Ready to kickstart change? Then buckle up! Get inspired by Colaborativa La Milpa’s Director Geny Hernández López and Operations & Finance Coordinator Angeli Sosa as we explore a powerful model of grassroots activism centering WNC immigrant lives, rights, and communities.
For over 20 years, Latinx immigrant leaders in the Emma neighborhood of Asheville have led grassroots efforts rooted in mutual aid, community defense, and cultural preservation. These initiatives culminated in a robust network of organizations, including Nuestro Centro (now Raíces Emma - Erwin), CIMA- Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Accion, PODER Emma, and Ma hñäkihu: Indigenous Language Preservation. In 2018, these organizations converged to form the Colaborativa La Milpa family based on a shared vision for greater cooperation and sustainability through organized, collective response. We’re talking less bureaucracy, more direct action.
Listen in to learn more about how La Milpa’s stronger together philosophy embraces and embodies collective response as the catalyst for skyrocketing collective impact and ultimately sparking transformational social change.
We'll see you same time, same place next month. Until then, peace.
Ready to kickstart change? Then buckle up! Get inspired by Colaborativa La Milpa’s Director Geny Hernández López and Operations & Finance Coordinator Angeli Sosa as we explore a powerful model of grassroots activism centering WNC immigrant lives, rights, and communities.
For over 20 years, Latinx immigrant leaders in the Emma neighborhood of Asheville have led grassroots efforts rooted in mutual aid, community defense, and cultural preservation. These initiatives culminated in a robust network of organizations, including Nuestro Centro (now Raíces Emma - Erwin), CIMA- Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Accion, PODER Emma, and Ma hñäkihu: Indigenous Language Preservation. In 2018, these organizations converged to form the Colaborativa La Milpa family based on a shared vision for greater cooperation and sustainability through organized, collective response. We’re talking less bureaucracy, more direct action.
Listen in to learn more about how La Milpa’s stronger together philosophy embraces and embodies collective response as the catalyst for skyrocketing collective impact and ultimately sparking transformational social change.
We'll see you same time, same place next month. Until then, peace.
We are profoundly, profoundly interconnected.
Speaker 2:We don't always live that way, we don't always acknowledge it, but if we're going to hear, we have to live it, experience it and create institutions that celebrate. Can we create a we where no one's on the outside of it?
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Uplift Real Talk for Real Change with Zedek Social Justice Fund. Hello, my name is Libby Kiles and I'm the Executive Director of Zedek Social Justice Fund, and I want to welcome you all to the Uplift Now. Before we get started, I'd like to say we're here to build authentic community relationships and help fuel social transformation in Asheville, north Carolina. We believe collective liberation is not only possible but probable as we share, listen and learn together. We're here for the process. However, the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the view or positions of any entities that they represent. So again, thank you and welcome to the Uplift today today. Today we're going to have a beautiful conversation with one of our grantee partners, but before we move into that, I would also like to recognize that here with me today is Tori Garrison of the RSAA. Tori, you want to share anything this morning?
Speaker 3:Hello and just happy to be in this space and to share this space with community All right.
Speaker 1:So our episode today is around collaborative community building at La Milpa, and so we have two beautiful humans here from La Milpa and I'm going to give them an opportunity to introduce themselves. Anjali, would you like to go first? Yes, thank you.
Speaker 4:My name is Anjali Sosa. I am the Operations and Finance Manager with Collaborativa La Milpa. I am the newest member of their team, the Rookie. I've been there for a year, really enjoying the work and just what we are able to offer in the community.
Speaker 2:Hi, libby. I am Jenny Hernandez, I am the director of the Collaborativa La Milpa and, well, I am really involved in the movement for immigrant rights for maybe 10 years here in Asheville, very nice to be here.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's so nice to have you all here, so we're going to jump right in. So can you all just kind of give us a little bit of the origin story of Collaborativa La Milpa and what inspired its creation?
Speaker 4:I guess I'll take that question, libby. The concept of La Milpa has very deep roots, although legally it was incepted in 2018. So there were several different needs in the community that we saw, and there was one organization, for example, that was trying to do everything like the advocacy piece and against gentrification and allowing the community to come together and be able to utilize their voice in the community, and so what happened was several organizations decided okay, our passion is advocacy, our passion is this, our passion is that. So several organizations were built under an umbrella, and Collaborativa, la Milpa, is the umbrella and it became the legal 501c3, we have to do all that legality stuff and the admin piece and the one that allows the organizational development for these other community organizations that just want to be boots on the ground, working with the people, assessing needs, learning from the community and also providing services and education for the things that are deficient in our community. And so, because of that that's where the idea was born we are stronger together and through collaboration, through being able to pool these resources that you know are very limited. For black and brown folks, we know the resources are much, much more limited, and so we decided why not just work together. What a concept, right. And so that's where La Milpa was born.
Speaker 4:We have several organizations that are members of La Milpa. So we have Podere Emma, which I'm not sure if you're familiar with. They are amazing. They work against gentrification and displacement of folks in the Emma community and they do other things like they do worker led and worker owned cooperatives. They build the infrastructure for these folks so they are able to become self-sufficient and empowered in the work, and then they also are doing additional projects which Henny might be able to share with other communities, black communities in the area.
Speaker 4:And then we have, for example, sema, which is doing all of the advocacy and they're fighting for the rights of the immigrants and really bringing the community together to have that voice, to be able to utilize that voice. Then we have UF, which works with these amazing women in the community that take care of children in their homes and they don't have resources, they don't have the educational piece, and so UF is edifying them and providing these resources for them to be able to grow and expand and become better. And I'm missing some. Manyaqui Hu is an amazing organization. It's a very small organization, growing slowly, but they are really focused on kind of enriching and keeping the language and culture of Nyanu.
Speaker 2:Nyanu is a culture from Mexico, original culture from Mexico. Because of the immigration, people from this part of Mexico, Hidalgo, come to Asheville and they have a community here. So we try to, you know, to keep the culture, the language, Nyanu language and culture. So it's manya kihu.
Speaker 4:Yes, and they have a yearly kind of display and they all the communities is welcome to come. That will be August 19th right next to our building and they have music and culture and the language and all of it.
Speaker 2:Food, yeah and food.
Speaker 4:And so we also have raíces, which you're probably familiar with. Raíces is incredible. They have this they want to cultivate the rich dance and art culture in from Mexico and also the Spanish language, and so they kind of they keep the youth busy in a good way and they keep them off, you know, any sort of creative other ventures that they might get into in the community. So because of that, these youth can become like teachers in the future for the younger folks and it's like it's. It's creating this leadership model Exactly. That is very collaborative and I don't know if anyone wants to add anything else about Well.
Speaker 2:I think you explained very well every one of our organizations inside the umbrella of La Milpa. So every organization we. We really take this like an option against capitalism, against individualism, self-image and division. So we joined a group of organizations pro-climbing social justice, equity and immigrant rights. So we prefer to be together because we thought that we think that together we are stronger.
Speaker 1:I tell you what.
Speaker 1:That's absolutely beautiful and a couple of things kind of resonate with me as I hear you talk about the different organizations that are a part of La Milpa and the work that you are doing and I actually had an opportunity to see the children dance about two weeks ago and it is all so beautiful watching how engaged the entire community is.
Speaker 1:The kids weren't just dancing like half of the audience were the people there just to support the kids and that's a beautiful thing. But I wanted to ask a question around the childcare issue and hearing Hennie say about the capitalism piece, and so in this childcare system we have moms that are working to watch the children during the day, because we know childcare is very expensive, right? Can you tell me, when you are in that system and you have these mothers and you have this organization supporting the moms, what kind of are you able to see the pride and the joy and the sense of self that is built within the community because we don't have to go outside and struggle to be able to have somebody loving and nurturing our children? Can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, it is really very important to us to say that the women that provide childcare in our community they are exempt of the license. Yes, okay, but people from the community they trust you know, because the women, the women, they are their neighbors. Maybe they are grandmas, you know they aren't. Maybe they are the mother of my friend or somebody else. So it's like a, like a confianza, it's like this, this trust that is built between them.
Speaker 2:Exactly Because we speak the same language we talk about and we share the same culture. So we feel that kids are like, like I am with my grandma, I am with my aunt, you know they can speak Spanish because when they start to be in the elementary school, in the system they can't, they can't, they can't speak Spanish language like a like a first language. So it's very, it's very important to feel this for the community to try to to the mothers and parents feel like a, like they are, they trust they are, they feel like uh, uh, seguros, you know safe safe, you know.
Speaker 2:But el telar, provide resources for these women, try to uh training about the child development, try to give materials to work with the kids books, toys, you know, according to age. So it is very, very emotional to have this kind of community with these women, because even this is very important that I. I want to say that because even in our community, these, these women, in our society, they don't be recognized. So for us it's like okay, you are the very important base in our community so they are feel really proud, they are involved in the movement and you know the meetings.
Speaker 2:They are in the same page after the telar. I feel like they were like you know they can't they provide childcare no, with the kids. No, now everybody can come to the to hear the same, to training, to, to get education that is beautiful.
Speaker 1:Thank you, guys, so much for sharing um. So what are the challenges that you face when you're doing this type of work in asphil?
Speaker 4:you know that this model that you're creating with this type of infrastructure that's a great question, um, I think one of the main things that we have kind of seen and observed is getting the community involved.
Speaker 4:It's it's the community that we want to hear from, we want to learn from them, because we're all in it, right, we're all in the swimming in the same sea, and sometimes they're either extremely busy with life, or they have so, or they maybe don't believe in nonprofit organizations in general. We know there are some. There's corruption, let's, let's be real, hashtag, real talk, and so, um, we, we want to make sure to be very, very authentic with our message and very clear about what we're doing and be very transparent about where these, whatever funds are coming. Thank you, tzetic. Um, they are being used to enrich that community too fully for the community, so we want to make sure that people understand that. It's taking a little bit of time. I think that's the one, one of the challenges we face. I don't know if anyone's to tell you.
Speaker 2:I have another challenge and this is learn more from other communities, like a black communities and uh and other organizations. They are in the same path we have the problem.
Speaker 2:We have a kind of barrier, this the language you know, but we try to, you know, destroy this barrier about um, for example. We have sensently, they they help us to, to try to be in the same space each other. So for us, for me, this is a kind of challenge that I want you know to, to try to destroy, because I love to have this kind of spaces that we can share. I know that we have very few spaces, but I remember the first time with coaching and I know, olivia, you were there- yes in this space.
Speaker 2:When we said we, we were in one, in one salon, in one room, and you were in another salon and we said oh, what are you doing? Well, we are community organizing. And we said well, we too, so why we don't share and start this? But I know it's it's a little bit complicated, because every community have their um sus propias problemas, their own challenges, exactly so, but I think this is this is one challenge that I want to, you know, to try to, to, to destroy, to be close with another communities.
Speaker 1:I so remember that day um when we, when we were all, I believe we might have been at the chamber of commerce, I think you're in one room and co-think with another room.
Speaker 1:What was so beautiful about that coming together? Um, we did have an event together, we we shared a meal together and did some activities, and one of the things that was that blew me away is we realized that, yes, each of our communities has its own unique challenges, but we also really travel a very similar road, right, right, um, in the ways that both groups have been oppressed. So thank you for highlighting that.
Speaker 3:That was a beautiful experience. Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. I think a lot of times when we um move through life, we're taught how different we are, um, but when we're able to get into certain spaces, we're able to recognize how similar we really are and and like you said at the beginning, when we can amplify our voices together, we have the ability to break down all sorts of barriers. But it's when they have us apart and when they have us thinking that each, each fight is separate that they're able to continue to make sure that we're not unified and they're able to make sure that you know we put you against each other. You're not going to get the work done. You know, and we have.
Speaker 3:It has to be more spaces like this and more people like us that understand that no, no, no, no, no in the room, and it may be uncomfortable at first, but you work through that uncomfortability and change happens and you, you connect with people and you learn through food, you learn through through music, you learn through dance and you learn through those spaces that it may be a language barrier, but you're still able to overcome it. I mean, even in the black community, I think about if you're from the South versus up North. There's certain words like pop soda. I hear pop and I'm like no, that's not what we call. You know like even there. So it's language barrier, no matter how you identify. But it's just making sure that we don't allow that to be the distractor.
Speaker 4:Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. That's a great point. I agree 100%. I think it's so important to we were constantly talking about elevating voices, right. There is the voices of the oppressed, of the people that have not been able to speak about their journey, and so this is one of the avenues a space like this to be able to just speak about it, bring it to light.
Speaker 3:So, speaking of that, I have a question. So I know that you all are working to create a model for sharing infrastructure. Can you share more about how this works?
Speaker 4:Yes, so La Milva, as I previously stated, we are the fiscal sponsor of all of these other, you know, smaller organizations that are doing the work boots on the ground, and so we hold the 501C3, but we also are all kinds of admin support. So we're teaching a computer class on Tuesday mornings to our folks so that they can, you know, understand technology a little bit better. We are constantly doing things to edify their organizations. We support them in anything they need. So we have this word called compañero, compañera. It is a companion. We're walking the path with you, and I always find that to be such a beautiful concept. We are walking beside you, like we're. This is a parallel journey, you're not alone. And so that's one of the ways that we enrich these organizations is like, what do you need? Let's sit down at the table and see, like, what are you missing? How can we be of assistance, how can we be of help? And let's do it, let's get it done.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's amazing, absolutely beautiful. So I want to make sure I'm hearing correctly. So, as the umbrella Collaborativa LaMilpa works with all your grantees in making sure that there's administrative support, if there's specific training that several groups are lacking, you all provide that training. Yes, and you walk alongside as companions in the work.
Speaker 4:Every step of the way.
Speaker 3:I love the parallel journey. Yes, that's so beautiful.
Speaker 2:So this way the organizations can focus. You know, don't distraint. Well they, you know, they are part of something that we call Consejo de Directores.
Speaker 4:It's the director's council, so all of the heads of like the directors of each organization. Every single Thursday they have a meeting, and so it's not the decisions are not made by one person for that organization. They all collaborate. It is the most beautiful collaborative model I have ever seen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, but, lamilpa, you know we can support them or accompany them with administration uses, you know, so they can focus in their work with the communities.
Speaker 1:That's beautiful, that is absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 3:So, looking at the beginning and to now, how have you seen impact grow? How has it changed over the years, specifically within your communities?
Speaker 4:What do you think, Hany?
Speaker 2:Well, I think one of our challenge for next year is the resources. You know what I mean, because we are not profit. So we try to figure out how can we build a path you know a little bit more independence of grants, you know so and try to involve the community more like a donors, you know, in fundraising and try to create the ways that we can reach or we can have some resources for the organization through our work I don't know, maybe workshops, maybe, you know, sharing with another organizations about our work. I don't know we have to be to create this kind of path.
Speaker 4:And in regards to the impact, there's something I've observed as the rookie, I've done a lot of observing of the impact, because that's what matters right at the end of the day, and one of the things I have noticed is just the model itself disrupts the system. Right Is these systems of oppression, these systems of not allowing folks like us to be able to speak in spaces like this? And so I think the, although there have been a lot of like organizational impacts you know there's numbers we can throw at you I think the biggest overarching change that I've seen, the most impact I've seen in the community, is that it's just the fact that everyone is collaborating and working together and truly, truly working together, so all decisions are made collaboratively. I know I'm saying that a lot, but it's just very impactful, I think, in our community.
Speaker 1:So well, and I think it's really important for folks to understand and maybe we can speak a little bit about this is when you are working as a collaborative and you are, and everyone's, a part of making the decision. What does that do for the individual organizations? Like, in my mind, I'm thinking there has to be some freedom in that. Then, when everything isn't dependent upon one voice, right, so you've got, let's say, seven organizations with seven EDs and they all come together and, while this particular group might be focused on advocacy, it is very important that they are able to hear the voices from those other groups and that those voices help inform the work that advocacy is gonna do. Right, exactly, so there's a freedom in that and it not being dependent upon one group, one voice.
Speaker 4:That makes sense, that makes perfect sense, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, this is true.
Speaker 1:So can you share some of your key successes in this work that you've been doing right now with Collaborativa LaMilpa, or are there some things I really wanna highlight?
Speaker 4:Oh my, I know Polter Emma has had some amazing successes creating the co-ops worker led, worker owned Also maybe Hennie can speak a little bit more about the details of this, but you know they have housing co-ops that you know have been able to keep people in their homes that Polter Emma now owns, and so it's like it's one of those things where the people that would have otherwise, families that would have otherwise have not had a home or had to, I don't know maybe go back to their countries. I'm not sure they're able to have housing now. So that's it that those are huge.
Speaker 2:The La Esperanza is the building that we are. They are our offices, so this is something called. It's a co-op. Even we have now our leader park in from La Esperanza the name. Let me tell you the name of this park it's James Bester Miller. This is the name of this, our leader park. So this is another way. You know the Polter Emma, they pushed to have this leader park and the co-ops, and the worker co-ops too, and Raiices with Summer Camp for kids of the community, and SEMA has a kind of office that they call Consulta Tucompa, that they keep.
Speaker 4:They provide resources and assistance to, you know, immigrants who are coming into the area, who need, let's say, legal assistance or any sort of assistance. They have a specific area where they can call and that's been a very successful program.
Speaker 2:And the lab, providing resources for child care providers. And Maña Quijú, with the leader groups, that they recreate the language and new culture.
Speaker 3:I will say what I think is really beautiful about it and again, this is from the outside, looking in and just the connections I've made with various people is that in building that community, you really get to kind of control the healing that happens, because I think a lot of times when certain things happen in America, there are certain things that happen and it can really make you feel alone.
Speaker 3:And having that community let you know like if it's something big that's happening, if it's something major that's happening in an area that affects your community, you're able to come together and just say how do we deal with this together and make sure that each person doesn't feel individualized.
Speaker 3:And then also even in connecting and making sure that your culture like you have your culture that is here and you have your culture that you're born with right you have the culture you create and the culture you're born with.
Speaker 3:And I think making sure that you can have both and it's not either or is very important, and I've always been a huge fan of the ability to continue native tongue and the ability to make sure that it doesn't die with generations to come, that it's still being ingrained and it's still being tall and the importance of it is being tall, because I think a lot of times when we send our kids to school it's very linear. It's very like you have to do this and they don't realize the benefit of having both Meeting I've met, I had friends that speak five languages and like at 13 years old, I'm like how in the world? Because that's not something that in the black community we get to have. We don't really know our native tongue and so I just think that's so beautiful and it's absolutely amazing that you've created those spaces and I know it comes with challenges, but the fact that you keep doing it is absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is beautiful to go to the same grocery store that my neighbor to buy the tortillas and everything. It's, to go to the ice cream, for paletas, and this is really nice to have my kid with my neighbor to provide and child care and this is really. I think this is the way that community look.
Speaker 4:Well, and there was something I wanted to chime in about, sema has, in response to what happened with the COVID pandemic and the extreme isolation that the community felt, they realize, well, folks are hungry and there's no way for them to get food, and so they did a partnership with Mana Food Bank and they still serve folks. So just the most recent one on the 10th of July was like over 600 folks that went and got food, and so they continue to do these things because they realize the community still needs it. Even though we're out of the pandemic quote unquote there's still so much that is that was useful of those programs and that people still need, and so they still do it, yeah, and I want to say that it's not only La Milpa or Collaborativa La Milpa.
Speaker 2:Around us, there are a lot of organizations, communities like a CEDEC, like a coaching, like many, many, many another other organizations and foundations that we have partnership communities. So this is bigger than we thought. Think.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's bigger than us.
Speaker 1:It's the community that we're serving, so yes, and so time always gets away from us. We are about to wrap up. Is there anything that you would like to share, anything you want us to know about the communities that you serve in these final moments, Okay, hennie looks at me with a beautiful smile.
Speaker 4:So I feel that education and knowledge is super powerful, and so I always anyone who asks me how can I get involved or what is I'd like to know more about your communities. I'm like we have all kinds of fun social media. We also have websites and feel free to call us. We are very open about sharing about our community and also including other communities into our community. We are all one, really, and so I always say just welcome, our doors always open If you'd like to know more. We're here.
Speaker 4:We have a bunch of events coming up, so I invite you to see some of our cultural events. Manyaki Hu is having their yearly event on the 19th of August, which will be so much fun. There will be food and music and dance. Raisa also has a fundraising event in Black Mountain on September 8th, and that's gonna be so much fun. The kids are gonna dance and David Lamont will be singing, so local talent and yeah. So there's just a lot of ways that people can see what we do and truly just kind of understand the perspective that we're coming from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the base of our organization is popular education community organization, so everybody is welcome.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, thank you guys so much. We are so appreciative of you spending time with us today, and thank you for allowing Zedek to be a part of this amazing work that you all are doing. That's all for today, folks. We will see you next month, same time, same place. Until then, peace.
Speaker 3:This is America. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.
Speaker 2:Peace on love. Justice on the right, peace on love justice on the right.
Speaker 4:This is America.
Speaker 3:This is the reason Kavernek was taking a knee Heartbroken when I saw that video. I almost couldn't finish it. It was a power. We gotta start making changes. There's a virus in police departments across this country.
Speaker 1:If I rule the world, cops arrest us. Good cops know who these bad cops are.
Speaker 3:We are my sons. You have every right to be angry. Can you tell me why? Every time I step outside, I see my daughter. You have no right to perpetrate violence on the very communities that you are standing up for. A lot of people have been using my father's words.
Speaker 1:That all men are created in. The only pathway to do this is through nonviolent means I'm letting you know that it ain't no gun that can kill my son.
Speaker 3:We will bring you justice, I promise. When God got us, then we could be all right Start making some changes.
Speaker 1:This is the reparations roundup and the fight the power podcast on WRES.