COMMUNITY CONTEXT
FLORECER is located in Yuma County, a rural agriculture community situated along the U.S.-Mexico Border and adjacent to Imperial County, California. This Southern Border Community is designated by the EPA Inflation Reduction Act as a disadvantaged community. According to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Yuma County has 14 colonias including the Cocopah and Quechan Indian Reservations. Colonias are defined as rural communities within the US-Mexico border region that lack adequate water, sewer, decent housing, or a combination of all three.
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The residents of South Yuma County are largely comprised of indigenous and migrant/seasonal farmworkers, many of which have been historically marginalized and excluded from opportunities. They have low educational attainment, earn low wages, and lack adequate and affordable housing. Most lack access to adequate healthcare.
​​Latinos, immigrants and indigenous communities have been largely underrepresented in decision making roles in the community and in the nation at large. Their voices are particularly missing from discussions that guide policies and legislation that directly impacts their lives. Latino, immigrant and indigenous youth hold great promise and a capacity to lead. FLORECER is committed to investing and empowering the youth in this community through college attainment and comprehensive youth development.
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In its landmark decision in Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court held that states cannot deny access to public schools based on immigration status. The court’s decision reinforced what we already knew: It’s in our collective interest to ensure that every child has access to K-12 public school, no matter where they were born. Access to education for every one of us is a cornerstone of a healthy society and a bedrock of our country’s democracy.
We believe everyone in the U.S. should have the freedom to thrive—to be safe in our communities, to care and provide for our families, and to contribute to our country in our own unique ways. Parents work hard to give their children an opportunity for a better future, and a chance to provide for themselves. The foundation of that opportunity is access to education. Together, we are building a broad, deep, and powerful movement to defend the right to public education for every child.
FLORECER Proudly stands in solidarity with CHIRLA
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
FLORECER attended the Resurgence of Support meeting held at East Los Angeles College where Higher Education and Immigrant Rights Professionals convened to share resources and best practices for supporting immigrant students in this challenging political climate.
INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY
FLORECER Board Vice President, Denisse Villanueva attended the National Day of Action March at Placita Olvera in Los Angeles, CA
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Find resources for immigrant students, DACA students, and students from mixed status families at the Informed Immigrant Website.
FLORECER attended the Latino Theater Co.'s production of Just Like Us by Karen Zacarias, inspired by Helen Thorpe's bestselling book. It follows four Latina teenage girls whose close-knit friendship is tested by the realities of immigration status-and the opportunities or barriers it creates.
Set in Denver, the story follows Clara and Elissa, who hold legal documents, while Yadira and Marisela do not. As they navigate high school and work toward college; they confront the stark differences in their paths.
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Just Like Us raises urgent and essential questions about identity, opportunity, and what it truly means to be American.
FLORECER visited the University of California, Irvine campus and toured the UCI Dream Center led by Dr. Angela Chen.
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A Latino History of the United States
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Stories of immigration and educational attainment of
Dreamers are on display in the
Molina Family Latino Gallery in Washington D.C.
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¡Presente!
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​​Arizona Proposition 308,
In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Residents
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Proposition 308 allows Arizona students, regardless of immigration status, to be eligible for financial aid at state universities and community colleges and in-state tuition if they graduated from and attended a public or private high school, or home school equivalent, for two years in Arizona.
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Tree of Life
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Verónica Castillo created this Tree of Life (El Árbol de la Vida in Spanish) for the National Museum of the American Latino’s debut exhibition, ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States. Trees of Life are clay sculptures from Mexico that are traditionally religious in theme, but Castillo’s sculptures are unique because they are inspired by her surroundings and depict everyday social injustices. In this Tree of Life, titled Raíces, historia y justicia latinas (Latino Roots, History, and Justice), she visualizes themes from ¡Presente!
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In Raíces, historia y justicia latinas, the artist has affixed clay figurines and symbols to the tree’s three looped branches. Each branch shares a theme with one of the three subsections in the “Shaping the Nation” section of ¡Presente! The first branch's theme is “Identity and Community.” This branch addresses how Latinas and Latinos of diverse walks of life express themselves and support their communities through cultural celebrations and collective, institutional organizing. “Fighting for Justice” is the second branch’s theme: it explores trailblazing Latina and Latino activists who dedicated their lives and careers to social and political change. Finally, the third branch's theme is “Breaking Boundaries.” This branch's figurines and symbols examine how Latina and Latino leaders have dismantled barriers and made space for other disenfranchised people in the arts, politics, sports, and the military.