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Leaders throughout South Central Washington are building power for their communities and shaping a more equitable and racially just future for their region.
“What makes me feel optimistic is that we know that in my lifetime we will see a very different region. We’re going to continue to strategize and plan around our future,” says Maria Fernandez, Founder and Executive Director of ELLA Adelante, a 501(c)(4) organization in Sunnyside. “Collectively we can move the needle of change.”
Maria joined more than 50 leaders from 33 community organizations whose work spans from the Yakima Valley to the Columbia River Gorge at Inatai Foundation’s fourth regional Shaping the Future convening. Shaping the Future: South Central Washington was the latest in a series of events to bring people together working across issues toward equity and racial justice in Washington.
Held in Pasco just a week after the November 2024 elections, the gathering was also a timely opportunity for participants to work through the range of emotions that came up in response to the election results and offered a space for community leaders to channel what they felt into a shared vision for a more racially just and equitable Washington.
Watch the video for community leaders’ insights about the obstacles they face and how their shared experiences can create a foundation that will allow them to build power together and transform their region.
In addition to Maria, you’ll also hear from the following leaders:
- Ubaldo Hernández, Comunidades
- Giovanni Severino, Progreso: Latino Progress
- Damien Davis, African American Community Cultural & Educational Society (AACCES)
- Vicky Frausto, ELLA Adelante
- Irving L. Brown Sr., NAACP Tri-Cities, WA
- Lilliane Ballesteros, Progreso: Latino Progress
- Dr. Chauné Fitzgerald, Women of Wisdom Tri Cities (WOW)
- Debra Whitefoot, Nch’i Wana Housing
Learn about more leaders from every corner of our state by revisiting Shaping the Future: North Central Washington, Shaping the Future: Olympic Peninsula & Southwest Washington and Shaping the Future: Eastern Washington.
Thank you to our video team, Humxn Media, for their partnership on this project.
