La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)

  • Community
  • Crisis
  • Disaster Response
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Equality
  • Family
  • Health
  • Income

Who We Are

Founded by labor rights activist César Chávez, LUPE builds stronger, healthier communities where Colonia residents use the power of civic engagement for social change. From fighting deportations to providing social services and English classes, to organizing for streetlights and drainage, LUPE responds to the needs of the community and takes action that creates a chance for a better life. LUPE’s strength derives from our 7,000+ members throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

César Chávez founded LUPE, a community union rooted in the belief that members of the low-income community have the responsibility and the obligation to organize themselves. Through their association, they begin to advocate and articulate for the issues and factors that impact their lives. Further, César Chávez believed that for people to have ownership of this endeavor, they have to invest of themselves, their efforts, and resources, to sustain it. The membership, and the responsibility that comes with it, form the base that is the power of the organization.

http://lupenet.org/about-us/

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What We Do

We Organize People Power Through Leadership Training and Colonia Committee Building

Our staff is comprised of a talented group of community organizers, parents, activists, and social service providers. Our staff develops and supports a network of local committees. Each staff member is committed to excellence in creating an environment where our members produce tangible results that change people’s lives. But the strength of LUPE is found within our leaders and volunteers who build the organization through neighborhood committees – house meeting after house meeting, committee after committee, campaign after campaign.

 As part of LUPE’s Mano de Apoyo (Helping Hand) program, our Social Services Program responds to the social and economic needs of low-income people in South Texas in their struggle to overcome the barriers and challenges they face in their daily lives. For many LUPE members, this serves as an entry point to the LUPE experience. In course of addressing their immediate needs, people begin building a relationship with the organization.

 Members receive the following services at low or no cost:
  • Preparation of immigration applications necessary for obtaining legal status.
  • Representation by our staff immigration attorney
  • Preparation of income tax returns coupled with advocacy on behalf of families having a tax dispute or controversy with the IRS.
  • Translation of various official documents (from English to Spanish and vice versa) for the purpose of assisting people in responding to the same.
  • Preparation of notarized statements and documents for submission to schools or other government entities in response to requests made by same.
  • Interventions with local government officials, (i.e., convincing law enforcement officials to forego escort fees [$350] for funeral processions of low-income families).
  • Assisting in the transferring of auto titles in order to secure the family’s primary means of transportation – a lifeline that connects people with employment locally and/or out of state.
  • Workers' rights advocacy — assisting workers in recovering unpaid wages from employers, and/or assisting them in obtaining employment reinstatement when unfairly terminated.
  • Referral to the Texas Civil Rights Project for a wide range of legal services focused on protecting the civil rights of low-income people.
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We engage members through leadership development.

The process of membership includes an orientation meeting to familiarize folks with LUPE’s mission and strategy along with two leadership trainings.  These trainings develop the leadership skills of Colonia residents through training in organizing, facilitating, and public speaking. LUPE members also build the tools and skills to bring long-lasting changes in their communities.

We build organization through committees.

LUPE is building neighborhood committees in throughout South Texas. Through a committee structure, we are able to identify and develop leaders and increase their capacity to respond to community problems.

LUPE committees respond to the injustices facing working families, farmworkers, and immigrant communities.

We address community issues through Strategic Action Plans.

During Colonia house meetings, LUPE committees prioritize issues and then develops strategic action plans to address them. Each plan follows that same structure of direct action advocacy so that committees can address a range of issues from securing additional stops signs across from a local school to improving a community’s water quality.

We hold decision-makers accountable.

LUPE committees and supporters believe that local decision-makers should be responsive to the needs and interests of their constituents. LUPE leads large-scale non-partisan voter registration, education, and Get-Out-The-Vote efforts so that a greater number of Latinos and LUPE leaders participate in civic life and enact social change.