Mar 7, 2022
Our political parties are so divided they cannot agree that basic democratic principles, from the right to vote to the freedom to read the books of our choice are sacrosanct. Given the aggressively anti-democratic stances of many state legislatures we must remind ourselves that government can be a force for good. For that to happen the electorate must be fully engaged and community-based nonprofits must require policy making developed with a racial equity lens. As Richard Raya, Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) explains, nonprofits can generate transformative change when they are rooted in community, collaborate across sectors and issues areas and have champions in elected office. MEDA is the proof of concept. It is where Latino families connect to an array of services, develop their voice, deepen their collective clout and gain the tools needed to thrive economically. MEDA is spurring a movement for community backbone agencies to become the standard-bearer for societal change, one neighborhood at a time. This requires foundations and government to make catalytic investments in data-driven strategies As Richard Riya says, it is time to evolve.