Fidelia Salazar

Fidelia migrated from Durango, Mexico over 26 years ago in search of greater opportunities for herself and her family. Her connection with low-wage workers began long before she arrived in the United States as her family members were part of the “Bracero program”, shaping her understanding of the sacrifices low-wage workers make.

Upon arriving in the U.S, Fidelia faced many challenges and injustices while working in the restaurant industry. Determined to strengthen her ability to support others who went through the same things, she completed an English as Second Language (ESL) program and later earned a certificate as a Bilingual Office Assistant from Triton College.

Fidelia is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Fidelia deeply became involved in her community and earned the recognition as a dedicated leader and advocate through her work with nonprofit organizations. She organized and facilitated Know Your Rights workshops, led citizenship and DACA informational sessions, and contributed to advocacy campaigns to protect low-wage immigrant workers. In addition, under the supervisor of an Immigration license attorney, she supported low-wage individuals in completing essential immigration applications such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), and Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE), guiding low-wage immigrant families to navigate complicated immigration systems with care and expertise.

Before joining FLAP as staff, Fidelia served as a Community Navigator, Independent Contractor, from 2021 to 2025, doing community outreach and education which allowed her to becoming deeply familiar with various suburbs in South and Western Cook County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fidelia was hired by FLAP as a Bilingual Community Navigator Program Assistant in 2025 to do community outreach and education at Consulates, led Know Your Rights presentations, distribute community outreach and educational material, and connect low-wage workers with information and resources. In 2026, Fidelia was promoted to Bilingual Programs Supervisor to support FLAP’s programs and to ensure FLAP meets its goals by set deadlines as she supervises staff and is a point of contact for Community Navigators.

Driven by a firm belief in knowledge as a powerful instrument for change, Fidelia’s passion for helping is deeply personal. Having personally navigated many of the same barriers faced by immigrant and low-wage workers, she bridges connections and builds deep trust with the low-wage community she serves. Recognized for her empathy and unwavering dedication, Fidelia continues to offer vital leadership and passion through her years of service at FLAP.

Since 2020, Fidelia has been participating regularly in the Community Navigator Network training, completed the Northwest Navigator Network training 2020-2026, and Mujeres Latinas en Acción’s Liderazgo de Latinas (Latina Leadership program) in 2025.

At FLAP, Fidelia has delivered more than 500 Know Your Rights presentations, distributed more than 6,600 educational materials, made more than 200 referrals, and assisted with more than 100 dual citizenship process.

Today, Fidelia continues to be guided by her core belief that knowledge is power: “I am deeply committed to empowering others by sharing knowledge of their rights and connecting them to resources. I firmly believe that an informed community is a strong community.”-She said.