Power Station

Since 1991, Latino Economic Development Center, a DC based nonprofit, has worked side by side with Latino families to make their American Dreams possible. These families, both citizens and undocumented immigrants, have aspirations of safe and affordable rental housing, home ownership and the launching and expansion of small businesses. But they are under-resourced in the federal budget and underserved by banks that view them as too risky to lend to and invest in. This is why LEDC became a Community Development Financial Institution, a lender certified by the US Department of Treasury, to make the investments that others will not. As executive director Marla Bilonick explains, an ethos of service, expertise in asset building and commitment to progressive policy advocacy has enabled LEDC to thrive and expand in a very divisive political climate. LEDC has opened new offices in Baltimore, Wheaton, Maryland, Arlington, Virginia and recently, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. A local organization is now a national change maker.

Interestingly, LEDC’s growth is not all about the ability to deploy capital effectively, LEDC builds relationships with community stakeholders, from city council members to tenants and small business owners. These relationships make it possible for LEDC to be included in the shaping of public policies that impact Latino families. LEDC exemplifies a healthy tension between being a trusted advisor to municipalities and a strong voice for the communities they serve. Their model of service, advocacy and organizing is highly effective and has led to rapid growth. And its expansion of programs and localities is taxing LEDC’s lean administrative infrastructure. Marla points out that more unrestricted funding would help to strengthen those functions, a small philanthropic tweak that could yield meaningful organizational and community benefits.

America has a conflicted relationship to science. Presidents and Congress love science until data is at odds with their beliefs, political and economic interests. Public confidence in science is growing as evidence of the impacts of climate change on rising sea levels, displacement and migration in coastal communities is now widely accepted. Jacob Carter, biologist and research scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists' Center for Science and Democracy points out the unprecedented suppression of science by the Trump Administration, including reports issued by federal agencies ranging from the US Environmental Protection Agency to the US Fish and Wildlife Services. Scientists within the federal system are being defunded, censored and prohibited from attending meetings on their areas of study. This aggressive stance has left our federal scientists with a serious morale problem and is dissuading early career scientists from entering the public service pipeline. Jacob is heartened by the outpouring of scientists and community members who showed up for the March on Science and the fact that public trust in science is at an all-time high.

America has a conflicted relationship to science. Historically, presidents and Congress have questioned and derided scientific research that is at odds with their beliefs, political and economic interests. At the same time, public confidence in science is growing and evidence of the impacts of climate change on rising sea levels, displacement and migration in coastal communities is now widely accepted. As Jacob Carter, biologist and research scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy explains, the pushback on science has serious implications for decision-making on issues including climate, energy, transportation and food. If scientific evidence is rejected, how can sound policies be enacted? Jacob points out the unprecedented suppression of science by the Trump Administration, including research and reports issued by federal agencies ranging from the US Environmental Protection Agency to the US Fish and Wildlife Services.

Scientists within the federal system are being defunded, censored and prohibited from attending meetings on their areas of study. This aggressive stance has left our federal scientists with a serious morale problem and is dissuading early career scientists from entering the public service pipeline. In fact, the President’s defiling of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maps, known as SharpieGate, is just one of 120 documented attacks on science by this Administration. The Center for Science and Democracy’s unyielding support for federal scientists extends to the communities most impacted by deregulation and other anti-science actions. As Jacob says, grassroots communities know based what is happening to them and what they need. Their contributions to the Center’s policy recommendations are invaluable. Jacob is heartened by the outpouring of scientists and supporters who showed up for the March on Science around the globe and the fact that public trust in science is at an all-time high.

It's hard to describe how energy shifts when Patrick Gaspard is in the room. He is positive, ready to engage, and most importantly, completely present. As president of the Open Society Foundations, whose philanthropy supports democratic practice, human rights and equal access to justice in 120 countries, Patrick is a powerful presence in many rooms. His ability to listen to and act on what communities are saying in those rooms is grounded in his personal experience as an organizer. He knows that listening yields critical information and validates those who are not heard enough. Steeped in the convictions of founder George Soros, Open Society Foundations advocates for persecuted communities across the globe, from the Rohingya forced into statelessness by Myanmar to the LGBTQ community in Kenya. In the United States, Open Society Foundations supports organizing, social mobilization and civil rights. Patrick is optimistic about what a new generation of organizing has generated. He sees young people breaking through the silos and thriving in a world of intersectionality. He reminds us, that change making is urgent, unstoppable and fun, an important message in these chaotic times.

It’s hard to describe how energy shifts when Patrick Gaspard is in the room. He is positive, ready to engage, and most importantly, completely present. As president of the Open Society Foundations, whose philanthropy supports democratic practice, human rights and equal access to justice in 120 countries, Patrick is a powerful presence in many rooms. His ability to listen to and act on what communities are saying in those rooms is grounded in his personal experience as an organizer. He knows that listening yields critical information and validates those who are not heard enough.

 Steeped in the convictions of founder George Soros, Open Society Foundations advocates for persecuted communities across the globe, from the Rohingya forced into statelessness by Myanmar to the LGBTQ community in Kenya. In the United States, Open Society Foundations invests in nonprofits with the will and capacity to build local organizations that can mobilize nationally to create meaningful policy change.

 Even in this political and social climate, which Patrick describes as complex and disorienting, he is optimistic about what a new generation of organizing has generated. They are able to break through the silos that have defined a more traditional approach to advocacy, and they thrive in a world of intersectionality. He reminds us, that change making is urgent, unstoppable and fun, an important message in these chaotic times. There is much more to explore with Patrick about his vision for building community, influence and power. He has promised a return visit to Power Station and the door will always be open.

How do we know that the nonprofit programs we believe in are effective? Without evaluating them against pre-determined measures we cannot make a case for their efficacy, replication or scaling. It starts with a process that ensures that stakeholders are engaged in developing them, measurable goals are identified and the vision for success is shared. And, for these measures to be impactful, they must be shaped through a racial equity lens. Whether the policy goal is reductions in teen pregnancy, increases in child literacy or access to capital, we need to start with enough humility to know that evidence-based data empowers us to test and learn from our theories. And this is where Dr. Bahby Banks reigns supreme. As a doctoral student, she fell in love with logic models and metrics that form the basis of program design and evaluation. Now she is a much sought-after facilitator for organizations that pursue social impact change making. She has a great capacity to connect, listen to and honor the stakeholders in the room. And she teaches us all how to use data to negotiate effectively for community needs.

How do we know, beyond our instincts, that the nonprofit programs we believe in are effective? We may perceive them to be but without evaluating them against pre-determined measures, we cannot make a case for their efficacy, replication or scaling. First, we take a step back and agree that a process is needed to design programs, ensure that stakeholder voices are represented, measurable goals are identified and the vision for success is shared. And, for these measures to be meaningful, they must be shaped through a racial equity lens. Whether the goal is reductions in teen pregnancy, increases in child literacy or access to capital, we need to start with enough humility to know that evidence-based data empowers us to test and learn from our theories.

And this is where Dr. Bahby Banks comes into the conversation. As a doctoral student, she fell in love with logic models and metrics that form the basis of program design and evaluation. Now she is a much sought-after facilitator for organizations that pursue social impact change making. In addition to her expertise, she brings a personal capacity to connect, listen and honor the stakeholders in the room. She is a proven translator of data and a negotiator for communities in using that data for a higher public purpose. There is so much to learn from Dr. Banks and given who she is at the core, it is bound to be an enjoyable journey.

Ilda Martinez was 3 years old when she arrived at a migrant Head Start center in Plant City, Florida. Her first language was Mixtec, an indigenous dialogue of Oaxaca, Mexico. She learned Spanish and then English in Head Start programs. These migrant and seasonal programs are critical resources for families like Ilda's that move several times a year to harvest crops, from blueberries in North Carolina to strawberries in Florida and asparagus in Michigan. The work is arduous, the weather can be brutal, and housing situations are often meager. Less noted is that farm work requires significant skill and commitment. As National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association executive director Cleo Rodriguez explains, without migrant farmworkers, the US agricultural sector would collapse. Ilda's childhood in Head Start led her to the NMSHSA Internship Program, which brings young people to Washington for eight weeks each year, an opportunity that as Ilda describes, is game changing. As Ilda explains, the characteristic that best defines migrant families is resilience.And remember her name because Ilda will be an influential voice for social justice well into the future.

Ilda Martinez was 3 years old when she arrived at a migrant Head Start center in Plant City, Florida. Her first language was Mixtec, an indigenous dialogue of Oaxaca, Mexico. She learned Spanish and then English in Head Start programs that serve the children of farmworkers. These migrant and seasonal programs are critical resources for families like Ilda’s that move several times a year to harvest crops, from blueberries in North Carolina to strawberries in Florida and asparagus in Michigan. The work is arduous, the weather can be brutal, and housing situations are often meager. Less noted is that farm work requires significant skill and commitment. And these are jobs which American workers have roundly rejected. As National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association executive director Cleo Rodriguez explains, without migrant farmworkers, the US agricultural sector would collapse.

Ilda's childhood in Head Start led her to the NMSHSA Internship Program, which brings young women and men to Washington for eight weeks each year. They are placed with host families and work in federal agencies and nonprofit organizations, an opportunity that as Ilda describes, is game changing. In fact, Ilda, who was chosen as a Gates Millennium Scholar, completed college, and has returned to DC for graduate studies at George Washington University.

As Ilda explains, the characteristic that best defines migrant families is resilience. Listen to Ilda and you cannot miss how well the word describes her as well. And remember her name because Ilda will be an influential voice for social justice well into the future.

Head Start is known for making early childhood development and education a reality for all families. Developed as part of the 1960's War on Poverty, Head Start is an example of public policy that serve the educational needs of underserved children. But the Head Start model was organized around the school calendar, an approach that works for most but not all of our nation's families. It does not meet the unique needs of migrant families, who travel from state to state to harvest our nation's crops. The National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association was created specifically for farmworkers whose expertise and labor are responsible for the produce in our stores and the bounty on our tables. They are served by dedicated community-based Migrant and Seasonal Head Start providers, 27 programs in 40 states. Many providers come from farmworker families themselves and are highly committed to serving families that move 3 times per year. Cleofas Rodriguez Jr, executive director of The Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association, speaks to the foresight of President Johnson in creating these program and to his love for the families he serves.