What do popular education and cultural organizing look like when put into practice on a community's behalf? Our longtime community partners, Rosa Hernandez (Mixteca) and Juan Santiago (Zapotec), have turned these principles into meaningful action. These grassroots leaders have utilized the disciplines of popular education and cultural organizing in their efforts to foster the active citizenship and cultural vitality of the Mexican Indigenous residents of Madera, Calif. As popular education and cultural organizing practitioners, Hernandez and Santiago are committed to advocating for the well-being of their people, and know firsthand the importance of listening to their community’s concerns as part of the process.
