Hispanic affairs Project: A Trailblazer For Social Justice In Western Colorado

Photos courtesy of Hispanic Affairs Project.

Social justice can take many forms. It can mean advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves or have found themselves previously ignored.

It can mean providing direct assistance to those in need who can’t otherwise access it.

And, it can mean reducing barriers that perpetuate societal inequities and prevent people from being able to fully participate in their communities.

In January 2023, Hispanic Affairs Project (HAP) was honored as a Community Trailblazer Award winner by Community Resource Center (CRC) in Denver.

According to Maria Fabula, CRC president and CEO, the Community Trailblazer Award recognizes one outstanding organization and one individual that are implementing positive community changes through innovative grassroots strategies. The winners for 2023are Mike Cortés, a scholar in residence in the area of social work at the University of Denver, and Hispanic Affairs Project.

“One of things we found most impressive about HAP,” shares Fabula, “is that they amplify the voice of the immigrant community through strategies of advocacy, and they have a really high tolerance for risk that is unique in the nonprofit sector.”

A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS

Founded in 2006 to protest anti-immigrant legislation being considered by the Colorado legislature, HAP’s first foray into social justice was organizing a demonstration in Grand Junction’s Lincoln Park against the so-called “show me your papers” bill.

Led by Father John Kiernan, a local Catholic priest who had long advocated for immigrant rights, and leaders from academia and the immigrant community, the rally attracted about 5,000 people, according to Tom Acker, a founding HAP member and current president of the HAP board of directors.

And, while the rally was a public manifestation of HAP’s resolve, Ricardo Perez, HAP’s first and only executive director, points to many “quiet, but strong immigrant leaders and allies who were the inspiration for moving forward our vision for immigrant inclusion.” These leaders originally came from Grand Junction, Delta, Olathe, Hotchkiss and Montrose, where HAP is headquartered.

From the beginning, HAP emphasized advocacy, leadership training and direct services to assist immigrants with integrating into their communities. Through these efforts, HAP was able to provide legal assistance and support to immigrants, services that quietly continue today.

But, according to Acker, what really put HAP on the “national map of immigrant rights” was a study that uncovered systemic injustice in the way sheepherders in the rural west were being treated.

Published in 2010 in cooperation with Colorado Legal Services, the study, titled “Overworked and Underpaid,” highlighted the plight of an invisible immigrant population, toiling in the rugged backcountry of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Over the span of several years, more than 90 sheepherders were contacted and connected to legal and medical services, as well as surveyed as to the conditions in which they were working. Led by Ignacio Abarado, a Chilean immigrant and former sheepherder, and Acker, who was a professor at what was then Mesa State College, HAP underwrote the effort and then acted on the results, suing the United States of America on behalf of some of the most marginalized workers in the country.

While the ins and outs of the legal proceedings are best left to attorneys and experts in immigrant rights and law, the short story is that HAP advocated for better working conditions and competitive wages for sheepherders, arguing against the use of temporary and seasonal visas to fill permanent labor positions. When a settlement was reached in favor of the sheepherders and HAP, it was a significant win. Although, the battle for worker rights is not yet over. Loopholes remain to be closed, and HAP is currently “at the table” discussing rulemaking to revise the standard labor protection and how it applies to sheepherders.

“The key role of HAP is to have members who are or were sheepherders,” explains Perez. “This was an issue outside of public opinion until our members started talking about the labor conditions in this industry back in 2006 and 2007.”

“We are glad we had the support of labor attorneys and the agency Toward Justice from Denver, which provided legal representation in these cases,” he adds.

“HAP’s willingness to challenge the federal government through a legal process provides the story of HAP,” explains CRC’s Fabula. “HAP is not afraid of leaning into their values, not afraid of risk and not afraid of taking a risk” to get what they want.

CHANGES, SUCCESSES

Throughout its 17 years, the mission of HAP to support the social and economic development of immigrant communities in Western Colorado has been consistent, even as the organization has evolved. Among the more difficult changes was separating from the Catholic church and the Diocese of Pueblo. Acker shares that this was a “wrenching” decision but one that needed to be made in order to allow the organization to better represent all aspects of the immigrant and refugee community, as well as open new doors to additional funding.

As for successes, they vastly out number the difficult changes.

“We used to say that our big achievement as an organization is to still be going strong after many years in which the community we serve has struggled due to increasing anti-immigrant sentiment and harsh policies,” says Perez. “Fortunately, the tide is changing in many ways, and HAP and the immigrant community are strong and here to stay.

Recognizing that the Hispanic/Latin immigrant and refugee community in Colorado has increased to more than 20% of the state’s population, HAP has grown from serving individuals and families in Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties to serving people in six counties, with the addition of Gunnison, Ouray and San Miguel.

HAP recently received a capital investment grant from The Colorado Health Foundation to help purchase a building in downtown Montrose, which will house HAP offices and will be renovated to provide a safe and welcoming space for immigrants and refugees.

In Gunnison, HAP is involved in an innovative, private-public partnership to implement an immigrant inclusion initiative called Welcoming America. This effort includes local government, business, the philanthropic community, public health officials and others. It offers coaching and assistance to build connections between immigrants and community services.

While the Gunnison effort is geographically targeted, it is part of a large national movement that could be replicated elsewhere.

Finally, HAP continues to be “the go-to place when people are looking for help in a variety of areas that the immigrant community encounters,” shares Acker.

From working with trailer park residents to inform them of their rights to providing a dedicated fund to assist immigrant workers displaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, HAP is committed to social justice in all its forms.

And, the Western Colorado community is better for having this celebrated “trailblazer” here at home.

Originally published in the Summer 2023 issue of Spoke+Blossom.