides at the Alazan/Apache Courts.
Susana Segura
Arte es Vida Project Coordinator and Barrio Historian
Susana Segura has been organizing in the Westside community since 1988. Her work has been with social service agencies, labor organizations, health awareness services and cultural arts groups but always grassroots organizing. With the demolition of La Gloria, a historic building, she started working alongside community to preserve the working class neighborhoods while making sure not to gentrify the barrio. She is currently working with Esperanza Peace and Justice Center to restore Lerma's Nite Club, the longest running live conjunto music venue in the country, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As an organizer she is involved in campaigns of social, economic and environmental justice struggles centered around people of color, the working class and the LGBTQ community.
Richard Aguilar
Richard Aguilar is a former Board member, of the Conjunto de Nepantleras. He is a third generation born Westsider, whose family lived in the Alazan Courts on Torreon St. Richard was educated at SAISD public schools: Margil Elementary and Tafolla Jr. High. He received his high school diploma from Texas Military Institute, TMI Episcopal. Richard earned a B.A. with majors in Economics and Spanish Literature at Sewanee: The University of the South. He was employed four years at Frost Bank in downtown San Antonio and then entered the process to the priesthood. He has a Masters in Divinity from the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin and in 1986 was ordained in the Episcopal Church. In his vocation Richard has been an anti-racism trainer, fundraising consultant, church growth advisor, and presenter on latinx history and culture. Also, his career has included being a community organizer for Unite HERE! labor union in Miami. Richard's travels have taken him to Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, countries of the EU, and Israel. He has been married to Janet, who was born in Nicaragua for forty years. They have a daughter, Michelle who is an attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. Richard has enjoyed his return to Yanaguana since 2017 after serving in Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. A personal reward has been re-connecting with family and friends, exploring his roots in the Westside, and working among all the Buena Gente of Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.
Nonye Okoye
Nonye Okoye is a native Houstonian and a recent graduate of Political Science at Trinity University. From a young age, the black women around her instilled a devotion to supporting others and a confidence in her capabilities. She is passionate about accessibility, specifically accessibility surrounding marginalized communities and their access to healthcare. At Trinity, she was part of a student organization dedicated to highlighting the diverse voices of the student body. She hopes to engage in work and policy that allows ignored communities to thrive. She currently works at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center supporting all programming initiatives, like Paseo por el Westside, Voz de la Paloma, Dia de Muertos, and Peace Market.
Alexandra Medina
Though her family is originally from Pearsall and San Antonio, Texas, Alexandra moved to San Antonio in 2019 to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio. Soon after she fell in love with San Antonio and reconnected with her family’s history and culture, she began volunteering at the Esperanza Center in 2020 and, in 2022, began interning here. After Alexandra graduated with a Master’s in History from UTSA in 2025, she began working in the Esperanza archives. Alexandra’s focus is on women's, Chicano, and queer history and historic preservation. As a public historian, Alexandra has worked on projects with the National Park Conservation Association, the Office of Historic Preservation, and UTSA Special Collections. She’s published an article, “Digging Up Mr. Spanish: Oral Histories of Segregated Education in Texas,” and a thesis, “Saving Happy Foundation Histories: The Preservation of Gay History in San Antonio and Contemporary Dilemmas in Queer Archives,” which reflect her dedication to making underrepresented histories more accessible through preservation.
Imane Saliba
Born in Lebanon to a Lebanese father and a Syrian mother, Imane carries the rich heritage of her parents—whose memory she continues to honor through her commitment to community and justice. After immigrating to San Antonio, Imane pursued an academic path, earning a B.S. in Biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University. Before transitioning into the nonprofit sector, Imane spent several years running her family’s business. She officially joined the Esperanza staff in late 2019—though her heart has been with the organization as a Buena Gente since the early 2000s.
Her work spans from administrative tasks to crafting Esperanza's voice through press releases, social media, and email outreach to managing Radio Esperanza, to supporting Esperanza’s events. Imane is currently living in Helotes, and loves spending time with her sister Nadine and her senior dog Darwish.
Arabella Chavez
Arabella Chavez was born and raised in San Antonio, and graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in December 2024. She studied Mexican American Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies which allowed her to learn about the intersectionalities of issues surrounding race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. She now works at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center to support the work of El Museo del Westside. She is currently working to preserve the Museo’s community archive of over a thousand photographs, documents, and objects that have been donated by the community of San Antonio’s Historic Westside. She has also been supporting the recent grand opening of the Museo, to organize group visits and to also maintain the building and exhibits on display.
Jocelina Guerrero
Jocelina Guerrero is a first‑generation Chicana artist born and raised on the Southwest and North Central sides of San Antonio. Art became her refuge, a place where she could express herself freely and process the world around her. Growing up in a primarily Spanish‑speaking community, she witnessed racism, gentrification, and the challenges faced by latino families which from a young age she understood very clearly why it was. This led her to take Mexican American history classes at San Antonio College, while majoring in Art. Through her coursework and experiences, she developed an artistic style centered on Mexican American culture, identity, and lived experience. While attending San Antonio College, she also learned about the Museo del Westside which she became an intern there, working on oral histories transcriptions. In this role, she discovered the rich and resilient history of San Antonio’s Westside. She grew deeply connected to the community’s dedication to preserving its culture and history whether through the Museo del Westside, neighborhood murals, or local organizing efforts. When she is not contributing to the Museo del Westside, Jocelina helps at the Tiendita, creates digital media content for Esperanza’s social media, and helps create pieces for events such as Día de Muertos.
Jacoby Mena
Jacoby Mena was born and raised on the Westside of San Antonio, Texas, a community that has deeply shaped his values, identity, and passion for the arts. He is currently attending Trinity University, where he is pursuing a degree in Art and Anthropology. Jacoby began volunteering, with his family, at the Esperanza in 2022 and has since taken on a wide range of responsibilities in support of its arts and cultural initiatives. He films and documents community events, assists at the museo, supports general maintenance, and helps organize and preserve materials in the archive. Through this work, he has developed a deep appreciation for community-based art spaces and the importance of preserving cultural history while making it accessible to others.
Elizandro Carrington
Elizandro Carrington does the Layout for Esperanza's monthly publication La Voz de Esperanza. He answers computer related questions and sometimes designs Esperanza's promotional material.
Conjunto Members
Graciela I. Sánchez
See above.
Gloria Ramirez
Is the editor of La Voz de Esperanza publication. She is a native of Austin and has lived in San Antonio since 1977, where she worked as a bilingual early childhood educator, until her retirement. She was active in the anti-war movement and Chicanx movement as a student at UT-Austin in the late 60s and early 70s where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She has been involved with the Esperanza since its opening in 1987. Currently, she is a member of the PreK4SA board of directors, the Esperanza's Conjunto de Nepantlera
Rachel Jennings
Rachel hails from the Appalachias. She came to San Antonio to teach at the University of the Incarnate Word and now works at San Antonio College as an adjunct professor in English.
Amy Kastely
Amy is a senior professor of law at St. Mary's University Law School and a member of the bar in Texas and New Mexico. She is a nationally recognized authority on contract law, having co-authored a widely-known text entitled Contracting Law. Professor Kastely also has written numerous articles exploring how law is shaped by narratives of race, gender, class, and other systems of subordination. Kastely served as lead counsel in Esperanza et al. v. City of San Antonio, the first case recognizing the importance of cultural rights in public arts funding. In addition, she has represented the Esperanza and numerous community coalitions in litigation and organizing projects involving a broad spectrum of important issues, including protection of the Edward's Aquifer; the right of communities to use public streets, sidewalks, and parks for cultural events and political expression; racial bias in the City's historic preservation practices; and the public's right to witness government deliberations and to hold government officials accountable to democratic values.
Rodolfo Rosales
Rodolfo Rosales was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. After receiving his BA from St. Mary’s University and his MA from Trinity University in San Antonio he received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He received a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the Ford Foundation/NRC and now is a Senior Scholar at the Ford Foundation/NRC. In the natural course of events he was then appointed to the faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he is now retired as an Associate Professor. He is the author of The Illusion of Inclusion: The Untold Political Story of San Antonio (UT Press, 2000) and co-editor of Latino Urban Agency (Univ of North Texas Press, 2012).
Ana L. Ramirez
is a retired educator from the San Antonio Independent School District. After having taught English at Lanier, she became an administrator - Middle School & High School Principal and Human Resources Director. She then was a Teacher Certification Officer at University at the Incarnate Word and Assistant to the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Our Lady of the Lake University.
Nadine Saliba
Nadine is a Lebanese-Syrian immigrant who has been working with the Esperanza to educate San Antonio and South Texas residents about the struggles in the Middle East. A translator, Nadine works to bridge the gap between “American” and “Arab American” through cultural understanding and translation, literally and figuratively. She writes for La Voz de Esperanza and speaks in the community on the plight of Arab immigrants.
Dennise Frausto
Dennise Frausto is an adopted San Antonio, Westsider who was born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles California. She has lived in San Antonio for 19 years and she now calls this beautiful city home. By day, Dennise is an educator working for children with visual impairments as a braillist and is currently completing the coursework to become a certified braille transcriber by the Library of Congress. She holds degrees from San Antonio college in Child Development/Early Childhood Education and from the University of Texas, San Antonio in Mexican American Studies with minors in African American Studies and Bicultural Studies. Dennise is also a beginner in the world of writing and performing. The work she produces is pulled from lived experiences and hopes that documenting her story will change the narrative of what we know as normal. Serving as a Board member for the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center will help her share these skills and knowledge with her community directly.
Sylvia Mendoza
Sylvia Mendoza, Ph.D. was born and raised in Yanawana/San Anto. She is the daughter of Juanita Mendoza and Armando Baladez Mendoza (QEPD) who were her first teachers who modeled what it means to love and show up for your gente and to care about and document your history and cultura. From their teachings and from the femtorship of many brilliant, fierce Tejanas/x and Chicanas/x, Sylvia became interested in and dedicated to Mexican American Studies, which she currently teaches at UTSA. She lives in the Westside with her dog Freddy Fender and is excited to serve on the board, as well as serve the Westside and the larger SA community.
Lilliana Saldaña
Lilliana Patricia Saldaña is a Chicana activist scholar raised in San Antonio’s Southside. Saldaña attended Boston University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and International Relations, with a concentration in Latin American Studies and a minor in Journalism in 1998. Shortly after completing her studies, Saldaña worked at a dual-language school in San Antonio’s Westside and earned a master’s degree in Bicultural-Bilingual Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2002. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, she was involved in numerous campus-activist projects and worked in community settings, synthesizing her passion for research and social change. As a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Saldaña worked with Latina/o families to establish Nuestro Mundo, the first dual-language school in the city, and Formando Lazos, community development project with Latina immigrant mothers. She earned a doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with a minor in Chicana/o families, schools, and communities, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010. Her dissertation—“¡De mi barrio no me voy!: The identity and consciousness of Mexican American teachers at a dual-language school—examines the life histories of Raza teachers and the ways in which they transform, negotiate and reproduce the culture of schooling in San Antonio, Texas.