Rest in Power, Doña Alicia Chacón — A Trailblazer, an Icon, and a True Chicana
Let me start with that key word: CHICANO.
People use the word loosely these days, like it’s just another cultural flavor.
But for those of us raised in activism, who marched, who organized, who spoke truth to power before it was Instagrammable, Chicano actually means something.
It means cultural pride stitched into your bones. It means political consciousness. It means you weren’t just around - you were fighting.
So when I call someone a Chicana, understand this:
It is the highest compliment I can give.
And Doña Alicia Chacón earned it.
A First in a City That Had Waited Too Long
In a city that’s now filled with Latina judges, elected officials, and leaders - and thank God for that - it’s easy to forget that there was a time when none of that existed. For well over a century, El Paso was run by the same types of folks who believed our people were meant to follow, not lead.
Then came Alicia Chacón.
She wasn’t just another candidate with a slogan. She was the first woman of color elected to major office in El Paso, breaking a barrier that had stood untouched since the county was founded in 1850. Think about that: more than 130 years of brown people living here, building this community, breaking their backs in mines, railroads, fields, and service jobs - yet none of us were allowed at the tables where decisions were made.
Until her.
She didn’t just walk through that door.
She kicked it wide open so hard the hinges still squeak.
Her Legacy Is in Every Corner of This Community
Her political résumé is long - school board, county treasurer, county judge - but her impact goes deeper than job titles. Alicia Chacón made it possible for every Latina official who came after her to even imagine holding public office. She was the blueprint before anyone used the word “blueprint.”
And for the rest of us? For the Chicano writers, the organizers, the loudmouth activists who refuse to sit down and shut up?
She gave us space.
She made room for our voices to matter.
She made it possible to raise hell with purpose.
Hell, I’ll say it straight: I probably wouldn’t be writing the way I write, or fighting the fights I fight, had Doña Alicia not proven that a Chicana could take on the system and win.
And there are a lot of other stories like hers, but our story was told by the Leon Metz's of the world, and not our people, so most don't know them. Case in point - I didn't get involved in politics until after she was long gone from the scene - however, her influence and what she did was inescapable. I learned it from other activists, not from the establishment. But the library across the street from where I live was named after a judge who took on the system. There are places throughout the city and county that are starting to bear the names of people from her era and class - because of Alicia Chacón.
A Life of Service, A Legacy of Power
Alicia Chacón didn’t just serve - she transformed what service meant. She showed that leadership wasn’t about titles, it was about commitment to the community. She made decisions that centered families, workers, and neighborhoods long ignored by those in power.
She served with dignity, with courage, and with that unmistakable Chicano fire.
And she did it all while carrying a community on her shoulders.
We Lost a Leader - But We Keep the Legacy
Her passing is a reminder that trailblazers aren’t immortal. But their work is. Her courage is. Her example is.
Because of Alicia Chacón, this city looks different.
Because of her, this city is different.
We say it a lot, sometimes too casually - but in her case, it is absolutely true:
She walked so the rest of us could run.
Rest in Power, Doña Alicia.
Thank you for opening the path.
Thank you for showing us how to walk it with pride, strength, and ganas.
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