I am Fabiola Santiago Hernandez (she/they/mama), Oaxaca-born, California-raised. I am a Zapotec mother and migrant from the World Capital of Mezcal, Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico. My father migrated to the US in the mid 1980’s because the local mezcal economy in Matatlán plummeted. He sent for the rest of the family to join him in Los Angeles, CA in the early 1990’s where we all remained undocumented for over 20 years.

Like many Oaxacan migrants in Los Angeles, I was part of the food service industry. My 10 year experience in the industry helped me pay for college and graduate school–this was before the passage and implementation of the California DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act. By working and saving tips from the restaurant–along with some financial support of a white family–I was able to graduate debt free with a bachelors in Sociology and Maters in Public Health from UCLA. These life experiences piqued my curiosity in social change and cemented my commitment to equity. 

Since getting my green card (permanent residence) in 2013, I visit my motherland a couple times a year. This is a life I didn’t imagine possible when I was trapped in the abyss of invisibility and dehumanization within the US immigration system. 

Here you will find written pieces and interviews about Oaxaca, migration, and mezcal. You can find more about this work at Mi Oaxaca. I also include personal pieces related to my identities and experiences that inform how I perceive, analyze, interrogate, and engage with culture and society at large and its sub-cultures.