Vecinos Unidos®
As an organization founded on the belief that self-determination and collective action are the seeds of liberation, all of our efforts are anchored on the leadership of grassroots community organizers. Through a community organizing model, invented by Fred Ross Sr., DHF organizers train, support and mobilize historically disenfranchised communities for social change. Organizers in each region host monthly community meetings, known as Juntas Generales, where community members receive training, resources, legislative information and create action plans by identifying the structural and systemic changes they want to make in their community. Together, grassroots organizers form a Vecinos Unidos® (United Neighbors) chapter. There are currently 12 active Vecinos Unidos® Chapters in Arvin, Bakersfield, California City, Tulare, Lamont, Lancaster, Lindsay, Palmdale, Parlier, Sanger, and Woodlake. Community leaders are empowered through hands-on leadership training to lead civic engagement campaigns, hold elected officials accountable, and secure positive outcomes to address the needs of their community. Vecino Unidos® members have a 20-year history of successfully advocating for more parks, paved roads, pools, sewer connections, education equity, and much more.
To learn more about our work and how to start a Vecino Unidos® chapter in your community, please click here.
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DHF organizes at the grassroots level by supporting community leaders with hands-on direct-action training through Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) chapters in some of the most disenfranchised regions of California. Our community organizing model engages residents in a process of identifying an issue, developing a grassroots campaign, and holding leaders accountable. Dolores Huerta reminds us that, “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” If you’re ready to make a change in your community, the moment is now. If you’re interested in establishing a local Vecinos Unidos® chapter, please reach out to the organizer in your county.
Vecinos Unidos® Blog
May Day March
In honor of #MayDay our organizers along with community members marched the streets of Fresno & Tulare standing in solidarity while commemorating the efforts and victories of Workers & Immigrants Rights around the world. May Day is not recognized as a holiday...
2022 Spring Vecinos Unidos® Newsletter
Please check out the latest issue of the Dolores Huerta Foundation’s Vecinos Unidos® Newsletter to learn more about the important gains and accomplishments that DHF Vecinos made this year. Big thanks to all of the esteemed volunteers and generous community members who...
People Powered Legislative Wins!
With the support of volunteers, Vecinos Unidos® members, and partnered organizations across the state, we are proud to celebrate these recent legislative wins. This is what People Power looks like! SB 380 End Of Life Options Act - This is a notable step forward for...
Vecinos Unidos Member Spotlight
Erica Talavera is a parent leader from Parlier. She is a mother of two, an eight month year old and a teenager. She was recruited into the local Vecinos Unidos Education Committee in 2019. When Eric first began attending meetings with her newborn, she seemed shy and...
Parlier Families Fight Solar Fraud
Three years ago the Parlier Vecinos Unidos® Chapter families began discussing issues they had with solar panels installed on their homes. Homeowners were being charged fees for contracts to loans they never signed. In some cases the newly installed solar panels were...
Justice Victims of Solar Panel Fraud
The Dolores Huerta Foundation is co-sponsoring a solar panel consumer protection and restitution fund, with Senator Monique Limón who represents the 19th Senate District (Santa Barbara and parts of Ventura Counties). Senate Bill 757 introduced on February 19, 2021,...