The Washington County Civic Leaders Program was created by Adelante Mujeres in collaboration with Washington County in 2017, to address the lack of culturally-responsive leadership trainings for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. Our program invites community members who have historically been excluded from civic leadership to complete a hands-on leadership training to equip our communities with the tools they need to advocate for themselves and the future they wish to see.

The Immigrant Solidarity Project began in 2017 in response to the needs and priorities the immigrant community faces in Washington County. This program is possible thanks to the collaboration between Adelante Mujeres, Community Action, Bienestar, Dreamers Resource Center, Virginia Garcia, and SOAR.

“If our voices aren’t represented, other people will speak for us.” Hear from our Leadership & Advocacy team to see how they are empowering Latina women to make their voices heard at the Oregon State Capital.

In Mexico, where she is originally from, she studied business. So, when she got a knock at her door offering her a job in housekeeping, it was a change she had to embrace openly. She remembers cleaning wealthy homes on her hands and knees and an overwhelming feeling of “there has to be more to this country”.

When on the topic of female empowerment, Milka wanted to make one thing clear: Women can. “Yes, yes, we can. It’s just a matter of taking that first step and continue moving forward”. She describes Adelante Mujeres as the complete package. “They have the tools to allow people to reach their goals. It’s like, ‘Okay, I feel empowered now, I can reach my goals’”.

At Ft. Bliss, a U.S. border detention center in El Paso, migrant children have been living in alarming conditions - where disease is rampant, food can be dangerous, and there are reports of sexual abuse, an investigation by the BBC has found.

Adelante Mujeres joins forces with other agencies to support the national “Free Them All” campaign to advocate for people who are unjustly detained.

The Leadership and Advocacy Team will be taking a Day of Action to show up for our beloved brothers and sisters. We will be holding this tomorrow, 06/03/2020 ALL DAY. We ask that you help us share this Day of Action and participate with us.

The 3rd cohort has officially graduated! Get a glimpse of the graduation festivities.

Over the last six weeks, these leaders have been hard at work learning about civic engagement. Here are a few moments from the final session’s closing circle.

Congratulations to the 19 graduates from our 2nd Cohort of Washington County Civic Leaders! See the photos of the graduation celebration.