About Marena Lin

My mom (second from the left), her sisters and mother

My immigrant roots in our district

My parents immigrated from Taiwan to the San Fernando Valley with my mom's parents and six sisters. Their pathway to citizenship began with my eldest aunt's marriage to a United States service member and his sponsorship of the entire family. My parents' generation include restaurant and beauty salon owners.

In those days before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), my parents' generation sacrificed having private health insurance for many years so that their kids could graduate debt-free with the highest quality education this country has to offer. I know the high cost of not having reliable healthcare: Immigrant families will forgo their own welfare so that their kids can obtain an education.

I graduated second in my Granada Hills High School class of 2005 and attended Caltech, Harvard, and UCLA, obtaining graduate degrees in climate science and urban and regional planning.

Both my grandmothers were illiterate and given away as children. Only two generations later, I am one of three siblings who have obtained doctorate degrees in the sciences and engineering.

Everyone deserves the same opportunity that I had

I want the same opportunities that I had for every immigrant. We are a country of opportunity and safe refuge, and no one seeking either should be in immigration detention or have to worry about abduction by federal forces that regularly violate human and civil rights.

In 2019, I sponsored the parole of an ICE detainee in Boston who endured months of inhumane detention and eventually won his asylum case. Although he had entered ICE detention during the summer, there was already snow on the ground by the time he was released.

"You can't eat prestige"

In 2016, the Harvard dining hall workers, who comprised part of Unite Here Local 26, had an historic and successful 22-day strike that won them a $35K annual wage and maintained their affordable healthcare. In 2018, understanding that our working conditions as teachers and researchers had much in common with dining hall workers, my colleagues and I helped organize for the successful election of the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118)—one that advocated for living wages, international workers rights, parental leave, dental insurance, and grievance procedures when Harvard broke civil rights laws.

Project Restore Us, Inc. and delivering over 400 tons of food

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, I cofounded an award-winning non-profit with local chefs and labor organizers to deliver over 400 tons of culturally-relevant food to community members facing food insecurity due to job losses, illness, and food shortages. Today, we continue to bridge the gap left by the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Healthcare advocate

Since 2018, I've been a caregiver to family members suffering through medical crises, experiencing firsthand the hourslong waits at the Social Security office and on hold with Medi-Cal and Medicare. I've successfully obtained benefits to which my terminally ill and disabled family members were entitled and which were essential to their dignity.

It should not be this hard to obtain basic benefits

I'm proud of this work but know that the kind of support I've given my loved ones is beyond reach for most Americans. It should not be this hard to access the federal safety nets that our tax dollars pay for.