Hispanic Heritage Month: Activist Sandra Oxford on the Latino Experience in Sullivan Catskills

As part of Radio Catskill’s Hispanic Heritage Month coverage, Patricio Robayo sat down with longtime local activist Sandra Oxford to talk about the challenges facing the Latino community in the Sullivan Catskills, and the work she’s led over decades of advocacy.

Oxford, a self-described citizen activist, reflects on her upbringing in Queens and Long Island, her decision to raise her family in the Catskills, and the stark differences she found in rural life compared to the diverse urban communities where she grew up.

“Growing up in Queens, seeing people in leadership positions who looked like me was normal,” Oxford said. “Coming to the Catskills was a culture shock—the lack of resources, the lack of representation—it was something I had to navigate for my family.”

In the conversation, Oxford recalls the early days of her activism, which began in the late 1980s when she saw firsthand the exploitation of farm workers in the Hudson Valley. That work grew into decades of organizing for immigrant rights, language access, and fair treatment for Latino residents in the region.

She also spoke about the pandemic’s toll on essential workers, most of whom were Latino laborers in agriculture and food processing.

“Essential workers went from being praised to being hunted in the fields,” Oxford said. “The pandemic didn’t reveal new allies. It revealed how little protection and priority our communities actually had.”

Oxford highlighted the growth of the Latino population in Sullivan County and the ongoing gap between demographics and representation in positions of power. Despite Latinos making up a majority of students in some districts, she said, language access and representation in local government remain lacking.

Looking forward, Oxford urged younger generations to ground themselves in history and family values, while not shying away from activism:

“Know your history. Know your family’s struggle here. Understand that we have to be in this for the long game,” she said. “Latino people are not a monolith, but what we share is resilience and the responsibility to keep showing up.”

Oxford closed with an invitation for neighbors to take Hispanic Heritage Month as an opportunity to learn more about the Latino community in Sullivan County:

“Latino people tend to be very warm. We often make our family larger, invite more people to our table, and value the collective. This month is about understanding and celebrating that.”