Chelsea City Councilor Judith Garcia announced her candidacy for state representative in the new 11th Suffolk District of Massachusetts. The daughter of a single, immigrant mother, Judith is a lifelong Chelsea resident whose career in advocacy, activism, and public service have all been anchored to the city she loves.
“I am a daughter of Chelsea,” said Judith. “This city raised and shaped me; it gave me everything and taught me one lesson above all else: There is nothing more powerful than a community that knows how to fight for itself. For too long, the residents of Chelsea & Everett have been denied a fair place in our state government. Now, this new district gives our communities a once-in-a-life time chance to seize the power that is rightfully ours. To do this, we need a candidate who represents all of us – not one group, one neighborhood, one political ideology or one faith. Unity is our superpower. As your next state representative, I will be a voice for all of us.”
Judith was born and raised in Chelsea by a single mother, who immigrated from her native Honduras with almost nothing. To this day, her mother is an essential worker at a local factory in Chelsea. Judith attended Chelsea Public Schools, where her passion for public and community service developed. After graduating from Wheaton College, she moved back to Chelsea and began work with Health Care for All as a bilingual specialist, helping families secure free and low-cost health insurance.
In 2015 Judith was elected to the Chelsea City Council, the first Honduran American ever to serve there, where she has been reelected for four straight terms. On the Council, she has championed issues ranging from affordable housing to access to education and environmental justice. When COVID-19 hit Chelsea hard, Judith led recovery and response efforts in the city, spearheading the creation of $1.5M emergency relief fund for small businesses, securing a $25k relief fund for burial costs for Covid-19 victims, and raised $10k for Chelsea’s food pantry. A rising political star in Massachusetts, she was recently selected by Vice-President Kamala Harris’ National Security team as an advisor for Honduran affairs. She has also served as a high-profile surrogate for Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Congressman Joe Kennedy III. Currently, Judith works at The Neighborhood Developers where she serves as a Communications Manager.