A year after his death, J.J. Saldaña still brings a safe space to Idaho Latinos

Bobby Gaytan, a local artist, stands in front of his mural "Flowers for J.J. Saldaña." The mural was made in honor of late Idaho Latino advocate, J.J. Saldaña, who unexpectedly died from unknown causes in September 2023. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun)

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The first time I met J.J. was in October 2017. I was a senior in high school attending the annual Idaho Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit.

The summit is held by the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs , a state-funded organization established in 1987 that works with the state government and Idaho’s Hispanic population to understand their needs and to promote education and employment opportunities. The summits are similar to college fairs, but they are focused on helping young Idaho Latinos overcome the barriers they face when applying for college.

J.J. Saldaña was the co-founder of the summits, and he worked for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs for nearly 24 years, making connections with Latinos across the state to identify their needs and connect them with programs that would uplift them.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” he often said, reflecting his passion for increasing Latino representation in leadership.

My mom and I had driven seven hours from North Idaho to Boise to attend the summit, which was held at the Student Union center at Boise State University.

“ Ponte las pilas ,” she told me, which means “put in the batteries” – a common phrase Latino parents tell their children. It basically means work hard and get your act together.

I was nervous and intimidated as one of the only people to come individually rather than with a group from their school, but I knew my mom was right. If I was to attend or even afford college, I needed to make as many connections as possible.

I told the check-in person my name and the name of my high school.

“She’s our only North Idaho student with us today,” a man said from behind the check-in booth.

He was holding an iPad. He wore a bowtie, vest and brown leather shoes. He handed me a folder with my schedule, then shook my hand.

“We’re so excited you’re here,” he said. “Thank you for coming all the way to Boise. I’m J.J.”

His warmth and excitement about my presence immediately made me feel more comfortable. That day consisted of workshops about financial aid and meeting with admissions counselors from Idaho colleges. As overwhelming as it was to me at the time, it ended up being a life-changing event for me. It made me realize that there are a lot of Latinos who are my age in Idaho – something I didn’t realize having grown up in North Idaho. Also, it is where I first connected with my now alma mater – the College of Idaho.

At the end of the event, my mom insisted we take a photo with the staff from the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs. It was then that J.J. told me that he hoped someday the commission would be able to hold the summits in other parts of the state, so that students like me didn’t have to commute so far for the opportunity to learn about college.

He fulfilled that mission. Late last September, days before his unexpected death , he was at the University of Idaho in Moscow hosting one of several summits.

Since the day I met him, J.J. became someone who supported me as I started college, and advocated for me as I started my journalism career. In spring 2022, right before I graduated college, I applied for an internship with the Voces Internship of Idaho – a nonprofit that provides paid internships to young Idaho Latinos interested in journalism.

J.J., who was on the Voces Internship advisory council, was one of the people who interviewed me over Zoom. As I recognized him, I once again felt less intimidated and safe as I interviewed for the internship I was desperate to get. I knew I wanted to become a journalist, but I had no qualifications other than the fact that I loved to write. J.J. had seen the potential in me before, and maybe he’d see it again, I thought.

Later that month, I received a call that I would be one of the first interns for the Voces Internship of Idaho. I was placed as an intern at the Idaho Capital Sun, where less than a year later I would return to work as a full-time state politics reporter.

I am one of many Idaho Latinos J.J. supported and wanted to see thrive in Idaho. Sept. 15 will mark one year since I last saw him at the Hispanic Heritage Month kick off at the Idaho State Capitol, where he asked me to give a speech about the success of Voces Internship of Idaho.

He told me how proud he was of me, and asked to take a picture with me on his iconic iPad.

It hurts when I’m reminded that J.J. is no longer around to take selfies with or share witty jokes. But there’s still one place I can still find him, wearing his bowtie and brown leather shoes.

With support from the city of Boise, Bobby Gaytan, a Treasure Valley-based artist who is known for his street art representing Chicano culture, painted a mural memorializing J.J. ‘s impact on Idaho. The mural is in downtown Boise, in an alley adjacent to Capitol Boulevard. It’s easily recognizable as the alley surrounded with magenta and purple colors, colors J.J. often wore.

“J.J., a friend and superhero to many of us, always cared and gave people their flowers expecting nothing in return,” Gaytan told Boise Arts and History. “He made people in our community feel confident and important and was inspirational in how he carried himself with pride and dignity.”

The downtown mural not only honors the hero J.J. was to people like me, but it brings a piece of our Latino culture to Idaho’s capital.

The mural depicts symbols used in Day of the Dead celebrations, a holiday in Mexican culture where we honor our deceased loved ones. Marigolds, papel picado and a candle beautifully guide J.J. back to Idaho, the state he cherished and the people he always supported.

If you find yourself in downtown Boise, I encourage you to visit J.J.’s mural, “Flowers for J.J. Salda ñ a.” Take in the colors, the symbols of our culture, and feel the gentle spirit of a man who believed in the potential of every Latino in Idaho.

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