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The Union of all the People
César Chávez founded La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) in 1989 as
the non-profit community organizing arm of the farm worker movement.
LUPE was founded on the belief that when people work together, they
can impact change.
César realized that workers had needs outside the work place. He
envisioned LUPE as the entity to help workers and their families
by applying the same principles and strategies that he used to build
the UFW.
Since its inception, LUPE has practiced the organizational theories
of its founder.
The LUPE strategy for social change rests on three pillars:
- Responding to the immediate needs of people
- Investing in the self-development of people
- Transforming people and their communities through participation
and advocacy.
- Building a Community of Conscience that bridges the economic and social gaps between low-income families and more affluent professionals.
LUPE Field Offices provide two types of assistance:
First, social services provided by LUPE serve
to respond to an immediate need. This includes LUPE's Mano
de Apoyo (Helping Hand) policy, a practice that links resources
in the community to low-income people in need so that they may
overcome immediate challenges. At any time, any individual or
family can approach their local LUPE office and find an understanding,
supportive, and trained LUPE staff member who can provide assistance.
Second, LUPE helps members find asset-building services to help them
build the foundation for a healthy future for themselves and their
families. Such services include financial literacy classes, parenting
classes, workers rights advocacy, home ownership preparation,
and so on.
With the support of local and state partners, LUPE
empowers low-income communities by organizing them on a platform
supported by health and wellness, by addressing their immediate
challenges and forecasting those which may arise in the future.
Colonia Committees are the driving force behind LUPE. Without the vision and sacrifices of the members, LUPE would struggle to catalyze social change. LUPE's organizers go house-to-house to identify natural leaders who want their voices to be heard. These
leaders coordinate a common voice from within their communities. LUPE provides each comite with the resources and
support needed to make their voices heard and effectively directed.
Over the course of weeks, sometimes months, LUPE members host house
meetings. At these meetings members prioritize issues and then
develop strategic action plans. These plans are carefully drawn
out and each plan follows a direct action- advocacy model. Most recently,
some of the issues addressed by LUPE committees include immigrant
rights, immigration reform, public school improvements,
streetlights in colonias (unincorporated rural communities), and civic participation.
LUPE committees and supporters believe that local decision-makers
should be responsive to the needs and interests of their
constituents and that they should be held accountable for their decisions on public policy. LUPE sponsors large-scale, non-partisan voter registration,
education, and Get-Out-The-Vote efforts in order to strengthen the
voice of civically active Latinos.
LUPE is a core part of the Farm Worker Movement, initiated by Cesar
Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Other parts of this Movement, in addition
to the United Farm Workers of America, include the National Farm
Workers Service Center, the Farm Worker Institute for Education
and Leadership Development, the Robert F. Kennedy Farm Workers Medical
Plan, the Juan de la Cruz Pension Plan, the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation,
and Radio Campesina, a radio network that has the potential to reach
2 million Latino listeners in eight market areas. Although these
organizations are separate legal entities, they share a common commitment
to changing the world by achieving economic and social justice,
with a common vision of the future.
With a membership over 5,000 strong, the impact of LUPE on civic affairs in South Texas is undeniable. As financial resources are developed, we look forward to continuing to expand our advocacy for social change into new regions
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