RPC Perez Chamu (they/them) is a non-binary, queer person who is a passionate advocate and community organizer working across social justice advocacy and immigrant rights organizing spaces. They currently are working at Dream Action Oklahoma, a queer, youth, and immigrant-led organization that is empowering local immigrant communities through advocacy and education to ensure justice for all immigrants. As a native of Tulsa, RPC also managed the Peer Health Educator Program at Take Control Initiative and strategically developed the core group of college students, expanded partnerships with local colleges, and increased funding for the program. Interested in improving the quality of life for communities of color in North and East Tulsa, RPC organized extensively with local organizations to advocate for increased access to resources, visibility, and equity within all levels of government. After high school, RPC served in the United States Army as a Transportation Specialist. After their military service, they earned their Associate in Sociology and an additional Associate in Business Administration at Tulsa Community College. They graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and obtained their Master of Science in Human Development and Family Science in 2021. RPC was a member of the Hispanic Student Association and the Presidential Leadership Society at OSU-Tulsa. During their time at OSU, RPC presented their research over immigrant detention policies and their thesis “Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Trauma: An Examination of Family Separation at the Southern US Border” at local conferences in Oklahoma.
Through grassroots organizing and relationship building, RPC has advocated for the advancement of BIPOC individuals in leadership and advanced the call for justice. While working full-time and studying full-time, RPC served on the board for Martha’s Foundation, a non-profit working to provide transitional living for pregnant teens. RPC has volunteered with the El Centro’s Power of Families Project that specializes in connecting Latinx families with resources, and in other capacities for organizations like, Terence Crutcher Foundation, Justice for Greenwood, El Centro, & Padres Unidos de Tulsa. As someone with family directly-affected by the social issues that they are advocating for, RPC understands the crucial need to address disparities for underrepresented and underserved communities. They aim to create and implement policy changes and increase public awareness for immigrant communities in Tulsa.
Through direct advocacy efforts and engaging with local communities, RPC is driven and focused on generating social change and removing systemic barriers for BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ folks in Oklahoma. In their free time, they enjoy taking pictures, painting, and stretching with their cats.