32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE Maria Elena Manzo is the founder and executive director of Mujeres en Acción (Spanish for Women in Action). The organization seeks to empower women to succeed in everything from obtaining a driver’s license or earning a GED to becoming an entrepreneur or enrolling in higher education. She is also a leader with COPA (Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action). Manzo is a Salinas resident who has been permanently in the U.S. since 1987. Her story began like that of many Mexican immigrants: She came to work seasonally in the fields. Eventually she made the move permanent and has now lived in Monterey County for over 30 years. When she started working for Mujeres, Manzo accepted something unusual—a pay cut. “I just thought it was amazing that I could help other women to do better,” she says. During her time in the region, she has helped to change the lives of thousands. Through her work, Manzo has been involved in programs such as Esperanza Care, a public health insurance program for low-income undocumented immigrants, and VIDA, a community health worker initiative that aided vulnerable communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was also a key intermediary working with Joby Aviation to secure public funding to create 400 jobs in the region. This year, Manzo is the recipient of the Siembra Latinos Fund’s Alfred Diaz-Infante Award. “It’s a great honor,” Manzo says. “I was really humbled and honored and surprised.” Weekly: What motivated you to start Mujeres en Acción? Manzo: I think I was 65 when I became the director. And I remember sharing this at a meeting, and they were clapping. I was like, “No, that’s not fair. All my life, I worked really hard. I should have been a director 30 years ago, like my daughter is.” So that’s what motivates me to work with women. How can we create a network, a system that is going to help women achieve their goals without having to struggle every single day? You have helped many local women. Can you share one that stands out? There are so many. Claudia Hernandez—she’s from the Mixteco community. Since she was 13 years old, she’s been working, picking strawberries. She became one of the mujeres hired as one of the community health workers to address Covid. I asked her to transfer to become an organizer. Not only did she change her life, but also her daughter’s. Claudia got married at 13, and that’s the custom in Oaxaca. Her daughter not only didn’t get married at 13, but she’s about to finish university. It’s a domino effect that not only changes the women, but [also] the people around them. Why do you think your current job is the best one you’ve ever had? Because I see all the changes in all the women. We do this through weekly support groups. So we meet the group’s needs for peer-to-peer support, and they talk about their goals and their dreams, and then we help them overcome obstacles that stop them from achieving, or we connect them with resources. We help them as much as we can to help them get to their goals. You met the Pope. How was that experience? Out of this world! What did you share with the Pope? [We] talked about the work that we do with Mujeres, explaining to him how I learned about COPA [a network that includes many faith communities] through my church after mass, and now the leaders who were developing in Mujeres, they’re going out to their churches and organizing and to make sure that change is happening. I told him that when I came to the United States to work in the fields, I started seeing injustices that I tried to fight back, but I felt powerless—so I felt invisible. He said, “Yeah, people feel invisible, but they’re not invisible. It’s just that they don’t let them act.” When I told him that I was working with Mujeres, [he said], “The world needs to let mujeres guide. When mujeres guide, things happen.” What do you like to do for fun? Between COPA and Mujeres en Acción, that’s where my life is. The rest I spend with my family. We’ll travel when we can. We get together at home, or we go camping or watch a movie. Siembra Latinos Celebration takes place 4-6:30pm Saturday, Sept. 20. CRŪ Winery, 37500 Foothill Road, Soledad. $75. 375-9712, cfmco.org/siembra. Taking Action After years of working in the fields, Maria Elena Manzo began a career changing lives. By Celia Jiménez For decades, Maria Elena Manzo has made it a priority to help uplift women from different backgrounds so that they can thrive. CELIA JIMÉNEZ Visit Our Bene t Shop! 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