People of the Mercado

Graciela Torres was born and raised in the small town of El Salvador in the municipality of Tequila, Jalisco, México. She grew up surrounded by native plants, animals, and a river that instilled a lifelong love of nature. At the age of 24, Graciela decided to migrate to Los Angeles, where she met Felipe, her future husband and father of her two children, Maribel and Daniel.

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Graciela worked hard to make her home a haven for her family by leaning into two things that she loved—gardening and music. Her love of gardening was on full display everywhere she lived, no matter how humble the abode. The garden that Graciela cultivated on the porch of her small apartment on Maple St. was a true tropical oasis on a street full of traffic and noise in South Central Los Angeles. In addition to plants, Graciela filled her home with the harmonious notes of a broad musical repertoire; she loved popular Mexican music, classical music, and opera. Graciela passed her love of music on to her son Daniel, who would accompany her to the Music Center to attend the Los Angeles Philharmonic concerts. Although Graciela’s home was a sanctuary, she witnessed a neighborhood in need beyond those walls and felt compelled to help.

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Graciela joined Esperanza Community Housing in 1996 as the literacy teacher at the Villa Esperanza Community Center. Her students were immigrants from rural towns in México and Central América who could not read or write in their language. With infinite patience and dedication, Graciela taught more than one hundred of them to read and write Spanish. Once they graduated from her class, they were prepared to learn English and enrolled in ESL classes. Many of her students said that learning to read and write was like seeing after being blind.

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Eager to continue on the trajectory of contributing to community development,  Graciela graduated from Esperanza's Community Health Promoters Training Program. During her long and fruitful career as a Health Promoter, Graciela worked on various projects; Rescatando Salud, Lanterman, and the Promoters Program. Graciela was part of the community she served; thus, she had a deep understanding of the culture, virtues, and limitations, resulting in great empathy and affection for the families with whom she worked.  

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Sadly, Graciela passed away on October 30, 2020. She is survived by her husband Felipe, two children Maribel and Daniel, and granddaughter Nina Grace, who was her pride and joy. Esperanza Community Housing, Mercado La Paloma, and the rest of this community deeply mourn the loss of an extraordinary co-worker, loyal friend, and tireless community advocate. We dedicate this portrait to Graciela and her legacy.