PODER + Chinese Progressive Association

Common Roots: Cross-Cultural Solidarity and Power

Model and Strategy

PODER and the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) are base-building organizations that foster multigenerational leadership among the people most impacted by the issues facing their communities. For over 30 years, PODER has organized with Latino immigrant families to improve the health and lives of low-income families of color in San Francisco’s Mission and Excelsior districts and other neighborhoods. PODER focuses on land use and community planning, affordable housing, and fostering local living economies to nurture healthy, thriving neighborhoods. CPA, founded 51 years ago, educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to advance progress in areas including healthcare, education, and immigrant and workers’ rights.

Youth organizing is a core component of each organization’s work. Recognizing the important role that young people play in building movements – and the ideas and energy they bring to community organizing and advocacy campaigns – in 1998 PODER and CPA launched a collaborative summer leadership program: the Common Roots Youth Organizing Project. The impetus behind Common Roots was to build immigrant youth power, especially among low income Latinx and Chinese young people, through cross-racial, cross-cultural youth leadership development.

Today’s Common Roots is a yearlong program for high school students. Each year, a core group of 24-40 youth leaders, along with older youth interns, work together to develop cross-cultural solidarity, deepened understanding of social and political issues impacting their communities, and further leadership and organizing skills. Participants take part in –and play a leading role in facilitating – political education workshops, where their own experiences are drawn in to build their analysis of issues and how to engage in advocacy; environmental and economic justice workshops; small group meetings; exchanges in each other’s neighborhoods; joint artistic and cultural activities; and participatory research. They also participate in grassroots, intergenerational, direct action campaigns that impact local and regional institutions that affect youth, low-income residents, and people of color.

“Youth leadership, governance and decision-making is at the core of youth programming at PODER, CPA, and Common Roots. It reflects our values and strategic approach to building power.” –Shaw San Liu, Executive Director, Chinese Progressive Association

Impact

Common Roots aims to instill in youth an understanding and commitment to participating in the political process and broader movements for social change. The hundreds of young people who have participated in Common Roots over the years have been an integral part of each organization’s wider, intergenerational organizing and advocacy efforts. Among the successful efforts where Commons Roots participants have played a role – and in some cases, led the way – include:

Our Healing In Our Hands Campaign. Led by CPA youth organizers, and informed by their research, this campaign sought to improve access and culturally relevant mental health services in high school wellness centers in the San Francisco United School District. The San Francisco Unified Board of Education unanimously approved their resolution in 2019; the organizers won $1.5 million in implementation funds and an agreement from the District to build out a peer coaching program and for students to train teachers on culturally competent services. Young people at CPA continue to be involved in the implementation of this policy.

Hummingbird Farm. PODER youth organizers put in indispensable legwork towards the creation of Hummingbird Farm, a six-acre urban agricultural farm at Crocker Amazon Park. Young people canvassed neighborhood residents, surveying them about what they wanted to see in the space. The result? Hundreds of pounds of affordable, organic fruits and vegetables available to community members each season, and a community hub where residents of all ages and abilities participate in farming, educational activities, and cultural celebrations. PODER’s youth organizers played a similar role in establishing Sisterhood Gardens, a community garden in the OMI neighborhood.

Affordable Housing.Youth organizers participate in PODER’s ongoing organizing and advocacy efforts to build more affordable housing in Southeast San Francisco. As part of a coalition of organizations that include Battery Powered grantees MEDA and Mercy Housing, their persistence has resulted in new 100% affordable housing developments like Casa Adelante at 2060 Folsom and La Fenix at 1950 Mission.

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Leadership

  • Antonio

    Antonio Diaz

    Executive Director, PODER

  • Shaw San

    Shaw San Liu

    Executive Director, CPA

  • Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Gutierrez

    Youth Program Coordinator, PODER

  • Emily

    Emily Mock

    Lead Youth Organizer, CPA

  • Lai Wa

    Lai Wa Wu

    Policy and Alliance Director, CPA