LatinoLEAD has been on a journey of growth since its very beginning. During the pandemic, we managed to secure our 501c3, grow our staff, add new members to our board all while continuing the expansion of our network. During this time we learned a lot about ourselves and about our community as well. At the end of 2021, we began a project with the talented team at Pollen Midwest, a creative solutions nonprofit organization based out of Minneapolis. Through a grant from the Bush Foundation, Pollen selected LatinoLEAD for the Move Your Narrative project. Together, LatinoLEAD and Pollen spent hours finding the perfect words to describe LatinoLEAD.
¿Cómo avanzamos? How do we move forward? This question sits at the heart of the Latinx experience in Minnesota. Our people deserve no less than a world that recognizes our individual potential and collective power. Our diverse and growing Latinx community seeks progress, advancement, and a path to a secure future.
So, how do we move forward? LatinoLEAD sees a clear answer: Juntos. Together.
LatinoLEAD is a network of leaders working together to empower the Latinx community in Minnesota. We invest in individual development to strengthen our collective power — advancing our influence, growing our impact, and building coalitions for positive change.
A community will always flourish into the space it is given — but the Latinx community has to take its space even when it is denied to us. Too many spaces in Minnesota have been closed to the Latinx community, out of reach. Our voices are only remembered when it benefits the gatekeepers. For our community to truly flourish, we cannot afford to be silent. LatinoLEAD makes sure that our voices are heard and celebrated. We advance a Latinx agenda, one made by and for our community, nuestra comunidad.
LatinoLEAD is guided by our values: Leadership, Equity, Achievement, and Development. These values are our firm foundation, and also the fertile soil where our work takes root.
Our work is advancing Latinxs into positions of leadership and influence by providing professional development, ensuring that Latinxs are using culture as an asset for their advancement.
Our work is activating our network and its allies to promote equity in their communities and beyond, and doing our part to provide resources according to our community’s unique needs.
Our work is to highlight a culture of achievement in Minnesota’s Latinx community — telling bold stories of our success and impact as one way to elevate our community and its influence.
Our work is to aid in the development of an infrastructure and secure the space to thrive – one that encourages personal, professional and communal growth for Latinx people.
Although this work is about honoring previous generations’ efforts to advance Latinx influence, while making an impact in the here, now and nuestro futuro.
Juntos, we are building a future where our intergenerational and intersectional communities can thrive. We are a coalition aiming to bring about lasting change in the social, professional and policy sectors. We’re building a world where Latinxs shape our own narratives, and deliver our own solutions. This means we must continue nurturing current leadership and mentoring those emerging in their fields. Our impact will only grow if we maintain our determination to mobilize today for tomorrow.
At every turn, LatinoLEAD celebrates the diversity of ethnicities, languages, and cultures that fall under the umbrella of Latinidad. We tap into the power of our unapologetic Latinx pride to secure our place at the forefront of the change we need. We join hands with our allies, and share the benefits of growing our individual and collective power. We organize, act, and make an impact.
LatinoLEAD fosters collaboration across lines of identity. As a growing community in our state, we know that Latinx success is integral to Minnesota’s success.We build partnerships centered on inclusion, and rooted in Minnesota’s values and sense of community.
No matter where you are in your leadership journey, LatinoLEAD needs your contribution to a community of collective wisdom. Join us if you are looking for a catalyst in your leadership or professional growth. Join us if you want to play a part in elevating the Latnix agenda, the Latinx voice, and the success of Latinx people across Minnesota.
Wherever you are, you are a leader. Wherever Latinxs are, we can lead. Let’s lead together. Juntos.
We want to thank the talented writers, artists and organizers at Pollen including Patricio de Lara, the talent behind our beautiful new illustrations. Jerome Rankine who helped us put into words the intentions of all the work we do at LatinoLEAD. From our board, Alfredo Martel and Marina Pariseau helped throughout the collaboration with their input on defining our values in a way that best reflects our work. Last but not least, Irma Marquez Trapero our Executive Director, Dr. Carla Manzoni our Community Engagement Manager and Elizabeth Godefoy our Communications Manager who helped unify the vision and execute this project.