In 2021, Centro Latino Americano, Downtown Languages, and Huerto de la Familia joined together to create a new Latinx and immigrant serving nonprofit, Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad. The story of our journey is shared below.
For decades, Centro Latino Americano, Downtown Languages, and Huerto de la Familia worked closely together to serve immigrant families in Lane County including referring clients to each other’s programs and partnering together on specific events and activities.
After the 2016 national election, we witnessed increased violence and hatred toward communities of color. Latinx and immigrant families were targeted more than ever before, and fear pulsed through our community. In response, our three organizations mobilized to address the threat, joining forces with other partners to provide families with Know Your Rights legal training, helped create preparedness packets to prepare for deportation of a family member, and advocated to pass sanctuary status for our community.
During that time of increased anti-immigrant sentiment, it became clear we would be stronger together, not only during times of crisis, but always, and we decided to move forward with joining our three organizations. This quickly proved to be true when COVID-19 struck, and it was no longer business as usual. Together, we took on a crucial role in the community to ensure that Latinx and immigrant families were supported during this time, and in spite of it all, kept moving forward with our merger.
With input from community members and clients, a team of board and staff members worked to develop a mission and vision for our new organization. We are proud to have these statements guide our work.
We envision an equitable and thriving intercultural community.
Our mission is to support the lives of Latinx and immigrant community members by creating a safe space that fosters leadership, education, wellness, and connection.
The new mission and vision reflect a future for Latinx and immigrant families that goes beyond simply meeting basic needs. By shifting from surviving to thriving, we can become a connected and empowered community with the opportunity to realize our full potential.
Our vision and mission were essential when it came time to select our new name. We strived to ensure the name would serve as a symbol of these important statements, along with representing our organization’s work. Our team of board and staff were thoughtful and intentional in their selection process, and together they selected the name Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad.
Part of our inspiration was envisioning a beautiful outdoor gathering space for connection and community-building. A place to simply be. We also appreciated that plazas serve as a space for many types of gatherings including celebration, learning, activism, and more.
Community ownership and investment is a crucial part of our work, and for this reason, we selected “de nuestra comunidad” → “of our community.” We want our programs to be places where people care for one another with a strong sense of belonging, ownership, and togetherness.
Although “plaza” has many associations, over the years, we hope it will take on a new significance as a trusted community space that builds connection and joy.
This is a time of transformation and renewal. As Plaza, we strive to enhance existing programs, ensure families can receive wraparound services, develop new programming for leadership and civic engagement, and strengthen our participation in local and statewide policy changes.
At the root of all Plaza programs and services will always be ensuring Latinx and immigrant families in our community have the place they deserve to heal from the trauma of migration, to learn and be empowered by new skills and knowledge, to flourish while following their dreams and embodying the leaders they already are.