Olivia Sánchez Zamarripa
Olivia Sánchez Zamarripa, undated, Courtesy of Ramón Vasquez
“She carried herself with razón, with purpose.”
Olivia Sánchez Zamarripa, holding the banner of the Native American Voters League in the Fiesta Patrias parade, 1939. Courtesy of Ramón Vasquez
Olivia Sánchez Zamarripa, undated, Courtesy of Ramón Vasquez
Social justice, labor, and political activist
1920–2018
Olivia Sánchez Zamarripa was a pillar of strength and tenacity for her children, her grandchildren, and her community. As a labor activist in the pecan sheller strikes, a founder of the Native American Voters League, and a precinct chair of the Democratic party, she taught her children and grandchildren that sometimes it’s necessary to fight for what is right.
Olivia was born on February 25, 1920 in Von Ormy, baptized on the Medina River. Her family, the Polancos, had been in South Texas since the mid eighteenth century. Generations of family moved back and forth between Von Ormy and San Antonio. In Von Ormy, previously known as Paso de las Garzas, the family attended Santisima Trinidad church, before it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1919. In San Antonio, her family originally settled in a neighborhood by San Fernando Cathedral. In the late nineteenth century the local press would describe this community as “the bird people of Alazán Creek”, because they would trap and sell birds and other items at the markets and bathe in Alazán Creek. While the local press would describe them as squatters and beggars, they were among the oldest indigenous communities in San Antonio, and well integrated into the city. Olivia’s great grandmother, Marcela Vasquez, was baptized at the cathedral. When Olivia lived in San Antonio they lived at 1226 Laredo street, part of the westside “Laredito” neighborhood and close to the factory that made Hippo sodas. Like the so-called “chili queens,” her mother and grandmother would set up stands and sell food in downtown plazas.
Olivia’s labor activism began when she became part of the pecan sheller strikes in 1938. She was just seventeen years old at that time. She attended meetings and was inspired by Emma Tenayuca and other leaders of the movement. She was also interested in challenging the exclusion of indigenous people in cultural celebrations. She helped found the Native American Voters League, an organization formed in opposition to the decision of the Mexican consulate and LULAC to have the fiestas patrias celebrations exclude Native Americans. The League also wanted the celebrations moved to San Pedro Park, rather than the Municipal Auditorium, because they felt the park, as the birthplace of the city, would be a more accessible, inclusive space to gather. In 1939, Olivia rode atop a car with the organization’s banner in the annual Diez y Seis parade.
Olivia married Ramón Vasquez, who served in the US Navy during World War II. While he was away, she worked with her sister at Kelly Field as one of the “Kelly Katies,” a term to describe women who worked on sheet metal and electrical instrument repair. In a tragic boat accident on September 6, 1946 Olivia’s husband and her brother in law were killed, leaving Olivia a widow with two small children. She later married Santos Alvarado Torres and had two children with him before he also died tragically in 1954. As a widow again, now with four children to raise, Olivia had a difficult life. In spite of these challenges, she continued her activism. She served the Democratic party as a Westside organizer and precinct chair, backing Henry B. González and Albert Peña; Her eldest son, Ramón Vasquez y Sánchez, recalled growing up as a kid on San Antonio’s political front lines. “That’s how I got into politics and became an activist. She was constantly doing work for politicians and bringing me along.” Her daughter Tillie Serrata, recalls growing up in Alazán Apache Courts while her mother worked as a beautician. She took her mother’s advice to be independent and never depend on a man.
Olivia’s deep faith and membership in the Holy Rosary parish grounded her through the many losses of her life. She lost two sons, George Vasquez and Jesse James Torres. Her third marriage to Gilbert Zamarripa ended in divorce. Yet she continued her activism and her education. As a child she was only able to complete the eighth grade, but in the 1980s, through AVANCE, she completed her GED.
Her eldest son would continue this legacy of activism as part of the Raza Unida Party. He served as campaign manager for Mario Compean, and Vice Chair for the party in 1976. He also co-founded Centro Cultural Aztlán, where he organized the city’s early Dia de los Muertos exhibitions. Her grandson, Ramón Vasquez, has also become an activist, as the executive director of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation’s nonprofit agency American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions. He also remembers that she was a wonderful cook, and she loved to go fishing. She was the matriarch of the family, and the foundation of their activism. Olivia Sánchez Zamarrippa died on May 25, 2018.
“My grandmother represented four generations of activism in San Antonio.”
— Ramón Vasquez, Zamarripa's grandson
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Ayala, Elaine. “Local Chicano Movement archive begins with indigenous roots.” San Antonio Express-News, January 21, 2018.
McCormack, John. “Life Tributes,” San Antonio Express-News, June 3, 2018.
Vasquez, Ramón. Interview with Laura Hernández-Ehrisman, September 2020.