In this episode of The Storykeeper from Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez sits down with activist and community leader Olga Talamante to explore the extraordinary journey behind her life’s work. Drawing from her migrant childhood in Gilroy, her early experiences as a student leader, and her awakening as a young Chicana organizer, Olga reflects on the forces that shaped her political consciousness. She recounts her time studying in Latin America, the path that led her to Argentina in the 1970s, and the harrowing period during which she was imprisoned as a political prisoner—an experience that would galvanize her lifelong commitment to human rights and social justice.

This first part of a two-part conversation offers an intimate look at the roots of Olga’s activism and the resilience that has defined her career, including decades of leadership in the Chicana/Latina community. It is a powerful story of courage, identity, and the transformative impact of bearing witness.