Hispanic Heritage Month offers us a time of reflection—to recognize what Enlace Comunitario has accomplished and how we’re working to meet the ongoing needs of our clients by shaping a community of care.
When we reference “shaping a community of care,” we’re reminded of the importance of being action-oriented and people-centered. As we work within the domestic violence (DV) service sector, we often are presented with a clearer view of what constitutes community and public health—because we recognize that when our neighbors are hurting, we all are hurting. We all are part of a patchwork society. We all have power—which is often challenged by abusers who seek to elevate and enrich themselves above everyone else.
As trite as it may be to write, community care is self-care. Each of us does not exist in a vacuum. We all are connected. Amid the sociopolitical and socioeconomic volatility of our world—as we witness concurrent genocides, rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, and escalating violence against marginalized communities—we owe it to our collective humanity to support one another, not diminish. To shape a space for empowerment, not repression. To recognize who truly wields and holds power, and who simply tries to use smoke and ever-fracturing mirrors to convey superiority.
Together, we are strong. Together, we can promote health-centered futures for ourselves and our neighbors. Together, we can reclaim the power that repressive systems so often try to strip from us.
Here’s to power reclamation. Here’s to a future where humanity, dignity, respect, and love are centered in community—where power truly grows.
