California’s economy hit two significant milestones this fall – its GDP is poised to surpass Germany as the world’s fourth largest economy, and it has officially recovered the 2.7 million jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, just as these positive trendlines are surging, Californians continue to face economic challenges and Latinas are bearing the
This week, the Latino Community Foundation is commemorating the 5-year anniversary of the devasting 2017 wildfires in Northern California by honoring the power of grassroots leadership. Community leaders, organizers, healers, and artists will come together to honor the land, celebrate collective wins, and utilize the power of arts and culture to re-imagine our collective future.
Last week, the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) entered the international arena to meet with government representatives, nonprofit organizations, and civil society advocates at the IX Summit of the Americas, the perennial gathering of heads of state in the Western Hemisphere. To mimic the spirit of the first Summit of the Americas that took place 28
The opportunity before us is unlike any we have seen before in generations. With the passing of the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, there is $1.9 Trillion on the line to re-envision and build thriving neighborhoods for our entire Latino community. These bold investments will only reach and transform our communities if our
Today is Cesar Chavez and National Farmworker Day. This recognition has been earned through years of civil rights activism and advocacy, and yet the struggles faced by our farmworkers persist. As we commemorate let’s also remember that a day is not enough, and Chavez’s legacy is best celebrated through action. In 1985, my parents had
One year ago today, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the $1.9T bill that sought to assist communities across this nation recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when Latino families were reeling between personal and economic devastation, this historic infusion of federal resources could not have come sooner.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)—the $1.9T economic stimulus bill signed into law by President Joe Biden last year—is a historic infusion of relief dollars designed to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next several years, ARPA will deliver significant, flexible resources to state
It started simple enough: with a picnic. Leonor Hipolito noticed that some of the children in her neighborhood did not speak Spanish and seemed uninterested — even embarrassed — in their immigrant parents’ Latin American culture. “I knew they were losing out on such a source of strength and pride. And I vowed that my
Yery Olivares, CDFI Co-Founder and Executive Director, Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation (FAHF) The Central Valley’s newest Community Development Financial Institution or CDFI is the first one in the region founded and led by two Latinas: Yery Olivares and Dora Westerlund. CDFIs play a vital role in historically underserved communities by increasing access to capital and resources for businesses and individuals. I sat with Yery to talk about what led to this moment and
Since this pandemic began, California’s undocumented workers have been left to survive on their own. They have served on the frontlines as essential workers – from the fields in the Central Valley to the corridors of our hospitals in LA. In fact, two in three undocumented workers that file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Number (ITIN)