Christine Bolaños is redefining how immigrant workers are represented in the public narrative in Texas. In a politically charged environment where labor and immigration policy dominate headlines, she has built a communications strategy that places workers at the center of national media conversations.

Nearly 30 years have passed since the Civil War in El Salvador ended, claiming the lives of 75,000 civilians. History often overlooks the survivors who continue to live with invisible scars, and this history shaped her family’s story. Christine grew up knowing this history shaped both her family and her sense of purpose.

Her mother stood among those survivors. At 21, she made the perilous journey north to Texas alone, carrying little more than the clothes on her back. She escaped an Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) soldier’s kidnapping and a university environment where violence replaced learning. She never intended to stay away permanently, yet life took a different course. She raised three children in Texas, alongside her husband, who also migrated from El Salvador.

Instead of becoming a biology professor, Christine’s mother taught her children the value of using their voice and education. Christine often reflects on her mother’s determination and recalls, “She, along with my dad, instilled in me the value of my voice and my education; two rights that were ripped from her.” That legacy guides her path as a first-generation college graduate and shapes her commitment to storytelling and advocacy.

For 12 years, Christine dedicated her career to uplifting the Latino immigrant community. She wrote about migrant and gender rights from a Latina lens for publications such as The Guardian and NPR’s Latino USA. As a communication consultant, she supported numerous organizations and used her own experiences within the Salvadoran diaspora to craft culturally immersive messaging that strengthened their impact and reach.

Her work also took her to El Salvador as an International Women’s Media Foundation fellow, where she reported on women’s rights and entrepreneurship during a period marked by femicide and attacks on civil liberties.

Christine currently serves as Communications Director at Workers Defense Project, a member-led organization in Texas that builds power with Latino workers for immigrant and worker justice, a position she has held for nearly three years.

The Meaning of True Empowerment

Christine views empowerment as alignment between purpose and responsibility, where one person’s values and vision guide another’s commitment to uplift their message.

She explains, “Empowerment is when one’s north star is aligned with another individual’s values and vision so intrinsically that you feel a profound sense of duty to uplift that individual’s message and purpose.” This belief shapes her work at Workers Defense Project, where she centers the voices and stories of members who experience workplace exploitation directly and uses storytelling to move and agitate people in power to act.

In practice, this philosophy shapes how she evaluates every campaign. Before pitching a story, she asks: Does this elevate a member’s lived experience, or does it center institutional messaging? Does it expose systemic barriers, or merely highlight symptoms? By anchoring communications in member voice rather than organizational visibility, she has helped shift Workers Defense Project from being quoted about workers to amplifying workers directly.

Through the organization’s Speaker’s Bureau, Christine supports members with media training and creates opportunities through the member-to-member-leader pipeline. Members grow into ambassadors who carry people skills, speaking skills, and confidence into every space where their voices need to be heard. They share testimony, participate in rallies and actions, write letters, participate in news interviews, and step into leadership roles within their families, neighborhoods, and communities.

Christine sees empowerment reflected in personal transformation. An Austin member once described their journey at Workers Defense as evolving from a timid caterpillar into an emboldened butterfly, a transformation she sees as the clearest measure of empowerment.

Writing Change Into Communities

Christine’s identity shapes the way she approaches leadership and representation. She began her journalism career writing and editing for small-town newspapers in conservative Texas, where she focused on empowering and hopeful stories that highlighted the humanity of everyday Texans regardless of ethnicity, political affiliation, accent, or skin tone. Her ideas often challenged publishers who have run their newspapers the same way for decades, yet she continued to advocate for inclusive storytelling and refused to give up.

Through her reporting, Christine observed cultural shifts taking place in these communities. More people of color began sharing their stories and appearing on the front pages of local newspapers, reinforcing her belief in the power of representation. Therefore, she remained committed to this purpose and explains, “I discovered I was passionate about uplifting people who history tends to forget, and I haven’t stopped.” She continues to fulfill this passion through her leadership and storytelling.

Seeing the World Through Shared Stories

Global exposure shaped Christine’s worldview and strengthened the way she understands people across cultures. Growing up in Texas, she recognized that meeting someone who speaks both Spanish and English feels just as common as meeting someone who speaks only English. This environment prepares her for broader experiences and deeper connections. 

In 2016, she joined six female journalists from around the world to report from El Salvador as part of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Adelante Program. Among the six journalists, one had graduated from Harvard, while others spoke four or five languages, creating a humbling environment that expanded her perspective. She reflects on this realization: “We are all connected through common struggles and the desire, the need, for hope.”

She carries this awareness into her daily work and relationships. It strengthens her collaboration, deepens her patience, and expands her understanding of people who appear different yet share many of the same experiences and aspirations.

Resilience in Every Season

Christine maintains clarity in high-pressure moments, shaped by personal trials that tested her endurance and perspective. At 21, she survived a life-altering car crash while traveling to an unpaid internship just months before graduation. She gave birth to her first and only child at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and raised her child with her white husband during a time marked by division, cruelty, and hate. They then dealt with days without water and electricity during Winter Storm Uri before their daughter was 1. She also supported her husband through the loss of both parents before he turned 40.

These experiences taught her resilience, humility, and patience. Christine reflects on these lessons and explains, “I’ve learned to give myself grace and patience and do a little meditation, tend to my greenhouse, dance it out with my daughter, and embrace my vulnerability.” These practices help her stay grounded and connected to others.

The Power of Women’s Shared Vision

Through years of amplifying women’s voices and immigrant stories, Christine has learned that women from different backgrounds share more similarities than differences. She leverages those commonalities to build broad-based support and durable coalitions.

Many of the women she works with migrate from Mexico, Central America, and South America. Although they speak different dialects and come from different cultures, they share a common goal. Christine observes that most of them seek a better future for their children and their children’s children. She explains, “I’ve learned that women from all walks of life have way more in common than they have differences.”

Christine believes that progress requires openness to unfamiliar perspectives and a willingness to step into uncomfortable spaces. Through shared learning, women strengthen unity and mutual understanding. She sees women as central figures in homes, workplaces, and communities, and believes collective action can secure dignity and respect for immigrant workers and all who call Texas home.

A Legacy of Representation and Leadership

As Christine looks toward 2026 and beyond, she focuses on building initiatives that strengthen representation and leadership within the Workers Defense Project. In 2024, she launched a Speakers Bureau to ensure that members’ voices remain central to public messaging strategy and narrative.

Under her leadership, media coverage increased by 35 percent, reaching outlets including The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, MSNBC, and Univision. The program creates opportunities for members to share their experiences and perspectives in spaces where decisions directly affect their lives.

In collaboration with the Movement Politics Director, Christine also launched a series of Spanish media literacy workshops that equip members with resources and tools to challenge misinformation and disinformation across social media platforms that target their communities.  The workshop aligns with Popular Education programming and supports the member-to-member-leader pipeline by providing intentional training for social justice organizing. These events take place quarterly.

Christine hopes these initiatives continue to grow over the coming years. She reflects on her purpose and explains, “If I leave my tiny corner of the world even a little bit better upon leaving than it was when I arrived, I consider it a win.”

Passion as the Foundation of Impact

Looking toward 2026 and beyond, Christine’s ambition extends beyond media growth. She envisions a communications model in which immigrant workers routinely shape public discourse across Texas — from local newsrooms to statewide policy debates. Her aim is normalization — making worker leadership an expectation rather than an exception.

Christine encourages young women who want to use media and communication for social change to build their work around both expertise and passion. She urges them to move with confidence and integrity while staying grounded in responsibility and compassion. She explains, “Make sure your area of expertise is also your passion. Then run with it.”

Christine urges them to avoid misinformation, support other women and girls with empathy, and remain true to themselves, believing that strong values and clear purpose naturally attract people who share their vision.