As Erika Espinoza grew up in Mexico City, she began to see more women taking on leadership roles and developing a stronger voice in the community.
“Our generation can start to demand more than we are used to as women in Mexico,” she said. “Women barely had the right to vote in previous generations, like two or three generations ago.”
This progress came to a head on Sunday when Mexico elected its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City. Two women emerged as main candidates in the elections – Sheinbaum, from the Morena political party, against opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez. Sheinbaum will begin her six-year term on October 1.
Mexicans who wanted to cast their votes in the historic elections on Sunday waited in long lines in US cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston, although many left frustrated after being unable to cast their ballots. About 10,560 Mexicans in the Chicago area have registered to vote, WBEZ previously reported.
For women of Mexican descent living in Chicago, this historic moment gave some hope, even to those who may not have voted.
“For many of us, especially those living in the United States, fighting for the Latino community, fighting for immigrant rights, fighting for gender equality/reproductive justice here in the United States, in the last eight years since (former President Donald) Trump took office “It's been some dark times,” said Mayra Lopez Zuniga, of McKinley Park. “The country has regressed on a lot of progress. I think Claudia's win in Mexico gives us hope that things can be different.”
Women in the United States can draw inspiration from Mexico's first female president, says Mayra Lopez Zuniga, a political consultant and DACA recipient. “I think Claudia's win in Mexico gives us hope that things could be different.”
Tyler Basiak Larivière/Sun-Times
This historic moment comes 71 years after women in Mexico were granted the right to vote and after decades of laws pushing for gender equality among political candidates, said Leila Abid, acting director of the Mexico Institute at the Washington, D.C.-based Wilson Center.
It also comes amid a backdrop of staggering violence against women in Mexico, Abid said, adding that more work needs to be done to achieve gender equality. Even Sheinbaum didn't have the best record when it came to handling feminist protests as mayor of Mexico City, Abid said.
“I think Claudia Sheinbaum, I hope, will take into account the feminist movement, women's petitions to reduce violence, and the need to pay more attention to women's issues,” Abed said. “I think if she doesn't, she's missing out on a really unique opportunity.”
Although she was unable to vote in the election, Linda Xochitl Tortolero, president and CEO of the Chicago-based organization Mujeres Latinas en Accion, followed the election closely from Chicago.
“It has to be more than one woman,” Tortolero said. “I think it will be really interesting to see who she chooses in terms of administration — and who will be appointed to all the different departments of the Mexican federal government. I think that will be really important.”
Espinosa, 41, supported Galvez and was among those who left the Mexican consulate in frustration after she was unable to vote. However, she said it was an important step in society for two women to receive a majority of the votes.
“I'm happy that women have finally had the opportunity – and well, we've always had the right – but the opportunity is more open,” Espinosa said in Spanish.
Erika Espinoza, co-founder of Colores Mexicanos Chicago, poses in her store at 605 N. Michigan Ave.
Anthony Vasquez/Sun-Times
Espinoza, whose store sells Mexican handicrafts and is decorated with a colorful mural that says “Mexico del Norte,” said she wants Sheinbaum to address concerns about safety and equality for women. Women are often overqualified for the positions they end up working in, she said.
Maria de los Angeles Murillo, sitting on 26th Street selling furniture on a humid day, said she didn't think she would see the day when a woman became president. However, she has seen progress in her native Jalisco with more women elected to local offices.
Murillo, 61, of Little Village, said she wanted to vote in the election, but was unable to register in time.
“We hope it will do more for us as women,” Murillo said in Spanish. “That's what we want – to have more support, and we hope that happens. Even though you live here now, we can live there later.”
Murillo has lived in the United States for 23 years, but she still believes there is a chance she could spend her retirement days in Mexico one day. Relatives still living in Mexico appear to be in a better economic situation in part because of social service programs, she said.
When she left Mexico 37 years ago, she felt the country faced political corruption and offered few economic opportunities, said Olga Tapia, 54, of Villa Park. But she began to see changes when she traveled to her native Mexico, and she feels confident that the country will change even more for the better under Sheinbaum's administration.
The changes motivated Tapia to vote in the Mexican elections, and she also became involved in Sheinbaum's Morena political party in the Chicago area.
“I am very happy with what is happening in Mexico, and it fills me with emotion to know that Mexico is much better than when I was in Mexico,” Tapia said in Spanish. He added: “One day, I will be able to go back and live in Mexico, and I will be calm and happy in my home.”
Her electoral participation does not extend to American politics, and she plans not to participate in the upcoming presidential elections. Tapia said she doesn't think the U.S. government has done enough to help residents like her. Her frustrations stem from the obstacles she faced trying to get help after suffering a workplace injury.
Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya files her nomination petitions for re-election to the Cook County Clerk's Office, Monday morning, March 7, 2022.
Ashley Reisen/Sun-Times File
Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya said the interest the Mexican presidential election has generated for Mexican Americans shows that this population wants to participate in politics.
“Many people often ignore Mexican society for not participating in civic life,” Anaya said. “I've heard that many times in many places, but we've definitely seen that when you really talk about the issues that matter to people, people come out and vote.”
For Anaya, who was born in Guadalajara, she knows that a woman leading Mexico will not put an end to all the issues women face. However, I got excited watching the election results on YouTube.
“It's inspiring,” said Anaya, the only Latina woman elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. “We know there is a lot of work to do on behalf of Claudia and others. But I think the important part here is that we have seen a truly amazing shift in policy.”
Lopez Zuniga, 35, works as a political strategist, but is unable to vote in the United States because of her immigration status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. She said she felt proud to vote by mail in Mexico's elections.
“It's unbelievable to me,” she said. “As someone who does a lot of electoral work and can't vote in the United States, even six years ago when I was able to vote for (Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the current president of Mexico) for the first time, that was huge because it was the first time in my life as an adult that I was able to vote.” And now this time, I think it's a very historic election for Mexico.
