Rigoberto (Rigo) Reyes was born in San Diego in 1957. As a young boy at the time of the civil rights movement, Rigo grew up amongst the rallies of the United Farm Workers of America listening to Cesar Chavez while he was playing marbles.

At the age of twelve Rigo drove his bike 17 miles from his barrio in San Ysidro to San Diego’s Logan Height to witness the take over by the community of a little piece of land that today is known as Chicano Park, it was from this experience that his love for activism and social justice causes was born.

Rigo has lived and worked as a community organizer at the US-Mexico border practically all his life, he works for Via International a non-profit community based grass-roots organization working at the US-Mexico border since 1974, Rigo has been employed for Via International for over thirty eight years.

Rigo coordinates and implements community development projects and is responsible for developing and training leadership skills to persons in marginal areas of the cities of Tijuana and San Diego. Rigo oversees and assists in developing human potential with Promotoras or outreach workers who volunteer their time for service; they are eager to learn how to better serve their communities.

Rigo has been a member of the Chicano Park Steering Committee since 1976, he served for three years as a board member for the San Diego Foundation for Change and served for 10 years in their grants committee, he also served for three years on the board of directors for the Centro Cultural de La Raza in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Rigo is also a founding member of PAS that is a coalition of 7 NGO’S in Tijuana BC Mexico who work together to train promotoras in the region. Rigo is a former member of the Brown Berets, Committee on Chicano Rights, founding member of Union del Barrio, Board member of Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, former member of Casinos Car Club 1975, co-founder of Amigos Car Club 1977 and co-founder of the San Diego Low-rider Council in 1979, Rigo has been Lowrinding for over 47 years.