TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 17 SIENNATX.COM 20+ MODEL HOMES Low $200s - Million+ • Seven on-site Fort Bend ISD schools K-12 • Acres of parks + trails, resort-style waterparks • On-site fitness centers, golf, tennis, sports complex and stables 610 45 6 TEXAS 8 8 59 90 288 521 F O R T BE N D PA R K W A Y DOWNTOWN GREENWAY MED CENTER GALLERIA The Good Life It's fun growing up here! because of the lack of funding. I volunteered at Ben Taub. I will never forget this. A mom was there with her daughter. The daughter suffered from mental health issues. It wasn't their first rodeo, and the doctor and the mom were essen- tially telling each other—through me—that the smartest path forward was for the mom to press charges against the daughter so she could get adequate mental health care in jail. The mom had heard this before. She knew how limited the care at the emergency room was. You really see how the failure to expand Medicaid, the failure to look at health as a holistic issue, affects everyday people. Q | Tell me about your family and the route you took to Harris County. What were your impressions when you first showed up in this community as a teenager, and what does it mean for this community to have someone like you as Harris County Judge? A | It was a shock. I grew up going to these expensive international schools. That's the only reason I can speak English without an accent. I knew that a big chunk of my par- ents' income went to those schools. When we moved here and they said we were going to public school, I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be this incredible school that had facilities that were nicer than the ones I knew growing up in these fancy private schools. For me, I didn't know govern- ment could do that. I know we are far from a world where every public school is a great school. But I hap- pened to be in a good one—Cypress Falls High School in northwest Houston—and it had nice facilities compared to what you'd see even in a private school in Latin America. There were all these sports teams. We had a film room. We were dissecting pigs in biology class. The school buses ran on time. It was incredible. That got me thinking about how government can be a tool for good. Growing up in Colombia, govern- ment had always been something to stay away from, something very corrupt. I had always heard stories of what that corruption means. It meant violence and broken com- munities. That sent me on a path to hold government accountable. Of course, I learned that not all govern- ment in this country is perfect. My thinking was, 'This is an incredible place. There's a potential for govern- ment to be good. So how can I make sure it is doing that?' I decided I was going to be an advocate and I was going to work around civil rights and free expres- sion, supporting the press, artists and attorneys. Then the 2016 elec- tion happened and I decided that was too roundabout a path. I needed to just do it myself. What my background means is we have someone with different perspectives. I bring the voice of the mothers—it's most often mothers who were there with their children at the hospital. I bring their voices when I'm at commissioners court. There's this deep responsibility to make the most of a society where you can shine a light on what's broken and you don't have to fear for your life. That, for me, is a treasure. People say to me, 'Why did you run? Weren't you scared? It's such a big position.' Where I was born, back then at the height of the drug war, if you did something like this— journalists, opposition politicians, they die every day. The fact that you can raise questions? We have to make the most of that. I'm in a hurry to get things done. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was interviewed by TMC Communications Director Ryan Holeywell. The conversation was edited for clarity and length.

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