Honoring Latine Heritage Month: Building Power, Defending Justice

Latine Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) is a time to celebrate the resilience and power of Latine histories, cultures, and movements. From the labor struggles of farmworkers in California to grassroots fights for immigrant rights across the nation, to much more, Latine communities have been on the frontlines demanding justice, dignity, and liberation.

Groundswell Action Fund is proud to stand alongside grantees who are building durable political power, holding lawmakers accountable, and ensuring that Latine voices shape the future. This month and every month, we uplift Latine-led organizations that embody the spirit of reproductive justice: the right to live safe, healthy, and self-determined lives without barriers. Here are some of those groups we encourage you to learn more about and support.

COLOR Action Fund | Colorado

COLOR Action Fund is making politics more transparent every day, from educating communities about legislative processes to holding lawmakers accountable. Their annual Legislative Scorecard gives Latine families the transparency they need to see which elected officials fight for them, and which do not.

In 2024, COLOR Action Fund led and won the Amendment 79 ballot initiative, which enshrines the right to access an abortion in the Colorado Constitution and extends abortion coverage to those on state insurance. This year, COLOR Action Fund showed up in force when Colorado lawmakers convened a special session to address a billion-dollar budget shortfall. COLOR Action Fund mobilized members to send letters demanding lawmakers protect access to healthcare. They also met with elected officials at the Colorado State Capitol throughout the week and created educational graphics to keep Latine communities informed about updates and progress in real time.

The result? Lawmakers were forced to prioritize people over money, finding short-term solutions that protected affordable healthcare. Even in the face of harmful policies, COLOR AF proved that when Latine communities are organized, they are powerful, and lawmakers know they are being watched.

“Our voices matter, our leadership is powerful, and our stories shape policy change.”

Learn more and support COLOR Action Fund’s work at: https://www.coloractionfund.org/.

La Fuerza NC | North Carolina

La Fuerza NC is organizing its communities to build collective strength to create a more just North Carolina. In a state where many Latine families face barriers to healthcare, constant attacks on immigrants, and limited language access, La Fuerza makes reproductive justice inseparable from civic engagement and political power.

When lawmakers pushed HB 318, a bill that would force sheriffs to act as extensions of ICE, La Fuerza members mobilized. Families stood outside the Governor’s Mansion week after week, refusing to be silent. Their persistence worked: Governor Stein vetoed the bill, citing it as unconstitutional and unjust.

Though the legislature later overrode the veto, the impact of their organizing was undeniable. They shifted the decisions of the highest office in the state and made clear that siding with ICE means siding against the people. Their victory proved that organized Latine communities have the power to push back against systemic attempts to criminalize immigrants, and they will continue to fight for a North Carolina where women, queer, and trans Latines can thrive.

“Reproductive justice is at the heart of everything we do. When Latine people have the freedom to decide for ourselves, our families, and our futures, we all move closer to a more just North Carolina.”

Learn more and support La Fuerza’s work at: https://lafuerzanc.org/.

LUCHA | Arizona

For LUCHA (Living United for Change in Arizona), Latine Heritage Month is about honoring generations of struggle and lifting up immigrant, Black, and Brown voices who shape the future of Arizona.

Reproductive justice is at the center of the work because the right to decide if, when, and how to build a family is deeply tied to economic and racial justice. Last year, LUCHA helped win Proposition 139, which will enshrine the right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution and provide a path to challenge Arizona’s dangerous 15-week abortion ban.

LUCHA has been at the forefront of the fight to win Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), building a broad coalition of community members and allies to ensure families can care for one another without financial hardship. They also convened a “People First Housing” cohort to advocate for rent control and rental assistance with Governor Hobbs and state leaders, while pushing city councils in Phoenix and Tucson to adopt policies that advance housing as a human right.

Together, these efforts connect the fight for reproductive freedom with the right to raise children in safe, stable homes.

“Our work centers the leadership of Latine women and queer people, who are most impacted by barriers to reproductive health and freedom, to ensure reproductive justice remains a cornerstone of the Arizona we deserve.”

Learn more and support LUCHA’s work at: https://www.luchaaz.org/.