Executive Message

Message from the Executive Director

Welcome and Thank You

On behalf of the staff, youth leaders, parent leaders, and Advisory Board members of InnerCity Struggle, I would like to welcome you to our New Website! This year we are very proud to be commemorating 17 years of Community Organizing in the Eastside by recognizing the achievements of InnerCity Struggle since 1994 in successfully building a community-led movement for social justice in the Eastside.

Our Roots

In 1994, InnerCity Struggle became an independent organization with the aim of building and promoting a safe, healthy and non-violent community in Boyle Heights and the entire Eastside. InnerCity Struggle began organizing working families in Boyle Heights on issues of education, immigration, violence prevention, and welfare policy reform.         

Building a Movement for Change

InnerCity Struggle youth, parents and their families have worked side by side to create change and improve the quality of public education in the Eastside. This intergenerational approach to organizing has become recognized across the country as a model for movement building around educational justice issues.

Parents and youth working together have resulted in several gains for public education. Together, the parents and youth of InnerCity Struggle have fought for and won the construction of the first new schools in East Los Angeles in over 80 years, a mandatory A-G college track curriculum for ALL students in LAUSD, supplemental funding to reduce class sizes and increase college prep course availability and the district’s commitment for innovative autonomous small schools.  In 2008, parents and youth participated in a Get Out The Vote campaign leading up to the presidential elections. InnerCity Struggle spoke to thousands of voters and turned them out to vote on Election Day. 

The Urgency of NOW

The needs of the Eastside and Latino community are more urgent than ever and InnerCity Struggle has deepened our commitment to organize youth, parents and community residents to improve the conditions negatively impacting their lives: joblessness, poverty, lack of health-care, poor education and repressive immigration policies. InnerCity Struggle will take on the issue of building an educated and active electorate so that residents make informed decisions when voting. This is a key to improving the Eastside.

InnerCity Struggle is also working with the East L.A. community to establish the first Eastside Academic Zone of Choice which will include Esteban E. Torres High School, set to open in fall 2010 and Garfield High School.

In collaboration with The California Endowment and several CBO's, the organization will be engaging thousands of Boyle Heights’ residents throughout the year through an initiative titled “Building a Healthy Boyle Heights.”

Once again, thank you for supporting InnerCity Struggle’s efforts in building a movement for social change in the Eastside.

In Struggle,

Maria Brenes

Executive Director