We are a non profit organization rooted in Maywood, IL, a community that has experienced disinvestment for decades. Maywood is a predominately Black community with a growing Latino population. As a non black Latina, I am aware of the anti-blackness that exists in the Latino community, and am using my voice to do what I can to actively dismantle anti-blackness in our community, as well as, unify the black and brown community so that we can be an unstoppable force with all of the injustices we face. I believe The Firehouse Dream is a community dream, and I’m honored that I get to lead it in this season.
As the co-founder and Executive Director of The Firehouse Dream, I am committed to:
I will use my squares and stories to talk about and share the injustices we see in our world, especially racism.
I will challenge, confront and uproot every lie I’ve believed about whiteness and white supremacy.
I will invite my fellow latino/a friends to challenge anti-blackness in our communities.
I will speak up when I see injustice.
I will not assume myself to be an ally and will do the continual internal work of uprooting my very own assumptions, bias, stereotypes and more!
I will love my black neighbors as myself.
I will pray for creative strategy and solutions for what I can do to advocate for justice.
I will do more than just share hashtags and posts.
I will make sure that I use my buying power to support black owned businesses, and move my dollars from institutions that support racism...like certain banks and corporations.
I will make sure that where we live, work, and who we are in relationship with reflects the value we ALL have.
I will listen more than speak, when learning one’s story.
I will acknowledge and celebrate the beauty of our skin colors and cultures.
I will seek forgiveness for when I miss the mark.
I will grieve when another black life is lost to police brutality, white supremacy and more.
