Unidos Por Poder | United by Power
Nine years ago, Carmen heard an advertisement on the radio about Abogadores de la Comunidad, or Advocates of the Community. Abogadores is a health equity group facilitated by The Next Door and they were looking for community members who wanted to join a new subgroup called Unidos Por Poder, or United by Power, to advocate for Latino community needs such as education, free or low-cost physical activities, access to healthy foods, and transportation in The Dalles. Carmen had heard from her sister-in-law that she, along with other local parents of school-aged children, had some grievances about the school district’s transportation, so she decided to attend the group’s next meeting. Not long after, Carmen learned just how dire the need was for safer transportation.
At the time, North Wasco County School District 21’s (NWCSD21) bus routes did not include the homes in the Foley Lokes Mobile Home Park on the eastside of town. Children as young as kindergartners had to walk to and from school or other bus stops along the busy and dangerous Chenoweth Road year-round. Parents feared the possibility of their children encountering drug dealers, inclement weather, or getting hit by a car on one of the dangerous turns in the park along their route. Many of the residents were farm workers who had to be at the orchards well before school hours, some without anyone to look after their children on their way to school. Other parents, like Carmen’s sister-in-law, worked in town but didn't get off in time before the school day ended and would have to leave work early to pick up their children. Eventually, finding transportation for her children was such a hard-hitting burden on both her home and her workplace that Carmen’s sister-in-law had to quit her job.
After hearing Carmen’s story and many like it, members of Unidos Por Poder brainstormed ways to bring this systemic issue to the district’s attention. They formed collaborations with other individuals and organizations such as Blue Zone, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, and the City Commissioner, inviting them to their meetings, sharing their safety concerns, and coming up with ways they could work together. They facilitated focus groups, hosted events, and held regular meetings to keep their advocacy work at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Eventually, the district superintendent joined and began attending Unidos Por Poder meetings every month for nearly a year to continue educating herself about the transportation barrier families were facing. She even invited a friend who worked in state legislature, and together they presented Unidos Por Poder with an official recognition for the advocacy work they’d been doing. Unidos Por Poder members were excited about the traction their work was getting and hopeful for a positive outcome.
One day, Carmen’s sister-in-law called with exciting news. NWSCD21 had established a route through the mobile home park and Carmen’s niece and nephew were finally going to be able to ride the bus safely to and from school. Carmen initially joined Unidos Por Poder to make a difference for families like hers in the community and she was so grateful to see the many years spent planting the seed and doing the advocacy work finally paying off.
Nearly a decade later, Carmen is still a regularly attending and involved member of Abogadores de la Comunidad. The group has nurtured an essential community collaboration with NWCSD21 to increase their understanding of the needs of the Latino community in addition to improving bus routes and transportation safety. Because of this partnership, the school district:
has established a dual language immersion school
has adopted its first dual language education policy for K-5th grade
now offers Spanish interpretation for their school board meetings
routinely asks for Abogadores’ input for grant proposals and needs assessments in order to successfully ask for funding to Latino students
Your gift goes towards helping programs like Abogadores de la Comunidad and Unidos Por Poder who are advocating for systems change to overcome barriers to success in our local communities. Now through December 31st, your gift will be matched up to $45,000! Visit nextdoorinc.org/donate to double your impact today.