“Representation isn’t just about seeing people who look like us in office — it’s about having leaders who genuinely fight for our interests and who are committed to moving our communities forward.”

Meet Luis Mata, a proud immigrant from Guadalajara, Mexico. Luis grew up in Tennessee and was raised by a single mother. He credits her as the source of his inspiration: “I watched her work tirelessly, in the face of a system that wasn’t designed for people like us. She taught me that when you want change, you don’t wait for it, you fight for it.”

After 20 years, he became a U.S. citizen. Spurred on by his passion to create a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, Luis decided to run for office. In 2022, he joined New American Leaders at their Ready to Lead training in Colorado, where he learned how to become an active participant and leader in our country’s democracy.

In 2024, Luis ran for Tennessee State Representative, District 49. (He was also endorsed by our sister organization, New American Leaders Action Fund!) For him, the experience was more than just a campaign. 

“It was an extension of our fight for collective power. It was about showing our people that we too deserve to be at the table, that our needs and experiences matter, and that we can challenge the system to work for us,” he said. “Our campaign reinforced the power of organizing and how creating multicultural, multiracial, and multigenerational democracy that truly reflects the values of our communities is more than one turn of the electoral wheel. It’s about showing up every single day, year after year, election cycle after election cycle, legislative session after legislative session.”

Luis reminds all of us, “Access to power means nothing if you’re not lifting up your community along the way.”