Boyle Heights Spotlight

As we continue through this pandemic, TogetherLA wants to continue highlighting and encouraging neighbors to come together to better their communities. Real change can happen when churches, businesses, organizations and individuals band together for the good of the neighborhood.

Boyle Heights is a neighborhood in Los Angeles that has experienced a lot of obstacles and demonstrated incredible generosity and resilience. In the early 20th century, it was one of the few areas that did not have discriminatory housing policy against people of color, particularly Japanese-Americans. It became an epicenter of Japanese churches, temples and schools, but eventually became an extremely racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood by the 1960s. After housing in the area slowly recovered from major discrimination due to redlining practices and the construction of several freeways, residents have more recently had to face the effects of gentrification in the community. Through all of these struggles, there have been powerful examples of people coming together to serve the greater good. Here are just a few of the most inspiring collaborations going on in Boyle Heights.

Promesa

In 2009, over 20 incredible community organizations decided to come together to create one unified organization. This group has continued to impact the community since. Promesa has become a hub for community organizing, restorative justice, tutoring, leadership development and school event organizing. Their goals are shaped by the community itself, through their core practice of surveying resident, ally organizations, schools and supporters. They are committed to investing in the community and students, starting with family support and progressing all the way up to career development. Promesa’s work is a testament to the power of collaboration, unity and passion.

Legacy LA

Gang violence has been a long-standing issue in many LA neighborhoods, with Boyle Heights being no exception. In 2007, Lou Calanche founded Legacy LA with the hopes of offering interventions and alternatives to gangs and violence. Everyone involved with Legacy LA believes that investing in the development of youth is the key to community transformation. 

Their approach focuses on four pillars: academics, leadership, mentoring, and the arts. Legacy LA is truly a community effort; 80% of their staff grew up in the area, and they value community-informed service. They have a leadership program for high schoolers, as well as after-school mentoring and academic support. To-date, 60 youth who have participated in Legacy LA have gone on to college. 

Union de Vecinos

Gentrification is an ongoing plight of many LA communities. Union de Vecinos was founded in the 90s, initially to fight against the closing of some important housing projects. Over the past two decades, they have grown into a strong network that promotes “economic and environmental justice, civic engagement, affordable housing, and building healthy and stable communities.” 

It can feel overwhelming and almost impossible to fight the effects of gentrification, but Union de Vecinos is proof that people can come together to make a difference. So far, they have succeeded in stopping the privatization of public housing, helped prevent illegal rent increases, and organized various task forces. Their work has directly impacted over 190,000 LA residents to-date.

No Us Without You

So much hardship has surfaced in 2020, but the pandemic has also revealed reasons to keep faith in humanity. No Us Without You is a leading example. When business partners Damian Diaz and Othón Nolasco quickly realized how much the shutdown would impact undocumented workers, the backbone of the hospitality industry, they rallied help to provide food for their families. By mid-March they had formed this non-profit, hoping to feed around 30 families per week. Now, so many people have come together to help that they are providing food for over 1,000 families each week. Loving acts like this collaboration are what can pave the way for a great LA community coming out of these messy times.