MICOP was founded by Sandy Young, FNP, a lifelong social activist who began fighting for social justice during the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. As a primary care provider, she witnessed the hardships faced by the growing Indigenous farmworker population in Oxnard in the late 1990s. Through her Spanish language studies in Oaxaca, she experienced the beauty and dignity of Mixtec and other Indigenous Mexican cultures, and her commitment to training Mixtec speakers as interpreters, educators, and leaders through a popular education model became a natural extension of her passion.

Alongside Mixtec leaders and non-Indigenous advocates, she organized the Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project in 2001. As the founder, CEO, and board president, Sandy helped shape MICOP into a self-governing Indigenous empowerment organization. She later retired from Las Islas Medical Group after 23 years of service. She continued her work preserving Indigenous histories through oral history projects for the UCLA Center for Oral History Research.

Sandy was not just a leader; she was a force, a woman radically committed to social justice. With unwavering conviction, she planted the roots of MICOP and stood with our communities when few others did. Collectively, she leaves us with one of the most powerful legacies: a living, bold organization committed to uplifting and dignifying Indigenous communities.

Her love for Oaxaca, her political clarity, and her insistence on developing leaders were not symbolic; they were constant action. Today, every program, every community meeting, every voice raised is proof that her vision continues to live on through the work.

As she often said, her vision and commitment continue to guide the work we carry forward today.