Itzel Castillo Flores Wang, Senior Coordinator of Community Transformation at Promesa Boyle Heights
Summaries from the Localizing California Waters Conference
Last week I attended the Localizing California Waters conference in Groveland, California. I was surrounded by water guardians and land stewards. I’ll be posting some of the information I learned, here on my substack.
Itzel Castillo Flores Wang is the Senior Coordinator of Community Transformation at Promesa Boyle Heights. She is a proud Indigenous woman of color and a first-generation college student from Puebla, Mexico, where she spent the first ten years of her life before her parents brought her to the United States. For the past 23 years, Boyle Heights in East LA has been her home.
Promesa Boyle Heights was born out of a promise to the Boyle Heights neighborhood, committing to collaborate with partners, the community, schools, students, parents, and all stakeholders to ensure a thriving community with the resources it deserves. Established in 2009, Promesa continues to be community-driven, focusing on six key areas: early learning, education justice, equitable post-secondary success, immigration, and wellness and a healthy environment.
Their approach involves cultivating action-based partnerships, building the capacity of institutions serving the Boyle Heights community, and enhancing the leadership capacity of community members. They firmly believe in community organizing, centering those most impacted and ensuring their voices are heard in all aspects of their work.
Promesa Boyle Heights’ focus areas were determined by engaging the community, allowing them to identify the needs essential for their well-being. The interconnectedness of these areas becomes evident when discussing immigrant job opportunities, creating healthier communities through improved water quality and increased green spaces. Their engagement with Redesign LA has provided valuable training, enabling us to educate our community ambassadors and empower them to share their knowledge.
Their recent successes include securing funding for the restoration of Hollenbeck Park, addressing issues like water quality and revitalizing neglected areas. However, challenges persist, such as ensuring meaningful community engagement in park renovations and navigating the complexities of city interactions.
Promesa Boyle Heights is actively working on park design, renovations, and community engagement, even amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic. The community's trust in our promotoras, community ambassadors, has been pivotal, leading to successful engagement despite the difficult circumstances.
She emphasized that power-building community-based organizations are essential for understanding community concerns, and urged us to engage with community leaders directly. Advancing equity requires grassroots organizing, creating leadership structures both inside and outside, and investing in city and community leadership. She asked that we need to continue resource base-building operations and prioritize leadership development.
As a final note, she encouraged the conference to consider how we might include more community voices in these discussions. It's crucial to bridge the gap between discussions about community issues and the presence of community members in these spaces.
Click through to their website for more information about the Localizing California Waters Conference.