For Alejandra St. Guillen, she is no stranger to community work. She led the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) and statewide Latino advocacy organization ¿Oiste?. She is running for the at-large seat on the Boston City Council.
“Michelle Wu convinced me to run,” St. Guillen said. “I got into this race given my experience in MOIA and ¿Oiste?. My background as a teacher in Boston Public Schools and New York City made this a good opportunity to continue my service.”
St. Guillen was born in Boston, raised by a father from Venezuela and mother from Canada. During her tenure at MOIA, she worked on the Boston #toimmigrantswithlove public art project and created the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund.
“Chinatown is perfect example of a community that’s being really constrained by economic forces,” St. Guillen said. “I grew up in Mission Hill, which is going through similar issues for gentrification and displacement.”