--- description: Find out how Mónica Ramírez is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2021 TIME100 Next: Mónica Ramírez image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a89284937c0116/698a1723e76ad2c4326389df/time100-next-Monica-Ramirez.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Feb 17, 2021 # Mónica Ramírez by Diane Guerrero  Art Streiber—AUGUST The knowledge possessed by Mónica Ramírez’s giant heart is just what makes her the breath of fresh air needed in a civil rights attorney. Her work through organizations like Justice for Migrant Women is only a fraction of proof of how hard she fights for the migrant worker; it has blown me away. Ranging from demanding equal pay for women and organizing against voter suppression to workplace sexual abuse and calling for COVID-19 relief for migrant families. Mónica’s compassion is built in the foundation of her life. She grew up in a rural community with deep family roots of migrant farmworkers before studying public administration at Harvard University. She used those accomplishments to raise more than $4 million in aid for farmworkers affected by the pandemic. She is kind, playful, truthful and whip-smart. The type of person you need fighting for your civil f-cking rights. I admire her generosity; I remember wanting to speak to her when most inconvenient. She was in between flights, and we had lunch at a Colombian restaurant. Through this conversation and bonding, I experienced her value, her drive. When she talks about saving the world, it’s like she is personally delivering a secret message to you—that she believes in you, in people. She lives her life to create a positive change for others. She is a gift to those in her presence; I am glad to call her my friend. _Guerrero is an actor and author_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937628/monica-ramirez/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937628/monica-ramirez/"},"headline":"Mónica Ramírez","datePublished":"2021-02-17T01:20:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:48:02.788Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937628/monica-ramirez/","keywords":["list","franchise","TIME 100 Next","TIME 100 Next Advocates"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a89284937c0116/698a1723e76ad2c4326389df/time100-next-Monica-Ramirez.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a89284937c0116/698a1723e76ad2c4326389df/time100-next-Monica-Ramirez.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937628/monica-ramirez/","name":"Mónica Ramírez"}}]}] ```