SARAMARÍA archila

Founder of Latin American Integration Center

Saramaría Archila was a Colombian human rights lawyer, who founded the Latin American Integration Center. In the early 1990s, Saramaría fled violence in her home country of Colombia and sought refuge in the United States. After resettling in New York City, Saramaría quickly discovered the lack of rights and legal protections for immigrant communities in the United States.

In 1992, Saramaría joined forces with her friends and launched the Latin American Integration Center to promote human rights and civic participation. The organization became a beacon of support and community for immigrants and provided thousands with language access services and citizenship support through voter registration drives. Saramaría passed away in January of 2003. In 2007, the Latin American Integration Center merged with Make the Road by Walking to form Make the Road New York. Saramaria’s legacy and work continue today through MRNY and through the many people she mentored who now lead our movements for justice.