This Academy Trains Tomorrow’s Disrupters

www.ozy.com [OZY]( OZY A Modern Media Company Share This Sh*t January 28, 2023 Share This Sh*t [The drop]( THIS ACADEMY TRAINS TOMORROW’S DISRUPTERS A descendant of iconic labor rights leaders has an ambitious plan: Train the next generation. Bold Gambit Sarah Brown in Rio de Janeiro [@BrSarahTr]( It’s fair to say that activism courses through Camila Chavez’s veins. Chavez’s mother Dolores Huerta and uncle César Chavez are known as some of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century. Huerta and César co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962 to organize workers and advocate for better working conditions. Huerta was behind a consumer boycott that led to the pioneering California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, allowing farm workers to establish unions and negotiate better wages. Huerta has earned numerous awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights. The goal is to share effective organizing strategies, and a sense of hope, with as many rising young leaders as possible. For any daughter or son, those would be large shoes to fill. But Camila Chavez is an organizer in her own right. Today she is the driving force behind The Organizing & Leadership Academy, which seeks to train the changemakers of the future. She’s also the featured guest on episode 6 of the Sheroics podcast. [Listen to Sheroics Episode 6]( Deeply Rooted, and Reaching for the Stars Chavez formerly worked in public health — but soon became disillusioned with what she felt was a “broken” system. She not only wanted to improve public health, but sought to fix the problem at its roots. Thanks to her mother’s long history in activism and civil rights, Chavez knew that communities could become empowered by collectively calling for change. “I realized I could be learning so much from my mother,” she told OZY. In 2003, Chavez and Huerta co-founded the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Over two decades, the organization has clocked some impressive victories, including helping to convince [84,000]( people from across California’s central valley to participate in the 2020 U.S. Census by knocking on doors and explaining that the census determines representation in the U.S. Congress. Chavez also pushed for fairer redistricting by gathering 3,000 community residents to advocate for maps that accurately reflected their local jurisdictions. In the end, so many of us have returned right to our roots. - Camila Chavez Now, Chavez is behind The Organizing & Leadership Academy, which will provide training and mentorship to build the next generations of activists. A major aim of this academy is preparing organizers to lead campaigns, such as voter registration drives, and to provide technical assistance to those campaigns. The academy will also offer online instruction, in order to reach a wide audience. The goal is to share effective organizing strategies, and a sense of hope, with as many rising young leaders as possible. Inspired by her ancestors, Chavez has found her calling in empowering others. Although her mother encouraged Chavez and her 10 siblings to pursue their own passions, many of them have circled back to follow in the family’s historic footsteps. “In the end, so many of us have returned right to our roots,” she says. NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO Unsung Heroes Sheroics Episode 1: The Women of Torres de Francia After Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico in 2017, a small group of women from a local housing project in San Juan rushed into action by organizing community soup kitchens and feeding hundreds of families. They saved lives, and their efforts became a model that was replicated across the island. [Listen to this episode.]( [READ MORE]( Sheroics Episode 2: The Mothers of Uvalde Uvalde, Texas sits at a literal crossroads: U.S. highways 83, from Canada to Mexico, and 90, from Florida to California, cross right through the middle of the town. But the city is at a different crossroads, too — an emotional one. It’s at the intersection of fear, cultural division and grief. Against this backdrop, meet the inspiring mothers who call themselves “Fierce Madres.” [Listen to this episode.]( [READ MORE]( Sheroics Episode 3: Nicaragua’s Voice for Freedom What does it take to be the voice for freedom? Berta Valle, a former television newscaster, has become a tireless advocate for the more than 200 political prisoners in Nicaragua — a group that includes her husband, Felix Maradiaga. His crime was nothing more than announcing his intention to run for president in 2021, which got him arrested and sentenced for treason. Valle is now raising her voice for freedom wherever she can — for her, her husband, and their young daughter. [Listen to this episode.]( [READ MORE]( Sheroics Episode 4: Mission to Save The Mission When COVID hit, longtime activist Valerie Tulier-Laiwa knew her neighborhood — San Francisco’s Mission District — would be deeply affected. So, with the help of several friends, she jumped into action to meet the needs of the Latino community and beyond. [Listen to this episode.]( [READ MORE]( Sheroics Episode 5: Making a Better World Inevitable Jess Morales Rocketto is a community organizer who has been on the front lines of several battles in her life. She has advocated for the rights of domestic workers as Political Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and helped to reunite families on the border as the Chair of Families Belong Together. She has fought for women’s rights, voting rights, immigrants’ rights, and so much more. Jess believes that a better world is not only possible, it is inevitable. And her latest effort in pursuit of that better world might prove to be her biggest triumph yet. [Listen to this episode.]( [READ MORE]( COMMUNITY CORNER Tell us about a shero in your family or community. [SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE]( [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. #OZYMedia, #TheDrop OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](