Latina in spirit, if not by birth

Although his face betrayed little emotion, the man sitting near me

couldn’t completely hide his pride.

In front of a small gathering at Triangle Square, his daughter was

being honored for her work with Mika, a nonprofit organization that

works with Latinos.

Daniel Brooks and his wife, Lynell, watched as those gathered rose

to give their daughter, Christine, a standing ovation for being

promoted to be the new executive director of Mika.

Back in the mid-1980s, when Christine Brooks was just a little

girl, her dad would teach her real-life lessons.

“You can’t complain unless you’re willing to do something about

it,” he would tell her.

That piece of advice became a foundation of her life and helped

push her to earn a college degree. She holds a bachelor’s degree in

communications from Azusa Pacific University.

Christine Brooks has always been passionate about people’s lives.

Finding out their needs and desires and understanding their issues

have been part of her natural being. She knows that our social

inequalities are deeply embedded in our society. Whether our problems

arise from economic issues or are politically motivated aren’t as

important to her as how we get them resolved.

Estancia High School opened up a different world to her. Like most

Americans, she had already been in one of the many Mexican eateries,

had learned about Latino culture, had perhaps danced salsa or

mariachi, but she had never been able to share their traditions

first-hand. She loved it when she did it.

“I wanted to be a Latina,” she said.

As she learned, she realized that Latinos have their own issues

and problems. She then decided to minor in Spanish to have a better

understanding of their lives.

After graduating from college, she easily could have stayed in

America to seek a professional career or pursue a graduate degree,

but her love for Latin America had not left her.

Off she went to Venezuela.

“I wanted to improve my Spanish skills, keep learning more about

Latino culture, and see what I can do when I get back to Costa Mesa,”

she said.

Unlike many other travelers, who quickly returned to America once

a political crisis erupted in Venezuela, Brooks stayed for another

three years, working for a child-care facility.

Eventually, she returned to her roots. (It is hard to get away

from Costa Mesa, I told her.)

Initially she worked at an after-school program for teens in the

Shalimar neighborhood. Later, Mark Orphan, Mika’s founder and

director, hired her as program development director of his

organization. Last week, Brooks became its second executive director.

Mika works in conjunction with different social groups, especially

with religious congregations. This summer, it is expanding its

partnership with St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church to include a

monthly surf camp. (By the way, Mika derives its name from a book of

the Bible, Micah was an Old Testament prophet.)

Right now it reaches out to the Latino community, although its

programs aren’t entirely limited to this ethnic group. Brooks and the

staff at Mika get advice from various organizations, including the

Costa Mesa Police Department, to find out where their efforts will be

most valuable.

Brooks describes Mika’s mission as one that “empowers the

community, so that the people themselves are the ones bringing

transformation in their neighborhoods.” She believes that individuals

and groups have their own talents. Mika helps them realize those

talents through systemic educational programs and by providing

leadership development skills.

Brooks certainly has realized her own talents. She’s now ready to

take on new, difficult challenges. Mika is her first one, and I’m

sure we will see more of her in the future.

* HUMBERTO CASPA is a Costa Mesa resident and a bilingual writer.

He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].