Who is the Latino Congress?

The Latino Congress is a nonpartisan broad-based network of grassroots organizations who come together to build collective power to ensure the fair treatment and equal opportunities of immigrants since 2002.

The Latino Congress utilizes the organizing model of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the nation's largest and longest-standing network of local faith and community-based organizations. The IAF created the modern model of faith- and broad-based organizing and is widely recognized as having the strongest track record in the nation for citizen leadership development and for helping congregations and other civic organizations act on their missions to achieve lasting change in the world.

What does the Latino Congress do?

The Latino Congress builds relationships across the lines that often divides our community.  Fosters capacity in the Latino community through leadership development, and generates spaces for the immigrants to come together and participate in common agendas of change in a collective and disciplined action at a local, state and federal level.

Want to become a Member?

The Latino Congress welcomes and seeks new grassroots member congregations, community centers and other organizations that are ready to challenge their members in an effort to build new relationships, become leaders, and assume greater power and significance in the public arena of North Carolina. If your congregation or institution is interested in joining or learning more about our work, the staff would be happy to meet with you to present the process of participation. Email [email protected] for more information.

The Latino Congress was conceived around two decades ago as part of the community organizing effort that generated the Latino Community Credit Union, a financial institution created in response to an intense wave of crime in Durham. The credit union first opened in Durham after large mobilizations in response to  violent crimes and home inasions against unbanked Latinos. The blending of community organizing and financial services proved to be a strong way to build collective power.

The unprecedented growth of the credit union in Durham (400 members a month), and the need for financial services across the state generated the vision for expansion. The Latino Congress was then envisioned as the statewide field of membership of the credit union. After its initial organizing drive the Latino Congress became an independent organization.  Today it functions as an independent non-partisan organization.      

Over the past years, the Latino Congress has demonstrated an ability to effectively organize Latinos across the state through deep relationships of trust with key leaders and institutions, as well as our longevity in this work. The Latino Congress is currently positioned as a strong grassroots statewide organized network focused on leadership development, civic engagement and direct public action. We support Latino leaders in learning about the political and economic reality of the state, and to act together in order to change it. In this model, our grassroots networks function as hubs for leaders to multiply the impact of our civic engagement strategy.

Together we have organized several public discipline actions with decision makers averaging turnout of 1000 delegates of the Latino Congress.

In 2016, Latino Congress implemented an ambitious civic engagement strategy including the registration of new Latino voters, voter education contacts in person, by mail, and by phone, and GOTV. We held trainings across nine counties. The Latino Congress sponsored a 1,200 person statewide, nonpartisan gathering with candidates for governor and attorney general. In 2017, our leaders  held public negotiations with the newly elected governor, the attorney general, the secretary of health and human services as well as with several police chiefs ad sheriffs across the state.