Julia Reihs

This is the story of Jill Torres

Jill Torres is the subject of this Latino Roots project. She is a kindergarten teacher, MEChA leader, Spanish radio show host, and activist in Eugene’s Latino community. Her life has been a question of identity, as her mother is a mix of white European ancestry while her father has a mixed Croatian and Mexican background. In high school, her teacher Armando Morales inspired her to join MEChA  and be proud of her Chicana identity. Since then, a dialogue has opened between her and her father, allowing her to dig deeper into her family’s history and learn more about what it means to be Latino.