The Community Union model of organizing in Rio Grande Valley colonias

Abstract

In theorizing community organizing, Saul Alinsky’s model still forms the dominant narrative in the United States. Yet, countless communities do not map neatly onto this model. In particular, there is growing recognition of César Chávez’s organizing in South Texas and, additionally, how this work differs from Chávez’s more well-known organizing in California. In the 1960s, Chávez created the Community Union model, which forms the basis of contemporary organizing in much of the region’s colonias, extralegal communities within 150 miles of the United States/Mexico border that suffer from a dearth of basic services and infrastructures. By providing these basic services and political support, the Community Union model has become the dominant mode of organizing and engagement in South Texas colonias. Through an insurgent historiography provided by colonia organizers in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, a counternarrative of colonia organizing shows the past, present, and potential future of the Community Union model in South Texas colonias. This counter narrative was composed through archival research on the United Farmworkers and open-ended interviews with colonia organizers conducted between 2014 and 2017. Ultimately, this analysis of the Community Union model suggests that Latinx organizing may be marginalized in organizing literature due to their “everyday” characteristics: slow movements, non-direct actions, and (re)questioning of priorities. From this, the role of organizing theories from organizers on-the-ground becomes central: we cannot assume organizers everywhere operate under universally applied theories. As such, it is important to see organizers as dynamic and context-specific in their motivations and guiding theories.

Procedural Vulnerability and Its Effects on Equitable Post-Disaster Recovery in Low-Income Communities

“…Between 2014 and 2017, the lead author undertook a study compiling an oral history of organizing for improved community conditions in the colonias (Rivera, 2017(Rivera, , 2020b. Colonias are low-income communities along the U.S./Mexico border, often isolated in unincorporated rural areas, that suffer from a lack of basic services and political representation (Davies & Holz, 1992;Ward, 1999; Table 1).…”

“…Even today, colonias experience massive census undercounting and voter suppression, with polling centers located 10 to 15 miles from many colonias (LUPE 2, 2015, interview). Colonia residents struggle for adequate political representation and planning, often engaging in planning advocacy themselves by organizing for basic services (Dolhinow, 2005;Donelson, 2004;Nev arez Mart ınez et al, 2021;Rivera, 2020b).…”

“…LUPE is one of the largest colonia-based and -funded organizations in the nation, with an estimated constituency of 8,000 to 10,000 residents across the Valley (LUPE 3, interview, 2015). Founded in 1989 by C esar Ch avez and Dolores Huerta, LUPE is attuned to the needs of colonia residents through their community union model, which places them in near-daily contact with residents (Rivera, 2020b). Identifying the high IHP rejection rate, LUPE sought legal assistance from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA).…”

Design in Planning: Reintegration through Shifting Values

“…In an earlier project on South Texas community organizing, conducted between 2013 and 2017, a theme emerged from six interviews and four years of participant observations of bcWORKSHOP community engagement events: Namely, that a shift in approach to design was needed to meet the needs of low-income communities of color. This was followed up with four additional interviews that asked about bcWORKSHOP's approaches to design and planning, as well as clarifying two of their projects; one which is recounted here, and another which is recounted elsewhere (Rivera, 2020). Interviews and observations underwent a two-phase analysis in Atlas.TI (one in 2017 and one in 2020) that used an analytic framework derived from a relational power perspective emphasizing objectives, obstacles, tactics, attitudes, emotions, and unspoken subtexts surrounding bcWORKSHOP's design work.…”

“…As bcWORKSHOP's Brownsville office further established its presence in the Valley, it began collaborations with the Valley's many colonia-based groups, namely LUPE and ARISE, two of the largest grassroots organizations in the region. In 2015, this partnership was bolstered by a threeyear Ford Foundation grant that led to several projects focused on urban infrastructure (Rivera, 2020). From this, bcWORKSHOP learned of a persistent issue in the colonias, which was also evidenced in their tareas: The Valley's colonias suffer from inadequate drainage and are highly susceptible to flooding.…”