Fellow Highlights and News

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Not On My Resume: Marisol León

February 17, 2023

Marisol León was born in Los Angeles to parents who had come from rural Mexico. A 2012 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, she is a deputy attorney general with the civil rights enforcement section of the California Department of Justice and a visiting assistant professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College.

Why did you (or your family) come to America? My father’s older brothers came to the United States from rural Jalisco, Mexico, as guest-workers through the Bracero Program in the 1950s and 60s. After their work permits expired, my uncles decided to stay in California to better provide for their family, and my father eventually joined them in Los Angeles in the 1970s. 

Which living New American do you most admire? Definitely my parents—my mother crossed the US-Mexican border through an underground tunnel while six months pregnant with me. My father juggled three jobs for more than 40 years–repeatedly denied the opportunity to live and work with dignity. I think it’s important to acknowledge both the strength and perseverance and the sometimes violent history embedded in the fabric of our family histories as New Americans.

What is your current state of mind? I feel blessed to have a peaceful home, a healthy family, and to be surrounded by loved ones. 

When was the last time you felt imposter syndrome? Likely at the beginning of my legal career since I was the first in my family to navigate the profession and I compared myself to folks who had been on more linear paths to law school. 

What is your greatest fear? Even though death is a part of life, my greatest fear is losing family members. On a professional level, whenever I feel overwhelmed, I think about Audre Lorde’s words, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”

If you could change careers and do anything, what would it be? Likely something more on the creative side. A musician or writer. 

What is your idea of a good life? I am very close to my family and loved ones, and I have chosen to make my life’s work all about trying to actively address the many isms that pervade our society as an educator and attorney. I wholeheartedly believe I am living a good life. 
 
What is the one habit that you can’t live without? Continuously gaining clarity on my value system proves to be much more important than outlining a five or ten year plan, because my values guide me as I make decisions about how to invest my time and energy.
 
What one piece of advice do you live by? “You do not know the price people pay to live the lives they live.” That’s advice a friend gave me once when I was in a serious relationship and worried about getting married for the sake of getting married. Since then, whenever I make tough decisions I focus on what I want, what is aligned with my values and my truths, and not on what similarly situated individuals have done or are doing.

Who or what makes your heart beat faster when you think about them/it? My nephew, who is also my Godson. He brings so much joy to my life.

This interview was originally published in the January, 2023 issue of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships’ monthly Distance Traveled newsletter. Sign up to receive the latest issue here. ∎