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Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez

Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez (born Cristina Costello; 1982) is an American labor organizer and writer.[1] From August 12, 2019 until March 3, 2020 Tzintzún Ramirez was a potential challenger to incumbent United States Senator John Cornyn in the 2020 United States Senate election in Texas as part of a twelve-person Democratic primary, in which she placed third.[2][3]

Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez
Born
Cristina Costello

1982 (age 40–41)
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BA)
Occupation(s)Labor organizer, writer
Political partyDemocratic

Early life and education edit

Her mother, Ana Tzintzún, is from a rural agricultural community in Michoacán, Mexico, and her father, Tom Costello,[4] is an American who came to live in Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s.[5] Tzintzún's original surname was Costello, which she changed to Tzintzún as a teenager.[4] She was born and raised in Ohio, where her parents operated a fair-trade Mexican jewelry business.[6] The family business required that the Tzintzún family live and travel to Mexico throughout her early life. Her parents, both progressive, encouraged their children to participate in various causes, especially those involving the Latino immigrant community. In high school, Tzintzún began organizing and working with newly-arrived Mexican immigrants in Ohio.[5] She graduated from University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) in 2006 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Latin American studies.[7]

Career edit

Tzintzún began organizing with Latino immigrant workers in 2000 in Columbus, Ohio, and then moved to Texas, where she helped establish the Workers Defense Project (WDP), serving as its Executive Director from 2006 until 2016.[8]

At the WDP, Tzintzún and co-founder Emily Timm led the organization to focus its efforts on the construction industry, the largest employer of undocumented labor in Texas.[1] She helped spearhead the organization's efforts to organize workers in one of the most-hostile political climates for worker and immigrant organizing in the country.[1]

Tzintzún served as the lead coordinator of immigrant mobilizations and strikes in Austin, Texas, on April 10, 2006 and May 1, 2006.[9] It was estimated that 60% of restaurants and 80% of construction sites closed in Austin for the strike.[9]

In 2008, Tzintzún co-founded the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC), which brings together stakeholders across the city to advocate for the rights of immigrants.[9]

Tzintzún helped lead the organization to pass over half a dozen local ordinances and state laws better protecting the rights of hundreds of thousands of workers by combining grassroots organizing, strategic research and smart communications strategies.[9] She co-authored two reports on construction workers in Texas that resulted in a federal investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and led the agency to review 900 construction sites resulting in $2 million in fines.[10]

Tzintzún created and developed the organization's Better Builder Program, which won construction workers living wages, higher safety standards, training and on-site enforcement by Better Builder monitors against some of the largest corporations in the world.[8] At the close of 2015, the Better Builder program had won agreements on nearly a billion dollars in construction projects covering 10,000 workers.[11] A quarter of workers surveyed on Better Builder sites reported receiving a raise from their last job, 38% reported receiving safety training for the first-time and 30% reported receiving workers’ compensation coverage for the first time in their construction careers.[12]

In 2017, Tzintzún founded Jolt, a civil rights organization that works to increase voter turnout among Latinos in Texas.[13][14]

On August 12, 2019, Tzintzún announced her intention to challenge incumbent United States Senator John Cornyn in the 2020 United States Senate election in Texas as a progressive candidate.[2] Her bid was endorsed by New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,[15] Texas representative Joaquin Castro,[16] and actor Alec Baldwin,[17] as well as by the PACs Blue America[18] and Latino Victory Fund,[19] labor unions UNITE HERE Local 23[20] and Communications Workers of America,[21] 350 Action,[22] the Working Families Party,[23] and the University of Texas at Austin University Democrats.[24] Tzintzún’s campaign was criticized for also accepting an endorsement from actress Susan Sarandon, who had supported Green Party candidate Jill Stein over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.[25] She received additional criticism for her comments made in a speech, in which she said:

Tzintzún is more Mexican than any Garcia or Lopez. We were the only indigenous group in Mexico that were not defeated by the Aztecs. So you know I come from good lineage and I’m ready to defeat John Cornyn.[26]

Ultimately, Tzintzún placed third in the March 3, 2020 Democratic primary with 13.2% of the vote.[3] She and fellow former candidates Chris Bell and Michael Cooper then endorsed Royce West, who had advanced with MJ Hegar to the Democratic primary runoff.[27]

Electoral history edit

Democratic primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic MJ Hegar 411,369 22.37%
Democratic Royce West 267,236 14.53%
Democratic Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez 244,004 13.27%
Democratic Annie "Mamá" Garcia 190,342 10.35%
Democratic Amanda Edwards 184,467 10.03%
Democratic Chris Bell 156,238 8.49%
Democratic Sema Hernandez 136,549 7.42%
Democratic Michael Cooper 90,990 4.95%
Democratic Victor Hugo Harris 59,018 3.21%
Democratic Adrian Ocegueda 40,929 2.23%
Democratic Jack Daniel Foster, Jr. 31,425 1.71%
Democratic D.R. Hunter 26,691 1.45%
Total votes 1,839,258 100.0%

Personal life edit

Tzintzún married Jose Manuel Ramirez on November 13, 2015.[28] The couple has a son, Santiago Tzintzún Ramirez, who was born in 2017.[29] Tzintzún took her husband's surname, Ramirez, after they were married in 2015. The couple divorced in December 2019.

Boards edit

She is a board member of Zev Shapiro's organization TurnUp.[30]

Honors and awards edit

Selected works edit

Tzintzún is also an author on issues of race, gender and immigration her work has appeared in the Huffington Post, The Dallas Morning News and Al Jazeera and in the following publications:

  • Presente! Latino Immigrant Voices in the Struggle for Racial Justice" Co-Editor, AK Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1849351669
  • "Build a Better Texas: Construction Working Conditions in the Lone Star State" 2016-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Co-Author
  • "Building a Better Nation: A Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform" 2016-07-01 at the Wayback Machine University of Texas at Austin, 2013
  • "Building Austin Building Injustice: Working Conditions in Austin's Construction Industry" University of Texas at Austin, 2009
  • "Killing Misogyny: A Personal Story of Love, Violence and Strategies for Survival" in: "Yes Means Yes! Visions of Female Sexual Power & A World Without Rape. Seal Press, 2008 ISBN 9781580052573
  • "Colonize This!" in: Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism, Edited by Daisy Hernández and Bushra Rehman. New York. Seal Press, 2002 ISBN 9781580050678
  • "Protecting Immigrant Workers" National Housing Institute: ShelterForce Sept. 1 2015

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "The Workers Defense Project, A Union in Spirit". New York Times. August 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Tribune, The Texas; Svitek, Patrick (2019-08-12). "Latina organizer Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez enters Democratic primary to challenge Cornyn". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  3. ^ a b c "Live: Texas State Primary Election Results 2020". New York Times. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Jeffers, Grover Jr. (6 January 2020). "Senate candidate apologizes for saying her surname, Tzintzún, is 'more Mexican' than others". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Colonize This!" in: Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism, Edited by Daisy Hernández and Bushra Rehman. New York. Seal Press, 2002 ISBN 9781580050678
  6. ^ "Costello International".
  7. ^ "LinkedIn profile of Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez". LinkedIn. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Time for a Change After a decade of fighting for immigrant worker rights in Austin, Cristina Tzintzún is going national".
  9. ^ a b c d Tzintzun, Cristina. "Presente!Latin@ Immigrant Voices in the Struggle for Racial Justice / Voces de Inmigrantes Latin@s en la Lucha por la Justicia Racial".
  10. ^ Greenhouse, Steven (10 August 2013). "The Workers Defense Project, A Union in Spirit". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Better Builder Texas, Victories & Campaigns".[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Better Builder Texas".
  13. ^ Staff, Texas Tribune Events (2019-11-21). "A conversation with Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, candidate for U.S. Senate". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  14. ^ Stephania Taladrid (March 22, 2020), "The Dream of Turning Texas Blue Depends on Latino Voters", Newyorker.com
  15. ^ Itkowitz, Colby (21 February 2020). "Ocasio-Cortez endorses 7 female progressive candidates to challenge establishment Democrats". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  16. ^ Svitek, Patrick (18 February 2020). "Joaquin Castro endorses Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez in crowded primary to challenge John Cornyn". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  17. ^ Nowlin, Sanford (10 February 2020). . San Antonio Current. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  18. ^ Klein, Howie. "Organizing To Flip Texas — A Guest Post By Progressive Senate Candidate Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez". Blue America PAC. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  19. ^ Kloosterman, Tomas (January 22, 2020). "Latino Victory Fund Endorses Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez for United States Senate". Latin Victory Fund. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  20. ^ Taqvi, Sarah (February 10, 2020). "Signal Q&A with Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez: 'You don't win unless you drive up voter turnout among young people and Latinos'". The Texas Signal. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  21. ^ "CWA Endorses Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez for U.S. Senate". Action Network. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  22. ^ "Endorsements". 350 Action. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Our 2020 Endorsements". Working Families Party. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  24. ^ "March 2020 Club Endorsements". Austin Chronicle. February 4, 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  25. ^ Svitek, Patrick (January 6, 2020). "Tzintzún Ramirez deals with back-to-back criticism in Democratic primary to challenge Cornyn". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  26. ^ Herman, Ken (January 6, 2020). "In Democratic Senate race in Texas, Mexican heritage becomes an issue". Statesmen News Network. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  27. ^ Svitek, Patrick. "Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez endorses Royce West over MJ Hegar in Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  28. ^ "Marriage Record 01-09679-2015". Travis County Texas County Clerk. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  29. ^ King, Michael (12 August 2019). "Workers Defense and Jolt Founder Announces Candidacy for Senate". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Leadership". TurnUp. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  31. ^ Bruno, Anne (29 November 2018). "Cristina Tzintzún Ramírez". Tribeza. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  32. ^ "Roddenberry Fellowship 2018". Roddenberry Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  33. ^ "2017 Innovation Prize Awardees". J.M. Kaplan Fund. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  34. ^ "Best of Austin 2015". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  35. ^ "Change Makers".
  36. ^ "Southern Living, New Hero of Civil Rights".
  37. ^ "Edna Award Recognizes Wisconsin Organizer". CWA. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  38. ^ Carr, Housley. "Standing Up For Workers Who Have Been Exploited". Engineering News-Record. Retrieved 14 August 2020.

External links edit

  • Official site

cristina, tzintzún, ramirez, born, cristina, costello, 1982, american, labor, organizer, writer, from, august, 2019, until, march, 2020, tzintzún, ramirez, potential, challenger, incumbent, united, states, senator, john, cornyn, 2020, united, states, senate, e. Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez born Cristina Costello 1982 is an American labor organizer and writer 1 From August 12 2019 until March 3 2020 Tzintzun Ramirez was a potential challenger to incumbent United States Senator John Cornyn in the 2020 United States Senate election in Texas as part of a twelve person Democratic primary in which she placed third 2 3 Cristina Tzintzun RamirezBornCristina Costello1982 age 40 41 Moxahala Ohio USEducationUniversity of Texas Austin BA Occupation s Labor organizer writerPolitical partyDemocratic Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Electoral history 3 Personal life 4 Boards 5 Honors and awards 6 Selected works 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and education editHer mother Ana Tzintzun is from a rural agricultural community in Michoacan Mexico and her father Tom Costello 4 is an American who came to live in Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s 5 Tzintzun s original surname was Costello which she changed to Tzintzun as a teenager 4 She was born and raised in Ohio where her parents operated a fair trade Mexican jewelry business 6 The family business required that the Tzintzun family live and travel to Mexico throughout her early life Her parents both progressive encouraged their children to participate in various causes especially those involving the Latino immigrant community In high school Tzintzun began organizing and working with newly arrived Mexican immigrants in Ohio 5 She graduated from University of Texas at Austin UT Austin in 2006 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Latin American studies 7 Career editTzintzun began organizing with Latino immigrant workers in 2000 in Columbus Ohio and then moved to Texas where she helped establish the Workers Defense Project WDP serving as its Executive Director from 2006 until 2016 8 At the WDP Tzintzun and co founder Emily Timm led the organization to focus its efforts on the construction industry the largest employer of undocumented labor in Texas 1 She helped spearhead the organization s efforts to organize workers in one of the most hostile political climates for worker and immigrant organizing in the country 1 Tzintzun served as the lead coordinator of immigrant mobilizations and strikes in Austin Texas on April 10 2006 and May 1 2006 9 It was estimated that 60 of restaurants and 80 of construction sites closed in Austin for the strike 9 In 2008 Tzintzun co founded the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition AIRC which brings together stakeholders across the city to advocate for the rights of immigrants 9 Tzintzun helped lead the organization to pass over half a dozen local ordinances and state laws better protecting the rights of hundreds of thousands of workers by combining grassroots organizing strategic research and smart communications strategies 9 She co authored two reports on construction workers in Texas that resulted in a federal investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA and led the agency to review 900 construction sites resulting in 2 million in fines 10 Tzintzun created and developed the organization s Better Builder Program which won construction workers living wages higher safety standards training and on site enforcement by Better Builder monitors against some of the largest corporations in the world 8 At the close of 2015 the Better Builder program had won agreements on nearly a billion dollars in construction projects covering 10 000 workers 11 A quarter of workers surveyed on Better Builder sites reported receiving a raise from their last job 38 reported receiving safety training for the first time and 30 reported receiving workers compensation coverage for the first time in their construction careers 12 In 2017 Tzintzun founded Jolt a civil rights organization that works to increase voter turnout among Latinos in Texas 13 14 On August 12 2019 Tzintzun announced her intention to challenge incumbent United States Senator John Cornyn in the 2020 United States Senate election in Texas as a progressive candidate 2 Her bid was endorsed by New York representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez 15 Texas representative Joaquin Castro 16 and actor Alec Baldwin 17 as well as by the PACs Blue America 18 and Latino Victory Fund 19 labor unions UNITE HERE Local 23 20 and Communications Workers of America 21 350 Action 22 the Working Families Party 23 and the University of Texas at Austin University Democrats 24 Tzintzun s campaign was criticized for also accepting an endorsement from actress Susan Sarandon who had supported Green Party candidate Jill Stein over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election 25 She received additional criticism for her comments made in a speech in which she said Tzintzun is more Mexican than any Garcia or Lopez We were the only indigenous group in Mexico that were not defeated by the Aztecs So you know I come from good lineage and I m ready to defeat John Cornyn 26 Ultimately Tzintzun placed third in the March 3 2020 Democratic primary with 13 2 of the vote 3 She and fellow former candidates Chris Bell and Michael Cooper then endorsed Royce West who had advanced with MJ Hegar to the Democratic primary runoff 27 Electoral history edit Main article 2020 United States Senate election in Texas Democratic primary results 3 Party Candidate Votes Democratic MJ Hegar 411 369 22 37 Democratic Royce West 267 236 14 53 Democratic Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez 244 004 13 27 Democratic Annie Mama Garcia 190 342 10 35 Democratic Amanda Edwards 184 467 10 03 Democratic Chris Bell 156 238 8 49 Democratic Sema Hernandez 136 549 7 42 Democratic Michael Cooper 90 990 4 95 Democratic Victor Hugo Harris 59 018 3 21 Democratic Adrian Ocegueda 40 929 2 23 Democratic Jack Daniel Foster Jr 31 425 1 71 Democratic D R Hunter 26 691 1 45 Total votes 1 839 258 100 0 Personal life editTzintzun married Jose Manuel Ramirez on November 13 2015 28 The couple has a son Santiago Tzintzun Ramirez who was born in 2017 29 Tzintzun took her husband s surname Ramirez after they were married in 2015 The couple divorced in December 2019 Boards editShe is a board member of Zev Shapiro s organization TurnUp 30 Honors and awards editTribeza Magazine People of the Year Award 2018 31 Roddenberry Foundation Fellowship 2018 32 J M Kaplan Innovation Award Winner 2017 33 The Austin Chronicle Best Working Class Hero 2015 34 The Texas Observer Change Maker 2014 35 Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Capital of Texas Awards Non Profit Leader 2014 Center for Public Policy Priorities Future of Texas 2014 Southern Living Magazine Hero of the New South 2013 36 Interfaith Worker Justice Rising Star 2013 Berger Marks Foundation Edna Award of Distinction 2013 37 Engineering News Record Top 25 Industry Newsmakers 2013 38 Labor Council for Latin American Advancement National Trabajadora Community Leader Award 2012Selected works editTzintzun is also an author on issues of race gender and immigration her work has appeared in the Huffington Post The Dallas Morning News and Al Jazeera and in the following publications Presente Latino Immigrant Voices in the Struggle for Racial Justice Co Editor AK Press 2014 ISBN 978 1849351669 Build a Better Texas Construction Working Conditions in the Lone Star State Archived 2016 03 26 at the Wayback Machine University of Texas at Austin 2013 Co Author Building a Better Nation A Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Archived 2016 07 01 at the Wayback Machine University of Texas at Austin 2013 Building Austin Building Injustice Working Conditions in Austin s Construction Industry University of Texas at Austin 2009 Killing Misogyny A Personal Story of Love Violence and Strategies for Survival in Yes Means Yes Visions of Female Sexual Power amp A World Without Rape Seal Press 2008 ISBN 9781580052573 Colonize This in Colonize This Young Women of Color on Today s Feminism Edited by Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman New York Seal Press 2002 ISBN 9781580050678 Protecting Immigrant Workers National Housing Institute ShelterForce Sept 1 2015References edit a b c The Workers Defense Project A Union in Spirit New York Times August 11 2013 a b Tribune The Texas Svitek Patrick 2019 08 12 Latina organizer Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez enters Democratic primary to challenge Cornyn The Texas Tribune Retrieved 2019 08 12 a b c Live Texas State Primary Election Results 2020 New York Times June 3 2020 Retrieved June 3 2020 a b Jeffers Grover Jr 6 January 2020 Senate candidate apologizes for saying her surname Tzintzun is more Mexican than others The Dallas Morning News Retrieved 6 February 2020 a b Colonize This in Colonize This Young Women of Color on Today s Feminism Edited by Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman New York Seal Press 2002 ISBN 9781580050678 Costello International LinkedIn profile of Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez LinkedIn March 4 2020 Retrieved March 4 2020 a b Time for a Change After a decade of fighting for immigrant worker rights in Austin Cristina Tzintzun is going national a b c d Tzintzun Cristina Presente Latin Immigrant Voices in the Struggle for Racial Justice Voces de Inmigrantes Latin s en la Lucha por la Justicia Racial Greenhouse Steven 10 August 2013 The Workers Defense Project A Union in Spirit The New York Times Better Builder Texas Victories amp Campaigns permanent dead link Better Builder Texas Staff Texas Tribune Events 2019 11 21 A conversation with Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez candidate for U S Senate The Texas Tribune Retrieved 2020 01 14 Stephania Taladrid March 22 2020 The Dream of Turning Texas Blue Depends on Latino Voters Newyorker com Itkowitz Colby 21 February 2020 Ocasio Cortez endorses 7 female progressive candidates to challenge establishment Democrats The Washington Post Retrieved 21 February 2020 Svitek Patrick 18 February 2020 Joaquin Castro endorses Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez in crowded primary to challenge John Cornyn The Texas Tribune Retrieved 21 February 2020 Nowlin Sanford 10 February 2020 Alec Baldwin Throws Support Behind Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez as She Vies to Take on John Cornyn San Antonio Current Archived from the original on 21 February 2020 Retrieved 21 February 2020 Klein Howie Organizing To Flip Texas A Guest Post By Progressive Senate Candidate Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez Blue America PAC Retrieved 7 June 2020 Kloosterman Tomas January 22 2020 Latino Victory Fund Endorses Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez for United States Senate Latin Victory Fund Retrieved 7 June 2020 Taqvi Sarah February 10 2020 Signal Q amp A with Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez You don t win unless you drive up voter turnout among young people and Latinos The Texas Signal Retrieved 7 June 2020 CWA Endorses Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez for U S Senate Action Network Retrieved 7 June 2020 Endorsements 350 Action Retrieved 7 June 2020 Our 2020 Endorsements Working Families Party Retrieved 7 June 2020 March 2020 Club Endorsements Austin Chronicle February 4 2020 Retrieved 7 June 2020 Svitek Patrick January 6 2020 Tzintzun Ramirez deals with back to back criticism in Democratic primary to challenge Cornyn Texas Tribune Retrieved 7 June 2020 Herman Ken January 6 2020 In Democratic Senate race in Texas Mexican heritage becomes an issue Statesmen News Network Retrieved 7 June 2020 Svitek Patrick Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez endorses Royce West over MJ Hegar in Democratic primary runoff for U S Senate Texas Tribune Retrieved 7 June 2020 Marriage Record 01 09679 2015 Travis County Texas County Clerk Retrieved 6 February 2020 King Michael 12 August 2019 Workers Defense and Jolt Founder Announces Candidacy for Senate Austin Chronicle Retrieved 6 February 2020 Leadership TurnUp Retrieved 2022 05 27 Bruno Anne 29 November 2018 Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez Tribeza Retrieved 13 August 2020 Roddenberry Fellowship 2018 Roddenberry Foundation Retrieved 14 August 2020 2017 Innovation Prize Awardees J M Kaplan Fund Retrieved 13 August 2020 Best of Austin 2015 The Austin Chronicle Retrieved 14 August 2020 Change Makers Southern Living New Hero of Civil Rights Edna Award Recognizes Wisconsin Organizer CWA Retrieved 14 August 2020 Carr Housley Standing Up For Workers Who Have Been Exploited Engineering News Record Retrieved 14 August 2020 External links editOfficial site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez amp oldid 1182302504, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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