Mayra Jackson

A long-time advocate for the Cincinnati immigrant community, Mayra Jackson is dedicated to providing immigrants with the practical resources and support they need to thrive. In the almost-20 years she’s lived in Cincinnati, Mayra has worked as an immigrant liaison at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency, and has been on the board of both League of United Latin American Citizens and Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. She currently works as executive director at Immigrant and Refugee Law Center.

Her community and social work has felt like a natural fit for her, since Mayra has navigated the process of immigration herself. When Mayra first came to the states from Peru, she spoke English well enough to get by, but still it was challenging to figure out the system. Even just enrolling kids in school, she says, is something that seems obvious to a native but can be unfamiliar to an immigrant.

“That’s when I think about the clients we served in my organizations,” Mayra says. “If I’m going through these things, what are they going through, and who is there to help them?”

Mayra has an eagerness to make our city more welcoming to immigrants, and believes that this happens through education and collaboration. Both need to happen within the immigrant community, and in the community as a whole. Newcomers need resources to learn about day-to-day living, and local natives should embrace opportunities to expand their horizons and learn about different cultures. And all immigrant communities should work as a whole to lift one another up. Cincinnati Compass, Mayra points out, does a great job in pulling together different immigrant groups to operate as one.

“We are all facing the same barriers,” she says. “We are all facing the same sort of discrimination and mistreatment. Why aren’t we working together?”

Mayra believes it’s also important to show non-immigrants just how broken the immigration system is, an understanding that may garner more empathy from those who have not known what it’s like to be forced to leave behind their home in order to seek safety for their family.

When Mayra first arrived in the states, she experienced discrimination and judgment from people in her community. As upsetting as it was, she was confident that if she owned her position in the community and gave others a chance to get to know her, they would become more open-minded and accepting towards diverse backgrounds.

“Most of these people have never been exposed to diversity,” she says.

As Cincinnati’s immigrant community continues to expand, visibility and cultural exchange grow with it. Opportunities to share the immigrant story and celebrate their cultural roots open more people up to the benefits of diverse voices and contributions.

“We are expanding the society,” Mayra says. “We are bringing new things to Cincinnati, which is making the city more vibrant.”

In her own day-to-day, Mayra focuses on creating solutions to the problems she and other immigrants faced upon moving to the states. She wants to use her own experiences to make the process feel more welcoming and accessible for future immigrants. And in doing so, Mayra hopes to prepare her fellow immigrants for a successful transition, one where they feel empowered to make big moves.

“[I hope] that we can be more involved in the government [and] decision-making,” Mayra says. “To be able to make sure our voices are heard and our needs are met.”