Rising Stars: Jorge Reyes Salinas, Equality California

Jorge Reyes Salinas is a fearless advocate for undocumented residents and the LGBTQ+ community.

The 29-year-old gay immigrant from Peru has lobbied for the rights of both groups in Sacramento and shared the stories of those unable to speak up for themselves.

Now serving as the communications director for Equality California, an LGBTQ advocacy group, he said the toughest challenge is doing work that is so close to his heart. “It’s hard not to get emotional and not let emotions overpower the issues you work on,” he said.

Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, said Salinas has never forgotten what his work is really about: helping people. “Jorge is the epitome of what it means to be a successful communications professional,” he said. “He has developed a keen sense of messaging and strategy while continuing to develop a sharply aware and savvy political acumen.”

Reyes Salinas, an only child, immigrated to the U.S. with his parents at age 10, landing in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley. In Peru, his mother had worked for a nonprofit focusing on homelessness while his father trained police officer rescue teams, but in the United States, his mother switched to becoming an office assistant while his father worked in construction.

“I am very grateful for my parents having the courage to leave their whole life behind for the future of their child,” he said, adding that Peru is not friendly to LGBTQ+ people.

Reyes Salinas didn’t know what his lack of legal status meant until, as a high school student, he tried to enroll in advanced classes at a local community college and couldn’t because he didn’t have a Social Security number.

“I am very grateful for my parents having the courage to leave their whole life behind for the future of their child.”

In 2012, he became a recipient of the new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed him to study and work without fear of deportation.

Reyes Salinas went on to study communications at California State University, Northridge and eventually became the first DACA recipient to serve on a California state board when Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him to serve on the CSU Board of Trustees.

“The whole experience was life changing,” Reyes Salinas said, adding that he was on the board when President Trump was trying to rescind DACA. “It was a huge effort to speak, to come out of the shadows like that.”

Reyes Salinas was interviewed about his experiences as a DACA recipient in the LA Times and other media, which prompted some backlash. He said it was eye-opening to see some of the responses- including “hatred from social media, people saying ‘go back to your country,’” he said. “I remember getting letters full of hate that were aggressive that my mom had to read.”

But Reyes Salinas never stopped doing what he believed was right. While at CSU Northridge he served as student body president and helped create the college’s Dream Center, a resource center for undocumented students.

What gave him the strength to keep going is knowing how much students needed him. He said many undocumented students approached him or emailed him, thanking him for his work. “My story is not unique,” he said. “There are over 100,000 undocumented students in the system of higher education.”

Reyes Salinas is similarly passionate about fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ people through his work at Equality California. He said the organization’s message is important, especially in light of rhetoric against trans people. “We are showing that California is a beacon of hope, a central support for the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. “We really are leading the way compared to all the other states.”

Reyes Salinas earned a masters degree in communications and media studies from CSU Northridge. Afterward, he spent time working at the capitol, serving as a district representative for state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, an Assembly Fellow under Kevin Mullin and communications director for Assemblymember Monique Limón. He also served two terms on the California Latino Capitol Association Foundation’s executive board.

Along the way, he has found time to have fun too. He performs hip hop, jazz and jazz funk dance with the Unity Dancers, organized by the Sacramento Dance Lab.

Reyes Salinas would love to be a U.S. citizen someday but hasn’t been able to do that yet. He said the only available pathways for him are marriage to a U.S. citizen or amnesty. It’s frustrating that even though he has helped move legislation from start to signature, he still can’t vote. He hopes that his continued presence will remind people that California includes many people like him. “I want people in the capitol to know that DACA people and undocumented are around them and working alongside them,” he said.