CITY OF FRESNO
Office of Mayor Jerry P. Dyer
_____ _________________________________ JERRY P. DYER, Honorable Mayor
_____ _________________________________ ________________________________ LEE BR MIKE KARBASSI, Council President MIGUEL ARIAS, Council Vice President
____ _________________________________ ________________________________ ESMER ANNALISA PEREA, Councilmember District 1 TYLER MAXWELL, Councilmember District 4
_____ _________________________________ ________________________________ PAUL C NICK RICHARDSON, Councilmember District 6 NELSON ESPARZA, Councilmember District 7
WHEREAS, Aideed Medina is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet, award-winning spoken word artist and playwright, and the author of 31 Hummingbird: A Suite of Poems and Segmented Bodies; and
WHEREAS, her poetry and prose have been featured in many publications, including Fresno State’s Club Austral Literary Magazine, Chicano Writers and Artists Association Journal, La Bloga, Poets Responding, Split This Rock, and Nueva York Poetry Review, among many others; and
WHEREAS, with a talent that transcends traditional boundaries, Aideed’s work has been showcased in anthologies, municipal murals of the 559 Mural Project, and even through original compositions for The Opera Remix with Fresno Grand Opera; and
WHEREAS, drawing inspiration from her family’s experiences and the broader farmworker movement, Aideed’s poetry captures the resilience, struggles, and hopes of those who have long been the region’s economic backbone. Through her work, Aideed pays homage to the labor and sacrifices of farmworkers while giving voice to their enduring spirit and contributions to our community; and
WHEREAS, the City of Fresno recognizes Aideed’s accomplishments and considerable talents as a poet, as well as her commitment to its quality of life via the arts community and through her work in our civic and educational realms; and
WHEREAS, it is the City of Fresno’s custom that the Mayor appoints the Poet Laureate Selection Committee, who officially select the City’s poet laureate. This term, the honor goes to Aideed Medina.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, Mayor Jerry Dyer and Members of the Fresno City Council, do hereby proclaim Thursday, April 10, 2025, to be:
“Poet Laureate Aideed Medina Day”
In the City of Fresno.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and
affixed the seal of the City of Fresno, California, this 10th day of April 2025.
Honoring Poet Laureate Aideed Medina