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About Us

In 2016, a group of Latinas in Kalamazoo County identified the need for creating a network of Latina leaders who can help advocate for cultural inclusiveness in our region, develop more opportunities for, and raise awareness around the Latine community. We formalized our group in 2018 with a mission to empower, enrich, and elevate Latina leaders and allies to become bridge builders and influential change agents in Southwest Michigan.

Empowering Latina Leaders & Advocates for Success (ELLAS) is unique because it couples professional development workshops with community-strengthening exercises through a Latine perspective. We lean into our strengths and hone them to elevate our leadership and advocacy within our broader community.

  • Collaboration
    We stay grounded in building bridges with the broader community toward the collective goal of liberation.
  • Cultural Grounding
    We acknowledge the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together here today.
  • Evolving
    We maintain a growth mindset as we gain or uncover knowledge to support the Latine community.
  • Healing
    The process of healing is a lifetime commitment, both individually and collectively. Know that it is possible to leave with whatever it was you needed and the seeds planted here can keep growing in the days ahead.
  • Liberation
    Liberation is the practice of love, finding balance, development of competence, belief that we can succeed, knowledge that we are not alone, a commitment, passion and compassion (“Harro cycle of liberation”).

Core Values

Land Acknowledgement

Our Vision

A liberated community where all Latines claim their power and thrive.

Floral

Our Mission

To strengthen and nurture Latine leaders through cultural grounding and professional development to ignite social change and build a resilient unified community.

Latine leaders in 
Southwest Michigan

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