Maritza: Lead With Your Heart

• Girls Play, Too
• Soccer Dreams
• A Better Life
• Amigas
• Different Opinions
• More Than Prayers
• Goals
• Get Into Formation
• Soccer Showcase!
• Hope
• Changemakers

Girls Play, Too

Maritza is with her best friend, Sierra, at the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. She just finished winning a 5K, and is celebrating with hot-off-the-grill corn, called an elote. Although Sierra no longer plays for the same soccer team as Maritza (the DC Jaguars through their school), they remain friends.

Just as they finish watching Javier, Maritza’s big brother, dance his ballet foklórico, a young girl who plays soccer with Maritza’s father’s team runs up, complaining that Mr. Ramos won’t let the girls play at the children’s soccer game. Maritza jumps up to try to help Yesenia. Maritza promises to be back to watch Sierra perform with her class as well.

Soccer Dreams

Maritza has to find a way to convince Mr. Ramos to let the girls play. Violeta, another (new) girl from Maritza’s school soccer team joins in to help. Violeta also points out her younger cousin, Mia, who is eager to play. Mr. Ramos’ argument is that he’s concerned the girls will get injured more easily than the boys. Eventually, the girls convince him that girls are tougher than he may think, and that everybody trusts that he won’t put up with roughness on the field. Mr. Ramos consents.

A Better Life

Unfortunately, Maritza missed Sierra’s performance. Sierra doesn’t really understand, and is upset.

Maritza heads to a food truck to get another bottle of water. While there, she sees a jar with a photo of a family on it. The food truck owner explains that the family has been separated because the father has been detained by immigration. The jar is to try to help the family collect enough money for legal fees.

Maritza generously donates all of her winnings from the 5K. Sierra sees the act of generosity and forgives Maritza for missing her performance.

As Maritza goes to race another classmate, she realizes… one of the girls in the photograph was Mia!

Amigas

That evening, Javier and Maritza spend the night at their mother’s parents’ house. While there, Maritza reflects on her Tía Mari, who passed away about a year ago from cancer. Tía Mari lived in California before she got sick, and they used to do weekly video calls with her throughout the pandemic. Before she passed, Tía Mari mailed a beautiful journal to Maritza, filled with quotes from women leaders and athletes. Whenever Maritza needs inspiration or is feeling down, she refers back to that journal and its quotes to help comfort her.

Abuela comes in and asks Maritza what she plans to spend her winnings on. Maritza explains that she donated it to help the family on the jar. Abuela and Abuelo had heard of the man, Andrés. Andrés was a kind man, a father of two, and he used to work at the hospital. His whole community loved him! Abuela reminds the children that they’ll all need to pray for him. Abuelo counters that the family will need more than just prayers.

Afterward, Abuela and the children visit the Riverfront Community Center. While there, they run into Evette and Makena. The three girls are given a little bit of time to hang out, and Maritza shows the others her latest soccer ball trick. They take a video to post online.

Different Opinions

Sierra and Maritza are going to their current events class, when they catch up with Violeta and Ainsley, their fellow soccer team member and soccer captain. In class, Mr. Bernstein explains that they’ll be talking about the DREAMers—people who immigrated to the country illegally when they were children.

The whole class discusses whether DREAMers should really be allowed to stay in the U.S. Although they’re illegal, the U.S. may be the only country they know, and the person most likely contributed to U.S. society for years without even realizing they were illegal. By the end of the class, the students agree that in an ideal world, all the DREAMers could stay, but the laws need to be changed first to make it easier to grant them immunity and citizenship.

At practice that day, Ainsley announces that the Soccer Showcase is coming, and this is an opportunity for the players to be scouted for a club team. The whole team needs to hope they can pull together to do well.

More Than Prayers

The next day at breakfast, Maritza shares what’s going on with her parents. She explains how she donated her money to the family, and wants to do more to help them. As her abuelo pointed out, that family will need more than just prayers. Although Maritza’s folks agree with her, they all agree to say a prayer anyway.

That weekend, Maritza and her father are busy coaching the younger girls’ team, the DC Azules. After the game, Violeta casually brings up that her uncle taught her and Mia how to play soccer. Maritza pushes her a little bit, trying to get Violeta to open up. She doesn’t take the bait, and ends up ending the conversation and going home. Maritza’s father reminds her that Violeta probably needs more time, and that most importantly, all she needs right now is a friend.

Goals

After Maritza’s team’s next game, which they barely won, Maritza tries to text Violeta, but doesn’t get a response. But when Violeta’s mother, Gloria, mentions Violeta is inside, Maritza is surprised. Gloria mentions there’s a fundraiser going on for Uncle Andrés inside, and Violeta was helping with that.

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Violeta realizes that it’s about time she trusts Maritza with her family’s grievances. Violeta explains that besides the emotional turmoil, things have been logistically so hard with the lawyers’ appointments, needing to translate, and needing to take care of things at home and with Mia. Maritza also realizes there’s a good chance that Violeta isn’t legal either… she’s most likely a DREAMer herself.

As Maritza and Violeta continue talking, Maritza realizes she’s late to meet Sierra. Once Maritza gets Sierra on the phone, it’s clear she’s upset that Maritza missed their shopping date. Although Maritza wants to explain everything, she knows it isn’t her story to tell.

Instead, Maritza and Violeta form a plan to try to get more attention and awareness on the immigration issues, and the Soccer Showcase would be the perfect place to do it!

Get Into Formation

Maritza goes to Evette and Makena to get their help with getting the word out about their big presentation at the Soccer Showcase. They need to invite everybody they possibly can and get as many eyes on the showcase as possible! Makena and Evette agree they can put announcements out on their World by Us page.

In their current events class, Violeta and Maritza put on a little presentation. They introduce the class to the family, and then explain that the family has been broken apart by immigration. And most importantly, this is Violeta’s family. The entire class is eager to help them with their Soccer Showcase presentation!

And after all of that, Ainsley, Maritza, and Violeta ask their soccer team for help. The team is excited to be a part of the big demonstration. Everything is all set and ready to go!

Soccer Showcase!

The next day is the day of the Soccer Showcase. The stands are full, and the area is full of excited energy. When Maritza’s father announces all of the team members on the DC Jaguars soccer team, everybody gets into their demonstration formation. And then, at the drop of a button, they all raise their signs to form the words FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER. Violeta introduces herself, and her family, and explains they’re raising money to help bring Uncle Andrés home. The entire crowd launches into applause.

After the showcase, an interviewer comes up to Violeta and Maritza and asks to interview them; they’re going to be on the news that evening!

Hope

The next week, the kids at school are still talking about the showcase. Everybody is showing their support for Violeta’s family. But one person is distinctly missing from class: Violeta.

And then, Violeta comes into class. She’s back, and this time she’s brought back someone special: Uncle Andrés with his lawyer! The work that Maritza and her friends had done made a huge difference, and Uncle Andrés is now allowed to leave jail to come back home. Although his fight with immigration isn’t over, at least he can go home to his family.

Changemakers

Maritza’s choice to stand up and speak out for her friend turned into a rally that made hundreds of people see the problems immigrant families face. There are real Latina activists across the nation who are doing important work to change their communities. People discussed include:

• Daphne Frias uses the power of her voice to make room for people with disabilities to be a part of causes they care about
• Sophie Cruz has been inspiring awareness, openness, and compassion for immigrants by communicating with and speaking to adults, government officials, and rallies in Washington D.C.