Poder in Action

Barrios al Poder. Barrios al Poder is a family program that connects families with legal defense plans, resources to respond to law enforcement violence and family separation, and civic engagement skills to advocate for policy changes at the local and state level. Neighborhood by neighborhood they mobilize the power of residents to fight and win safety and justice. This group of migrant families, mostly women, were successful in winning resources for their communities for the last 5 years. They have hosted many Know Your Rights events and created opportunities for folks in the community to learn more about what was happening within the city. They also fought hard to make sure that immigrants had access to resources and services that were vital for folks to survive during the pandemic and mobilized groups of people to push the city to provide assistance to immigrants. They are building strong communities and growing their size of volunteers and developing new leaders who are learning to organize for the change they want to see. In 2018, Barrios leaders laid the groundwork for the Pueblos Budget Campaign after surveying over 10,000 community members in Phoenix, primarily folks of color in West Phoenix. The Pueblos Budget Campaign is a community led fight to take back the billion dollar police budget and invest in the life affirming resources working class and BIPOC communities have been deprived of for decades in Phoenix, so that we can live healthy and joyous lives.

Other programs include Youth Poder, civic engagement, policy and healing and wellness.