Christina Morales serves in Texas House of Representatives, District 145, located West of Houston, Texas. Christina did not have the intention of running for office, until a group of friends who had seen her activism work suggested she would be great for the role. Growing up in Houston’s Second Ward, she had seen firsthand the way that policies unevenly affected communities, especially those that were historically underserved.
After her mother passed away at the age of 15, Christina was raised by her grandparents, who instilled in her from a young age the importance of voting and being civically engaged. Christina watched as her grandmother not only ran their family business, the Morales Funeral Home, but also supported candidates interested in running for government with the support of The League of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC. Growing up around this engagement with LULAC taught Christina the importance of promoting equity amongst community by fighting for the rights of Latinos.
Christina inherited her family business at only the age of 23 and soon after became in charge of managing her family’s nonprofit, the Morales Memorial Foundation. It was these two roles that would catapult her from Christina Morales to Representative Morales, as she came face to face with the issues afflicting her community.
As a mother, she realized that educational opportunity was not as robust in Latino neighborhoods as she believes it should have been. She participated in a leadership program where she had heartfelt conversations with her peers about schools in Latino communities being underfunded for decades, because it was believed that these students would not go on to seek higher education. For the past 26 years, she has participated in a school supplies giveaway, where she had the opportunity to talk to families and one on one and see the struggles that they faced. Beyond education, there was a major lack of access to healthcare, another issue that would come to the forefront during her time in office.
When she was approached by a dear friend that had previously served in office, Christina was unsure if it was the right path for her. But, after seeing the unanimous support from a large group of her friends, she decided it was her time to give. Having no previous experience in campaigns, she had to trust her campaign team fully.
Education has always been a priority for Christina, and she has fought hard for a change in our school systems, though she knows that their structure is very complicated, and that change will take generations. She has worked to ensure that high school students are able to take classes that reflect their ethnic backgrounds, because history courses in the US have been whitewashed, erasing the histories of people of color. Christina is also vice chair of the Mexican American Caucus, where she fights for the Latino community, particularly how they are treated at the border. She feels like her caucus is the unsung hero in this fight, while always knowing she has played a key role.
As a mother, grandmother, and business owner, Christina says balancing priorities can at times be difficult. But while at times it is stressful, it is very rewarding to represent her community and fight for them every day.
