Feel Good Friday - Esperanza United

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to support survivors and the advocates standing beside them, which is why I'm featuring Esperanza United.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, the mission of Esperanza United (formerly Casa de Esperanza) is "to mobilize Latinas and Latin@ communities to end gender-based violence." Their vision is "for Latinas, their families, and communities throughout the world to recognize gender-based violence and act to end it by creating communities rooted in honor and respect." The @ in Latin@ is intentional, recognizing the contributions of the entire community.

It all began as an emergency shelter created by a small group of persevering Latinas. Today, Esperanza United's family advocacy in the Twin Cities includes emergency shelter, community-based advocacy, and a 24/7 bilingual crisis line, meeting survivors where they are.

One in three women in the United States experiences domestic violence in their lifetime. That rate is similar across most groups, but the solutions are not, which is why Esperanza United grounds its work in the Latina Advocacy Framework to help Latin@ survivors gain greater safety, connectedness, and self-sufficiency.

On the prevention side, Fuerza Unida Amig@s brings youth, women, men, and gender non-conforming folks together for leadership training and community action projects. Their national campaign, Decimos NO MÁS, gives parents a toolkit for talking with their children about healthy relationships. Esperanza United also provides training, research, and policy advocacy for organizations nationwide.

In fiscal year 2025, Esperanza United delivered 43 trainings that reached nearly 3,500 people, brought culturally relevant approaches to advocates and communities across 20 states and Puerto Rico, and disbursed nearly $12 million in multi-year grants to 30 culturally specific organizations! You can read the full impact report here.

Making a donation is one way you can support Esperanza United, you can also amplify their message on social media. Follow Esperanza United on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube and share stories of their work.

Finally, if you or anyone you know needs help, or wants to chat with an advocate, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Standing with survivors this Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

Feel Good Friday - Indigenous Environmental Network

This Monday is Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples, so this week I'm spotlighting Indigenous Environmental Network.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bemidji, Minnesota, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is an alliance of Indigenous peoples, with a mission “to Protect the Sacredness of Earth Mother from contamination & exploitation by Respecting and Adhering to Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Law.”

IEN grew out of a 1990 gathering of tribal grassroots youth and Indigenous leaders who were confronting environmental assaults on their lands, resulting in a network that now supports Indigenous communities on climate, energy and environmental justice issues across North America and beyond. Today, IEN builds the capacity of Indigenous communities and tribal governments to protect sacred sites, land, water and air through organizing campaigns, direct actions and public awareness.

IEN's site features the 2026 Banking on Climate Chaos  report on fossil fuel financing. Indigenous Just Transition offers a framework for moving toward an ecologically sustainable economy rooted in Indigenous sovereignty and knowledge.

IEN is also putting those ideas into practice at its Teaching Garden. In June, students from the University of Minnesota and Leech Lake Tribal College wove floating mats from willow and cattails to help restore water quality in Lake Irvine and protect its wild rice, a lake the state lists as impaired. Later this year, the students will return to measure how much pollution the mats have removed. At the garden's annual Roots, Shoots & Seeds Celebration in May, IEN gave away more than 300 seedlings and over 200 seed packets from its Community Seed Library! In early June, staff also visited the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute, where they toured a horse-powered hemp farm breeding northern-adapted hemp varieties.

If you like what IEN is doing there are many ways you can support them. Making a donation helps fund their work, and you can also give by check, stock transfer or legacy gift. Amplify their message on social media by following IEN on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, and subscribing to their YouTube channel to share their work with your network.

Wishing you a meaningful Indigenous Peoples' Day! 

Feel Good Friday - Centro Legal de la Raza

It's National Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration through October 15 of the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans with roots in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Today I'm spotlighting Centro Legal de la Raza, right here in the Bay Area.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California, Centro Legal de la Raza was started by Latino law students from UC Berkeley to provide legal aid to low-income Latino residents of Oakland. Since then, it has grown to serve thousands of people across Northern and Central California. Their mission is "to protect and advance the rights of low-income, immigrant, Latinx, Black, and communities of color." Their vision grounds the work in "three core pillars: leadership, empowerment, and equity."

Centro Legal's Immigrants' Rights practice represents families living in poverty, long-residing undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, and people facing deportation, including those in detention. Through the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership, Centro Legal also helps ensure people facing detention, deportation or immigration emergencies have access to legal services and community education. The Tenants' Rights team fights displacement through eviction defense, drop-in legal clinics and rent board hearings across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The Workers' Rights program helps low-wage immigrant workers facing wage theft, unsafe conditions and retaliation, including immigration-related threats.

Two more programs round out the work. Impact Litigation has taken cases before the U.S. and California Supreme Courts, and the Youth Law Academy is a three-year program that gives Oakland high school students a clear pathway to college, part of Centro Legal's effort to mentor the next generation of attorneys and judges of color.

Centro Legal has had a big impact in the community. Its work helps protect the rights of more than 10,000 people every year!

Volunteering as an interpreter is one way you can support Centro Legal, and there are many others. Attorneys can explore pro bono opportunities and all of us can make a donation and amplify their message on social media. Follow Centro Legal on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and share their work with your network.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!