Vanguard Legacy Awardee: Dusti Gurule
President and CEO, COLOR Latina and COLOR Action Fund
Years in role: 6 years 10 months
Where: Denver metro area
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am proud of all that I have contributed to the movement for democracy, reproductive justice, and Latina/o empowerment, specifically for the communities of Colorado; I am specifically proud to have contributed to advancing the status of Latinas in politics, the non-profit sector and advocacy spaces, which has helped pave the way for more inclusive, resilient, and diverse organizational landscapes.
By modeling and championing authentic leadership and always bringing an intersectional lens to every issue and conversation, I am proud to contribute to a broader cultural shift toward racial and gender equity. My work inspires, showing that sustained effort, collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to justice make progress possible.
What myths would you like to break in your organization’s work?
Through my work, I seek to break the myth that in working with historically underrepresented communities in our democracy, our job is simply to find ways of bringing those folks into the room within the current system that marginalized them in the first place without a clear end goal.
As organizational leaders, it’s tempting to get mired in day-to-day issues, emerging challenges, and trying to reach that level playing field—but we are VISIONARIES. We need to start with our North Stars, embodying the possibilities of the future we build together rather than on the bare minimum of giving all folks a voice at the table.
Our movement will stagnate unless we boldly push the work with an aligned values framework and a narrative beyond the status quo and into a vision of change that far surpasses what many may believe they can see happen in their lifetime. To effectively build the movement to reach for that vision, the COLOR Action Fund is curating organic partnerships and coalitions with aligned organizations to build a stronger movement toward reproductive justice.
What does it take to build power?
Building power for our communities through movement building is a critical solution to the historical and inequitable distribution of power and resources along the lines of race, class, and income, which have resulted in the systemic injustices facing our communities in Colorado. Social movements led by those communities most impacted by injustice are the most influential drivers of change, as only the affected communities themselves can genuinely understand the deep-felt impacts and the most effective, equitable solutions to the issues that have impacted them for generations.
Building power requires that we know that when we center justice and equity for and by communities that have disproportionately targeted and affected, all communities benefit.
COLOR Action Fund was filed as a 501(c)(4) entity in 2016 to expand the impact of our 501(c)(3) COLOR and play a more intentional and strategic role in advocacy and accountability at the legislature and the ballot box. It wasn’t until 2018, when we launched COLOR AF’s programming that I began to envision the potential for COLOR AF’s impact on policy, advocacy, and who the decision-makers are in our state.
Each year since 2018, we have continued to strengthen our work by refining our approach to be more focused on what it means to be an actual RJ Champion and how we harness the understanding of systems change and movement building to build discerning, impactful, and sustainable power.
It requires a complete and comprehensive approach, which also requires the capacity and resilience of ourselves and our teams. This work is not easy, but by seeking support, networks, partnerships, and the resources to build the infrastructure and strategy, we can build the power necessary to change our systems to reflect our communities’ needs better.
What is your why?
My family and I have deep roots in Colorado, particularly northwest Denver. I grew up immersed in the Crusade for Justice movement led by my uncle, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez. This movement, a key force in the Chicano and civil rights efforts of the 1960s and 70s, shaped my childhood and instilled a strong sense of activism, justice, and advocacy.
My family’s Colorado roots go back six generations to the San Luis Valley. My family’s influence fostered a lifelong commitment to advancing equity, justice, and the dignity of all people, particularly in Colorado. From them, I learned the value of resilience, of celebrating and lifting the many contributions from our community and culture. Honoring that legacy drove me to attain my bachelor’s degree in Chicano Studies because I understood that to advocate and advance change for my community, I needed the context and historical grounding to discern a strategic approach to systems change.
This foundation continues to carry me through the myriad challenges we face in our current political moment. Our country’s foundation is mired in racism, misogyny, and white supremacy. Decisions are made day in and day out that impact our lives. My understanding of this reality drew me to work in and lead organizations that seek to lift the capacity of our community’s voice in policy and decision-making and impact the ecosystem in a way that results more reflect our communities’ needs.
Learn more!
Learn more about the critical work of COLOR Latina and COLOR Action Fund.
