Our Ambassador Program cheers on those making a difference with their version of doing good. Each Ambassador’s goals play a unique role in representation, education, community involvement, getting outside, and pursuing joy in life – all things that Toads share the stoke for.
Rocío Villalobos is an Xicana Indigenous trail runner and advocate from Austin, Texas. Her transnational upbringing shaped her professional work and passion for social justice across education, immigration, and the environment. She co-founded Indigenous Movement Crew, a wellness and running group centered on Indigenous people and the belief of movement as medicine. Through her Instagram @thexicanaexplorer she shares her stories and experiences to connect with and encourage others to get outside, try new things, and be involved in their own communities.
We chatted with Rocío about trail running, her inspiring advocacy work in Austin, and what doing means to her:
Toad: Thanks for chatting with us, Rocío! Let’s start with the hardest question first.😉 What has been your most memorable trail run?
Rocío: My most memorable run took place in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which is a beautiful state park in the Texas panhandle. I completed my first big trail race in Palo Duro Canyon and it’s where I got really hooked on trail running. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the country and it has majestic views, so it was a really special place to get to run.
Toad: That sounds like a beautiful location to be in nature and run in. On the note of running, how did you begin trail running? Was this journey linked to the co-founding of Indigenous Movement Crew?
Rocío: I kind of started trail running by accident (I don’t recommend NOT looking up your race course before a race). At that point, I was still pretty new to running races and didn’t give much thought to looking at the course. It seems obvious in hindsight, but when you’re new to a sport/activity, you don’t know what you don’t know!
I started trail running more “seriously” during 2021. That summer, I joined my first trail running group and started focusing more of my training on trail running. I realized how much I enjoyed the quietness of nature and being able to get away from cars and traffic. Spending time in nature has done so much for my mental health! That realization was part of what led to the creation of Indigenous Movement Crew (IMC).
Qui’chi Patlan and I co-founded IMC in 2020 after having similar experiences with running spaces in Austin. A lot of running groups can feel very exclusive/elitist where only certain bodies and paces are celebrated. Running in predominantly white spaces can also feel disconnected from the realities that BIPOC runners face when we lace up our shoes and head out the door. When we run, we carry our identities with us and that can mean danger for our communities. The personal is political and we don’t just leave our identities at home when we run. The reality is that we have to deal with other people’s assumptions and biases about us when we step outside to go for a run.
When we created Indigenous Movement Crew, we wanted to change narratives about running. Narratives that said that only people with certain bodies or who run at certain paces can call themselves runners, and narratives that focus on wellness as an individual pursuit. Indigenous peoples have been running for thousands of years and we see our group as part of that long tradition. We run to heal, we run to pray, we run to raise awareness around issues affecting our communities, and we run to deepen our connection to the land and with each other.
Toad: Beautifully said, and we are so proud of the work that IMC is doing. Can you share more about your role as Immigrant Affairs Manager with the City of Austin’s Equity Office?
Rocío: I have been working for the City of Austin’s Equity Office for a little over four and a half years. I recently started a new/dual role at the City, so I am now the Immigrant Affairs Manager and DACA Liaison Officer. This basically means that my work now includes supporting City employees who are immigrants or visa holders and helping them navigate processes related to employment authorization and/or adjustment of status.
My work also includes supporting our broader immigrant communities and hosting events like citizenship clinics, naturalization ceremonies, know your rights presentations, and information sessions related to new immigration policy. A lot of my work happens in partnership with other City departments as we work to create new initiatives and new ways of functioning as a City in order to better serve the needs of our immigrant communities.
Outside of my work at the City, the things that I’m doing with Indigenous Movement Crew are really a labor of love. I enjoy bringing people together around a common cause and creating a space that can feel restorative and joyful. I think our group is doing something different in Austin because we’re not afraid to use our voices and raise awareness about various issues.
At the end of the day, it’s important to me to help change this narrative of wellness as an individual pursuit. We are all part of various communities and if our communities are hurting, we are hurting too.
Toad: Can you hear us cheering you on? 😊 Thank you for the important work you’re doing for advocacy and changing/challenging narratives. This also connects back to @thexicanaexplorer – what is the backstory of your Instagram?
Rocío: When I started my account, I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me who were hiking and running and documenting their journey. My goal was to use social media as a way to connect with others with similar hobbies and to also be the representation that I needed when I first started getting outside. Since then, I’ve been able to connect with such an amazing community, especially Indigenous women from across the U.S. I hope that the stories and experiences I share encourage others to get outside, to try new things, and to be involved in their communities.
As a side note, I know that people often don’t know how to pronounce my handle or don’t know what it means. “Xicana” is pronounced like “Chicana,” a term that comes from the Chicano Movement, a social and political movement that was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The Chicano Movement was a time of political awakening and action by the Mexican American community - they challenged assimilationist rhetoric and pushed for change in areas like labor rights and education. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta are some of the notable leaders that emerged during the Chicano Movement. For me, spelling the word with an “x” is also a celebration of my Indigenous and feminist identities.
Toad: We’re curious: what sparked your passion for advocacy work? And what motivates you to keep showing up every day, even when – especially when! – it’s challenging to show up.
Rocío: I grew up in East Austin, which is an area in Austin that has historically been marginalized. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I lived less than a mile away from an oil tank farm. The tank farm was responsible for polluting the land, air, and water in my community and caused residents to develop a range of illnesses, from cancer to respiratory diseases. I didn’t learn this history until I was in my first or second year of college and it made me so angry to learn that the City allowed that to happen - that people in positions of decision-making power chose to allow toxic industry to be zoned next to residential because they didn’t believe our lives were worth protecting.
Since learning that history, I have felt compelled to speak up and play an active role in my community because I don’t want those injustices to happen again. Our voices matter and they deserve to be heard.
Toad: Relatedly, if you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Rocío: I would tell my younger self to not be so afraid and to take risks more often. The world can be full of amazing things, but you won’t get to experience them if you don’t take risks every now and then.
Toad: Finally, we ask all of our Ambassadors this: what does “doing good” mean to you?
Rocío: Doing good means using the skills and talents you have to help others, whether it’s your family or your community. It’s about leaving something better behind than how you found it. We are all capable of doing good!
