Ymoat Makitaoui is a founding member of Detention Resistance, Centro Cultural de la Raza, and other organizations. Makitaoui came to the United States when she was 5 years old and went through many difficulties because a couple of family members, including her mother, were undocumented.
Her first job was at a non-profit when she was turning 17, and when she was a student at San Diego State University, she participated in the Peace & Dignity run. During the run, she saw and met many indigenous people who represented various tribes. Also, she was inspired by the Zapatistas movement, Makitaoui observed how NAFTA between Mexico, and the U.S., and Canada has destroyed the life of indigenous people. The two events abled her to really understand the indigenous resistance.
Currently, she is working every day to support the life of indigenous people and also fight for their rights. There were some difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, many lives were lost, and events were unable to be held in person. Makitaoui is very enthusiastic about her work, and she will continue to serve the community as long as she is breathing.
