About Ramiro: Ramiro “Rami” Alvarez was born in Durango, Mexico and came to Detroit with their parents in the late 90’s. The child of a teacher and a construction worker, Rami saw at an early age that not all labor was valued equally, and certainly not paid equally. On one hand, Rami holds deep pride for his two homes–Durango and Detroit–as areas rich with working-class innovation, community-centered attitudes, and delicious food. On the other hand, Rami mourns the potential of their two homes–both Durango and Detroit are stereotyped as violent areas with unintelligent residents barely making it by; thus, both Durango and Detroit have been underfunded, undersupported, and under-resourced. A big consequence of this systemic inequality has been health and healthcare access. Rami was radicalized into Disability Justice when their parents’ and their own health became a chronic issue. The health outcomes of immigrant, queer, and disabled people are not set in stone–Rami believes we can create a public health ecosystem that is accessible, affordable, top-quality, and intersectional. Rami blends the communal caregiving values of rural North Mexico, with the Chosen Family model of queer relationships and the values of Disability Justice to combat ableist, racist, and xenophobic power structures that would rather work us to death, literally.

Image Description: Circular photo of a smiling Rami wearing a teal collared shirt. Rami has brown skin, short black hair, ear and nose piercings, and facial hair. Rami’s headshot is taken in front of a blurred office background with a plant.