Why Indigenous People Want You to Stop Labeling Them as Latino | Odilia Romero | TEDxDelthorneWomen

In this fascinating and necessary Talk, Odilia Romero shares why the Latino narrative is oppressive for Indigenous communities.


Through her nonprofit CIELO, listen to how Odilia fights for language rights and provides interpretation services to Indigenous communities across the United States.


In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxDelthorneWomen, where x = independently organized TED event.


With our theme, Collective Liberation, TEDxDelthorneWomen centers the voices that are reimagining a new and just society through a liberatory lens. Not just from a space of dismantling tired, old concepts and fighting oppressive views, but implanting fresh seeds rooted in new imaginings, curiosity and right relationship.


TEDxDelthorneWomen was produced, curated and hosted by Sonali Fiske, a Leadership Mentor to BIPoC and the host of the radio talkshow, Revolutionary Voices.

As a fierce Zapotec leader, Odilia Romero is the co-founder of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), advocating for Indigenous migrant rights in Los Angeles & throughout California. She is also an independent interpreter of Zapotec, Spanish, and English for Indigenous communities & her organizing knowledge & experience are held in high regard, with multiple academic publications, awards, & lectures in universities across the United States, including John Hopkins, USC, and UCLA.

Ms. Romero's work has also been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Vogue and Democracy Now. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx