Community Change

Jennifer Made started organizing at 13 and began feeding her community at 19, an effort that grew into the Newark Community Action Network.

Kea Mathis organizes alongside tenants—mostly Black, women-led households—to create and support affordable, quality housing. “It is very hard . . . as a Black woman here, to be the one to try to ask the question first or stand up first,” says Mathis.

“Each and every person should have the opportunity to have safe, secure, adequate, and affordable housing. I wasn’t able to have it, but I can help others have it.”

March being Women’s History Month—an ideal time to celebrate the brave, bold, and thoughtful women who are influencing history—Shelterforce and Community Change have decided to continue the video series: Women of Color on the Front Lines.

Cynthia Wiggins was introduced to housing organizing earlier on in life and has been ceaseless in her efforts to help her community.

Vy Le’s perseverance as an immigrant, unbeknownst to her, was preparation for a later fight to remove barriers for others facing similar challenges.

Idalia Rios began her organizing career advocating for her son, who has a speech delay. In the process, she learned that even when advocacy begins with your own family, you have to fight for the class, school, and larger community to achieve lasting change.

Once homeless, Donna Price persevered with unshakable strength, which landed her in a position she once couldn’t imagine.