Alianza_Retreat_Portraits_086
Mily Treviño Sauceda is one of the co-founders of Lideres Campesinas. Most people live within the expectations that their families and their societies have of them but Mily moves forward by an internal force that is unrelated to any of those expectations. The things that drive her are empathy and progress, her own progress and that of women farm workers. The challenges she has experienced and her reflection on those challenges have given her unique insight into the lives of women. In the farm worker community (as in most other communities) gender roles are reinforced through culture and tradition. She speaks insightfully about the fact that women themselves are often critical of other women trying to move forward because of ingrained tradition and gender stereotypes. When she feels critical of others she first asks herself where this criticism is coming from and she thinks about what she has learned from other women’s accounts. She says that it is necessary, as one matures, to realize where one is lacking and to be able to set your ego aside in order to move the community forward, this in turn moves you forward. By helping other people you yourself develop and become stronger. Mily’s greatest satisfaction comes from seeing people that she has helped help their own communities.