Liberty Hill Blog: News from the Frontlines

Introducing Liberty Hill's 2012 Leaders to Watch

2012-01-19T09:00:00-08:00

Byline: Barbara Osborn

Two years ago we named Liberty Hill's Leaders to Watch for the first time. What we wanted to do was show people how amazing community organizers were, the people behind the strategy, endless meetings, the issues and the victories. Like Cesar Chavez said: "It's never about lettuce or grapes, it's always about people," and I was eager to remind us of the people behind the work.

But in the last year I felt like Liberty Hill had outgrown the focus just on organizing. So this year we've included leaders from across Liberty Hill's work: organizers, donor-activists, coaches from the Leadership Institute and folks who sit on our community braintrust and advise our grants.

You can find more information about each of them on our website. Our 2012 Leaders to Watch are John Manulis, Eileen Ma, Esthephanie Solano, Damon Azali-Rojas and Jan Robinson-Flint. Over the last two months I've gotten to spend a lot of time with them and I hope you find their work as inspiring as I do. 2012 will present lots of opportunities to meet them. If you're not already on our email list and haven't liked us on Facebook, do it now. That's the best way to stay in the know. Here are quick blurbs on each of them. There's lots more including video on our website.

Esthefanie Solano, a student activist with Liberty Hill grantee InnerCity Struggle, is working to change punitive school disciplinary policies that push youth into the “school to prison pipeline.” She's a freshman at Pasadena City College and looks forward in 2012 to see the passage of a Dream Act that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrant youth.

Eileen Ma, executive director of API Equality-LA is bringing her decades of experience as a labor organizer to the cause of equality for the County’s 52,000 LGBT Asian/Pacific Islanders.

John Bard Manulis is a donor-activist with a 20-year-track record of rolling up his sleeves and investing his time, money and creative chops in campaigns for change.

Janette Robinson-Flint (in pink, right), co-founder of Black Women for Wellness, is a grassroots organization determined to improve Black women’s health and self-esteem.

Damon Azali-Rojas (on right) is a community organizer turned strategist and mentor for campaigns designed to turn the tide for L.A.’s low-income Black, Latino and Asian youth.

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Uplifting Donors

2012-01-18T09:15:00-08:00

Byline: Vincent Jones

In February 2010 Liberty Hill hosted a transformative summit that convened African American donor-activists interested in investing in new solutions, strong leaders and effective organizations. Since that time, more than 100 people have been inspired to become an active part of Liberty Hill’s Uplifting Change community.

Now, we're ready for year three! The Uplifting Change Summit & Luncheon will be held February 13, 2012 at the Center for Healthy Communities.

Uplifting Change was launched to help strengthen the philanthropic power in L.A.’s African American communities. At the Summit, participants will learn practical tools to leverage their giving to develop new leaders in the community and build stronger organizations, and thus, a stronger community.

African Americans have a long tradition of giving through churches, bridge clubs and fraternal organizations. Uplifting Change is about harnessing the philanthropic power we have in our own community and leveraging those resources to solve our problems. Historically, we have been seen as seekers of philanthropic dollars, not as philanthropic investors. But we are now in a position to strengthen our community through strategic philanthropic investment. Uplifting Change is ushering in that change, helping African Americans recognize their potential to strengthen the community through philanthropy.

Through the discussions of the Summit, participants will walk away with increased knowledge and ideas of how to “align with other foundations and their initiatives"; and to effectuate “increased impact” to their particular areas of interest and goals for giving. Participants will be given guidance on how to identify, access, and evaluate potential partnership opportunities.

The Summit program is being finalized. Previous year’s panelists include: Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell, Fran Jemmott (Jemmott-Rollins Group), Dr. Robert Ross (The California Endowment), Susan Batten Taylor (Association of Black Foundation Executives) and Virgil Roberts (The James Foundation & California Foundation Black Men & Boys Initiative).

The Luncheon Session is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at $100 by contacting Liberty Hill.

And for those of you still unfamiliar with Liberty Hill's groundbreaking work in L.A.'s African American communities, please note: Over the last 35 years, Liberty Hill has invested more than $41 million in community organizing at the frontlines of change in Los Angeles. Early investments include some of South Los Angeles’ most important community organizing and advocacy groups such as; FAME Renaissance, Community Coalition, and SCOPE. Currently Black Women for Wellness, The Black Worker Center, L.A. Community Action Network, and other organizations serving Los Angeles’ African American community are being strengthened by Liberty Hill grants and training.

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2011 Leader Watch: Gloria Walton Reflects

2012-01-11T05:24:00-08:00

Each year, Liberty Hill recognizes members of our extended community as “Leaders to Watch.” In January 2011, we interviewed our 2011 Leaders to Watch about their goals and concerns, then checked in with them throughout the year. In late December, we caught up by phone and email for their year-end reflections.

Our 2011 Leaders to Watch were Tammy Bang Luu of Bus Riders Union/Labor Community Strategy Center (LCSC) Ari Gutierrez and Eddie Martinez of Latino Equality Alliance, Gloria Walton of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), Isella Ramirez of East Yard Coalition for Environmental Justice and Xiomara Corpeño of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).

Gloria emailed us during a year-end vacation from her first year as Executive Director of SCOPE, which coincided in part with her time as a Leader to Watch.

"Conventional wisdom says, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' In a humorous yet truthful sense, I learned that it takes a movement to support an Executive Director and its organization. If I had to choose one phrase to sum up my first year as the Executive Director of SCOPE, it would be ‘THANK YOU!’

Thank you to Liberty Hill for providing a Leader to Watch platform. Thank you to everyone I reached out to for help and guidance, all of whom without hesitation invested time and energy with me: Anthony Thigpenn, Torie Osborn, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Michele Prichard, Kafi Blumenfield, Stewart Kwoh, Congresswoman Bass, Latonya Slack. Being an Executive Director is a position that I am not quite convinced anyone can really be prepared for: raising an organizational budget, fiscal oversight and management, board and organizational development (strategic planning), program management, staff management, AND being an internal and external leader. It definitely takes a certain type of person and character, all of which means nothing, without the movement of people and organization to provide support. I am a trained community organizer and one of the first things I learned is that relationships are the cornerstone. Being an E.D. simply reinforces that notion. In 2012, I will continue to walk with energetic integrity, love, self discipline, idealistic vision, intention and will power for my Self, my family, Community.

The following illustrates the breadth and scope of SCOPE’s accomplishments in 2011. During the past year, SCOPE members:

Contacted 11,630 voters in June and identified 8,853 supporters of a Department of Water & Power investment in energy efficiency and contacted 11,335 voters in November and identified 8,854 supportive voters on raising taxes on the very rich to bring balance and fairness to California's tax system.
Coordinated the mobilization of more than 50 organizations and 600 people at a rally at City Hall and 1,500 at the downtown federal building rally about the local impact of HR1 (federal budget cuts).
Held 25 leadership development events that more than 600 members attended, including a Jobs Forum that featured Congresswoman Karen Bass as the speaker and a worker and community panel that reflected key local issues and meaningful solutions for Los Angeles.
Completed a multi-year campaign that resulted in the passage of the Green Retrofit and Workforce ordinance. Steps included (1) securing $26 million to date to implement the retrofit project (2) overseing the implementation of the green jobs pilot program to retrofit 22 city; there are plans to retrofit an additional 55 buildings (3) developing a partnership with LAANE to push for a new energy efficiency program at the DWP that creates jobs accessible to low-income communities of color.
Strengthened the capacity of 13 social justice groups across the nation to build and enhance their civic engagement programs. Provided technical assistance and training to five national social justice groups. Trained SCOPE members in Internet and word-processing skills through the organizations' Computer Grassroots Training Institute.
With Liberty Hill, convened three meetings with more 30 Black organizers in Los Angeles to discuss ways to strengthen black organizing infrastructure and how to create and cultivate a new generation of Black leadership and organizers, as well as how to support and strengthen the capacity of existing leadership."

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2011 Leader Watch: Isella Ramirez Reflects

2012-01-09T05:43:00-08:00

Isella reported in from the "EJ frontlines" about the year's work in environmental justice for EYCEJ.

"It seems like only yesterday I got the call from Liberty Hill announcing their desire to recognize me as one of the Grassroots Leader to Watch for 2011. It has been a great year with several small victories that lead me to believe a big victory is approaching.

This year, I focused on the skill and leadership development of EYCEJ’s Steering Committee and our internal communication. The Steering Committee now is able to facilitate their own meetings, as well as create agendas, take minutes and organize ideas to form action plans. Staff is using a meeting report from that allows all staff members to report back on meetings with agencies in an intentional and pragmatic way. I am currently preparing to give a public talk at my Alma Matter, Vassar College, and I'm looking forward to exercising all the communications tools bestowed upon me by East Yard's coach from Liberty Hill's Wally Marks Leadership Institute for Change, Chris Gabriele.

Among the highlights of 2011 at East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice:

We launched a grassroots campaignand leadership institute in Long Beach called Generation Verde in the summer and winter.
We facilitated community involvement in a traffic calming/pedestrian safety study in the Union Pacific neighborhood of East L.A. for our Complete Streets campaign
We created a member survey for all new members to take that informs EYCEJ what type of involvement level or interest area best fits the new member.

And most importantly, I was happy to celebrate 2011's December holidays with my four-year-old niece, Citlalih, who is doing very well in her battle with cancer."

2011 Leader Watch: Xiomara Corpeno Reflects

2012-01-08T17:14:00-08:00

In 2011, the Leaders to Watch were: Tammy Bang Luu of Bus Riders Union/Labor Community Strategy Center (LCSC) Ari Gutierrez and Eddie Martinez of Latino Equality Alliance, Gloria Walton of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), Isella Ramirez of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and Xiomara Corpeño of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).

Not long after being named a Liberty Hill Leader to Watch, Xiomara became National Campaigns Director for CHIRLA. Here are her reflections on the year.

"Faced with the largest numbers of deportations ever in the history of our country and the 2012 Presidential Campaign starting early in 2011, we rolled up our sleeves and continued to press the President Obama and Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security to keep families together and to intervene in the absence of just and humane immigration policies. In California, we continued to fight and win local and statewide policies to further support immigrant families, like the California Dream Act and the Car Impound Law.

Nationally, one of CHIRLA's proudest moments has been fighting back Alabama's anti-immigrant law, HB 56. Because of our long experience working directly with immigrant communities, CHIRLA was asked to work with immigrant communities in Alabama, training over 1,000 people on Know Your Rights using our DVD. I spent two weeks in Alabama helping leaders develop their skills and have continued to give technical support over the phone as needed. Everyday people have self-organized in different parts of Alabama in order to repeal HB 56. African American, White and Latino community leaders have put together community forum, protests, and legal clinics; farmers have spoken out even while the state-wide farmer's association has remained silent. It is an honor for me to be able be a part of the great victories in California, but also contribute to the immigrants rights movement nationwide.

We supported the California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, which passed in the State Assembly and is poised to pass in the State Senate in 2012. Two members of the CHIRLA Household Worker Committee were selected to represent CHIRLA at the national level in the Coordinating Committee of the National Domestic Workers Association. 250 Members and Leaders of CHIRLA’s Household Worker Committee played an active role in the 2011 campaign to pass this Bill, including educating lawmakers to pass a Resolution in support of Household Workers in Summer 2010, creating language for the bill and mobilizing for its passage. During the grant period, CHIRLA Household Worker members have visited Sacramento 36 times, visited local legislative offices 11 times, participated in 24 planning sessions, testified 3 times and served as spokespeople for the media 87 times..

CHIRLA and the California Dream Network’s Light the Torch for the California Dream Act Campaign mobilized thousands of youth to generate 12,000 calls the Governor; 12,405 online signatures; and 73 actions across the state. CHIRLA participated in more than100 media interviews about the California Dream Act and, since the bill passed, has educated over 2,000 students, parents and counselors about what it means for them."

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