UUJAZ Blog

A Night to Celebrate the Power of Community

6/8/2022

Poder in Action’s mission is to build power to disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression and determine a liberated future as people of color in Arizona through their lived experience, leadership development and civic participation.

Poder in Action is led by organizers who began as volunteers within the organization, and created programs based on their personal experience with injustice in the immigration, criminal justice, and education systems. Each program builds community power by centering those who are most impacted by systemic oppression.

In April, UUJAZ was honored to support Poder's work by purchasing a table at the Night at the Garden fundraiser event. UUJAZ staff and board members, and UUs from around the Valley, were delighted for this special occasion when joy takes center stage in the work of collective liberation.

People arriving at the event got to walk past a cool series of posters like the one at left, describing (in both English and Spanish) "Seeds Planted" and "Fruits of Our Labor" -- Poder's own descriptions of their accomplishments.

This year, the work we celebrated included:

Re-launched the Police Free Schools Campaign to get cops out of school campuses in Phoenix.
Launched the Pueblo’s Budget Campaign to create a budget proposal that centers the health, wellness and joy of working class people and BIPOC communities.

Established a Community Health Circle to connect our community with resources and direct services, which was critical as our community navigated COVID.
Developed and restructured our leadership development program; growing the number of internships, fellowships and organizing opportunities.
Assured that 70% of the American Rescue Plan Act (COVID relief) funds were invested in resources and programs for the community.
Released the Phoenix Futuro Report about policing and safety in our communities.
Reached 5,700 homes with COVID vaccine information.
Partnered with Arizona organizations to create the Arizona Undocumented Workers Relief Fund to distribute $1.5M to people who did not qualify for resources during the pandemic.
Phoenix Union High School District agreed to remove SROs from campus for one year and redirect $1.5M to a participatory budget that includes parent, teachers and students.
Won a lawsuit against the City of Phoenix for denying emergency pandemic assistance, services and rent relief to certain immigrant groups. This permanently opened eligibility for all immigrants to access resources and services implemented with future emergency relief funds.
Forced the Phoenix Police Department to come clean about their failure to use early intervention practices for identifying officers that are at high risk for use of force against community members.
Forced the City of Phoenix to review hundreds of recommendations for police reform identified by outside agencies over the past decade that were never implemented by the Phoenix Police Department.

In attendance were UUJAZ staff team members Janine, Casey, and Thoi. We saw former UUJAZ board member, and current Phoenix Union School Board candidate Ceyshe Napa, and her family members Terry, Torrey, and Eliza. Longtime Poder supporters and Phoenix UUs Sandy and Don Weir were there, as well as our friends and partners from Trans Queer Pueblo, WPAWS, and BLM Phoenix.

We ran into candidate for Maricopa County Attorney Julie Gunnigle, and Legislative Candidates Analise Ortiz, Anna Hernandez, and Natacha Chavez. Representing some of our UU congregations at our table were Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan of Valley UU, Rev. Christine Dance and her wife Karen of UU Congregation of Phoenix, and Karen Richter of Shadow Rock UCC and her partner Rick.