PODEROSAS LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT 2022- IMPACT

 

About Poder Latinx

Poder Latinx is a civic and social justice organization. Our mission is to build a sustained progressive voting bloc of Latinx voters in battleground states across the country. We do this by leading a voter-integrated engagement program where all aspects of voter engagement, issue-based campaigns, leadership development, voting reform and protection, and narrative change form a continuous cycle of political consciousness. Through our work, we empower and equip the Latinx community to become agents of change now. Our vision is to build political power for the Latinx community to become decision-makers in our country’s democracy and to win on our issues at all levels. 

Founded in 2019, Poder Latinx operates in Central Florida, including Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, and Polk counties, Arizona East Valley of Maricopa County, and in Georgia including Gwinnett, Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, and Clayton counties. Through our powerful team, fully Latinx and hired from the communities where we work, we have registered over 50k new voters, knocked on more than 144K doors, called close to 4 million Latinx voters, and partnered with close to 300 organizations, and reached close to 6 million people online.

About the Poderosas Legislative Summit

On October 21-22, 2022, Poder Latinx hosted the Poderosas Legislative Summit which brought together emerging and prominent civic and social justice Latina leaders from across the country to Washington, D.C to celebrate and build upon our collective service to the Latinx community. At our inaugural action-oriented summit, we discussed key issues such as the environment, immigration, and the economy, and how they are affecting the lives of the Latinx community across the country, examined the barriers to civic participation that would face ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, trained youth and young Latinas to become agents of change, and committed to impactful actions and transformative change beyond the moment. 

Since founding Poder Latinx in 2019, it has been our guiding light to support Latinxs and Latinas to become a key voting force in national, state, and local elections and leaders on issues impacting the Latinx community. As a Latina-led organization and founder of the National Latina Civic Engagement Day and the first National Poderosas Fellowship Program designed for Latinas in civic engagement, inaugurating the Poderosas Legislative Summit was an important next step in advancing the new generation of Latina leaders to channel their inner Poderosa, to pave the way in our democracy, and be catalysts moving our community forward. Through the Poderosas Legislative Summit and our year round efforts, we are creating opportunities for Latina youth and young adults to learn and lead in the civic engagement space, share about their lived-experiences, connect with community leaders and elected officials from battleground states, and address the existing gaps preventing our community from achieving its full potential. The Poderosas Legislative Summit built upon our year round efforts and upon the momentum of the Latina community, a growing and changing demographic with the energy and passion to make change for our communities when given the proper tools and information to be civically engaged.

The 2022 Poderosas Legislative Summit was an all-day conference held October 21st at the Schuyler  at the Hamilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The summit included four panel discussions, power talks and keynote addresses, and an evening networking reception. The summit was followed by a Day of Action on October 22nd.

  • Latinas in the White House and in Leadership Building an Inclusive Democracy Panel:  Latinas are paving the way, building an inclusive democracy! We are becoming a decisive force in elections and campaigns, and we are increasingly stepping into positions of political power. Hear from trailblazing Latina politicians, staff, and political organizers and la ruta to get them to the white house and other national leadership roles.

  • Latinas for Environmental Justice Panel: Our communities have suffered from a history of environmental racism that has placed harm in the spaces where we live, learn, work, and play. Half of Latinxs in the U.S. live in counties that frequently violate air pollution standards, and 78% of Latinxs say they have directly experienced the effects of climate change. During this conversation, you learn how critical issues, like environmental justice, are growing to a greater scale and are becoming launch points for community engagement. Latinx communities are leading the way to a more just and inclusive environmental movement.  

  • Latinas for Immigrant Justice and the Youth Vote Panel: With over 19 million Latinx immigrants living in the United States, it is time to rise up to protect the rights and well-being of our whole community. Hear how these Latina changemakers are leading the immigrant justice movement by centering the needs and leadership of immigrants and shaping a new reality - the youth vote to achieve true justice for our community.

  • Latinas for Economic and Reproductive Justice Panel: With Latinxs’, and particularly Latinas’, rights and economic wellbeing being increasingly threatened, it is more important than ever to organize and fight for laws and policies that protect our workers and our community. For example, the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling reversed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, where abortion is now at risk. On top of that, Latinx are least likely to have access to paid leave by 75%. Dive into economic justice solutions and discover how the fight for reproductive justice is inseparable from the fight for Latina socioeconomic autonomy and security.

  • Power Talk and Keynote Address: Latina leaders from across different spaces, from civic engagement to the film industry, sat down for a Power Talk to discuss their experiences. Hear some of the most impactful and innovative campaigns to engage Latinx voters, and these Latina changemakers’ advice to young Latinas looking to get into similar spaces.

  • Day of Action Phone Banking Program: As an organization we strive to find innovative ways to reach out to the community and promote civic engagement, with the end goal for Latinxs to become involved in the country’s important decisions. During the Poderosas Summit Day of Action, we led a phone banking program with a Latinas and Poderosas volunteers to engage voters in Florida. Poderosas Summit participants, scholarship recipients, fellows, and volunteers participated in a 2-hour block of phone banking to reach Floridians in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian to gauge the need for on-the-ground resources to directly impacted individuals, and to inform them of the midterm elections.

About the Poderosas and our Partners

The Poderosas Legislative Summit brought together Latina civic and social justice leaders from across the country and at various points in their careers. Young emerging leaders just starting out in the field as well as prominent leaders within the movement joined together in Washington, D.C. during this event. 

  • Scholarship program: The Poderosas Legislative Summit Scholarship is offered to exceptional emerging Latina civic leaders who are committed to positive social change and who are already making an impact in their communities. The scholarship is available for young Latinas experiencing economic hardship with the purpose of covering any costs associated with attending the 2022 Poderosas Legislative Summit.

  • Fellows: The Poderosas fellowship is a program in which Latinas aged 18-35 can learn the skills to promote community organizing and leadership development, and civic engagement tools to increase voter participation for the 2022 midterm elections and beyond. The Poderosas are based in key electoral states including Arizona, California, Virginia/DC, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. 

  • Prominent Latina Leaders: including,

    • Yadira Sanchez

    • Mariela J. Romero

    • Melody Gonzales

    • Jennifer Molina

    • Luisana Perez Fernandez

    • Pili Tobar

    • Tracy Perez

    • Vanessa Cárdenas

    • Carolina Peña

    • Angela Manso

    • Andrea Delgado

    • Antonieta Cadiz

    • Karina Ruiz

    • Alana Pilar Cantillo

    • Claudia Yoli Ferla

    • Julieta Garibay

    • Aura Lopez Zarate

    • Gina Rodriguez

    • Laura M. Esquivel 


Results/ Key Learnings /Success Stories 

  • 83 Latinas from across the country activated to be civically engaged 

  • 19 Latina prominent leaders spreading or carrying our message in their communities 

  • 2,193 calls made - Day of Action phone banking Activity

  • 20 scholarships provided

  • 4,382 Instagram & Facebook plays of the Poderosas Summit promotional videos

  • Media Coverage

  • 26 young Latinas participated in the General Election and Georgia Senate Runoff post the summit taking major roles such as Phone Banking Coordinators, Canvasser Leads, Volunteer Coordinators, Phone Bankers, Partnership coordinators, and providing direct support in our Executive leadership. This support helped us meet the following goals: 

    • A phone banking program that made 191,478 calls 

    • A canvassing program that knocked on 36,890 doors 

    • A program that encompassed 62 staffers 

Looking Ahead