When Virginia Parejo was young, her parents instilled in her an appreciation for freedom and a necessity for political involvement. Now as the Ward 1 councilwoman for the Delran Council, Parejo strives to teach her children the same principles.
Living under a dictatorship in Spain, Parejo’s parents were not able to have a voice in their country. To give their family a better life, her parents legally immigrated to America to escape the Franco regime.
“I was born in Spain under a dictatorship,” said Parejo. “My parents always wanted me to be politically aware and active. They wanted me to appreciate the freedom I have. They instilled that in me because they weren’t able to when they were growing up. They made it an important part of my life, and that’s something that I am teaching my children.
“When I was looking to get involved, one of the members of the council had approached me,” Parejo continued. “I was actually going on vacation at the time, and I thought about doing it once I got back. When I was on vacation, my father had passed away and I felt that was a even bigger reason to do it. He would’ve wanted me to.”
When Parejo returned from vacation, she began her campaign. She walked door-to-door to introduce herself to her neighbors and to listen to their concerns. While she walked around for multiple hours each day, her efforts paid off. Parejo was elected and became the first Spanish-speaking councilwoman in Delran’s history.
“It was very time-consuming,” said Parejo. “When I would walk around door-to-door, I would bring my children with me so that they knew what it was like to be politically active and how the process works. We put up signs and tried to get the word out. I really just wanted to encourage people to get out and vote even if it wasn’t for me, just have your voice heard.”
While Parejo has only been on the council for a short time, she has learned a lot since being elected. She has also noticed a lack of youth, women and diversity within government and politics and strives to break down those barriers.
“One of the main things I’ve learned is that a lot of things in politics or in the township take a lot of time” said Parejo. “Everything is a process and sometimes it takes a long time. Even though we have the best intentions to get it done fast, it may not. I also noticed that sometimes you can’t always help everyone. Sometimes you have to prioritize to make things better.
“Since I am a substitute teacher in Delran, I have been able to get to know a lot of the kids in town,” Parejo continued. “I want younger people to get involved and provide that voice for the younger generations. It’s important to have that in the council. I used to teach Tyler Burrell and Colin Rafferty when they were in school, and now seeing them involved is fantastic. I wish I got more involved when I was younger.
“I also think more women should get more involved,” said Parejo. “I think prior to me there were a few women on the council, but it think more women, more minorities and people of color should get involved. America is diverse and everyone should have a voice.”
