In this unprecedented year, when it feels like communities of color are barely surviving, it’s important to reflect on the moments of good. Despite the circumstances and overwhelming challenges that 2020 brought us all, thanks to allies like you, some pretty amazing things happened at Adelante Mujeres this year.

The Adelante Mujeres Chicas Youth Development Program has been working with students to prepare them for the new adventure they’re about to embark on. The Journey to College workshop series offers bi-weekly workshops on college admissions, financial aid, scholarship writing, and letters of recommendation.

It's a sunny day in November, and Alejandro Tecum and his students are masked up at a community garden. Together, they work the soil, preparing it for winter.

In an effort to amplify the help we can give to Latinx small business owners, Adelante Mujeres has created Casa Qui, a vibrant shop located in the Adelante Mujeres building in downtown Forest Grove. Meet the four women, all Empresas graduates, who are selling in the shop!

Irma works with children at a school in Beaverton. Due to COVID-19, they closed in April for five straight months, and they don't receive pay during the closures. They re-opened in July, but have to close for fourteen days each time there is a COVID case in the building. That's happened three times since they re-opened in July.

Gladis, our school cook, is chopping up juicy pineapples while a pot of posole bubbles on the stove. Colorful meals are being arranged on tiny plates, and small cups are milk are being poured. These meals will feed our youngest students — children in our Early Childhood Education Program.

Truthfully, my personal interest in STEM dwindled significantly after elementary school. Intimidation by the subject matter and lack of access to materials played a huge role in my disinterest in STEM, and unfortunately, many girls have similar experiences to mine. In fact, it’s an unfortunate reality that women of color, specifically Latina women, are severely underrepresented in the fields of STEM.

It’s a tough time to be a small business owner, especially a food-based business owner. But thanks to the creation of four Washington County Business Recovery Centers, small business owners based in Washington County are receiving vital support.

Thanks to funding from Metro and the Oregon Cultural Trust, Adelante Mujeres has created a cultural art exhibit in their building titled Migration is Beautiful // La Migracion es Bella. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to share segments of a few of the Latina stories featured in the exhibit.

“We understand that providing flexible funding is key in allowing Adelante Mujeres to deliver critical resources to our Latinx community.”

Normally, Adelante staff would meet for group cooking sessions and have the opportunity to share ideas, recipes, and tips. But when COVID-19 hit Oregon and in-person classes were no longer a safe option, the Adelante Mujeres team started brainstorming. Eating healthy and access to nutritious food would be more important than ever before. But how would they reach families?

Having the knowledge and resources to start a food-based business can be life-changing for aspiring entrepreneurs and their families, so when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Oregon, we knew we had to continue offering the course.

Adelante Mujeres is joining forces with Washington County to become one of four Business Recovery Centers aimed at providing businesses in Washington County, Oregon with COVID-19 relief support.

Graduation season looked pretty different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but graduates of our Early Childhood Education Program (ECE Program) were each treated to a mini social distancing graduation celebration. See the photos!

A global pandemic during graduation season won’t put a damper on our plans to celebrate our graduating Chicas! See photos from our first-ever Chicas Graduation Celebration car parade!

The Chicas program dedicated all of their time during the first couple weeks of the quarantine time period to find ways to connect with their beloved Chicas and their families. After many meetings of brainstorming the best ways to reach out, connect and support the girls, the beauty of social media engagement and virtual Chicas sessions were born.

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.

Adelante Mujeres is currently working to distribute vouchers for families to purchase local foods at farmers markets throughout Washington County. Learn more!

The Oregon Work Relief Fund provides direct cash assistance to immigrant Oregonians who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are excluded from federal and state safety-nets. Adelante Mujeres is honored to be part of the many culturally-specific organizations who will be supporting community members through this process.

During times of crisis like these, we are reminded to also take a step back and count our blessings. Thank you to our leading supporters: Legacy Health, Wells Fargo Bank, First Tech Credit Union, and CareOregon for your true heart and philanthropy.