We create change

through Radical Love.

"It gives hope to our community": The Hispanic artist who paints the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Central Valley

Mikayla Gutiérrez, a Hispanic artist, was commissioned to paint a mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the community of Poplar. The young artist has depicted the Virgin in various locations throughout the Central Valley and even in tattoos for those who wear their faith on their skin.

Central Valley Empowerment Alliance aims to address economic and educational inequity, advocate for affordable housing and empower underserved communities in the Central Valley.

Tierra Mia Festival 2025

NAGI DAIFALLAH UNITY PARK- 14656 Road 192, Poplar CA. 93257

What We Do

Central Valley Empowerment Alliance empowers youth and rural communities to become leaders, advocates, and catalysts for change.

Our Strategies

Empowerment

We empower communities to use their voice to create change. Uplifting the youth to become leaders is also central to building equity.

People organizing and distributing donations, food items in plastic bags, at a community food bank event outdoors under string lights and colorful banners.

Health

We provide free health resources to underserved communities. Monthly food banks are used to disburse healthy groceries to people in need.

Affordable Housing

We advocate for housing in low-income communities, keeping families and entire support systems together for the betterment of generations to come.

Our Programs

LUPE'S Promise Youth Leadership

We promote youth leadership by developing their skills through community engagement and creating a safe place for the youth to be accepted as they are.

A woman standing on the porch of a building with a sign that reads 'CVEA' and addresses, posing in front of the door.

Larry Itliong Resource Center

We provide a safe space for the community to assemble as needed as well as a place for youth to study for their future, this judgement free building helps future leaders grow.

El Mercado

We provide community food banks to help feed local communities as well as health initiatives alongside street medicine. This monthly effort has helped keep communities strong and vitalized.

A collage of photos of people, including men and women, some wearing masks and hats, gathering outdoors. A large banner with the word 'Maobuu' and '1965' is visible in the background, along with a group of seated and standing individuals. The words 'Our Stories Our Histories' are prominently displayed in the center. The collage appears to celebrate historical or cultural stories involving the community.

Are you / Do you know a Filipino, Ilokano, Tagalog, or Bisaya farmworker based in the Central Valley?

Share your story with us.

through Our Stories, Our Histories Fellowship Program with Amado Khaya Initiative
Connect with us

“Our life’s journey is guided by the choices we make and directed by the choices we don’t.”

— Arturo Rodriguez Leon

A group of people holding signs to advocate for housing, with one prominent man in the center holding a sign that reads "My Housing My Family" and a house with the number 3, in a black and white photo.
Women and children under a large canopy at outdoor event, some standing and some sitting at tables with papers, wearing masks.
Group of people gathered around a wooden table outside, engaged in a discussion. There are plants and hanging flower pots on the patio.
View of a street market stall with boxes and black trash bags, under a canopy, with people wearing masks in the background and parked cars on the street.
A woman with long dark hair, wearing a blue face mask and a lanyard, is leaning over a table. She has a floral embroidered jacket and appears to be signing or filling out a form. In the background, other people are standing and working at tables, all
Group of people outdoors, wearing face masks, some with sunglasses, standing near a cart with snacks under a canopy on a sunny day.
Two women wearing face masks and gloves at an outdoor market or food distribution event with fresh vegetables in plastic bags. Several other people are visible in the background under a large canopy.
Group of seven young adults sitting around a table in a small office or conference room with computers, discussing and using their phones.
Three young men wearing face masks outdoors, near a tent with a row of boxes or packages in front of them.
Group of volunteers under an outdoor canopy distributing food and supplies, wearing masks and gloves.
Group of diverse people standing outside a supermarket called 'El Toro Loco Supermarket', some wearing masks, smiling, and posing for a photo.
Group of people wearing face masks at an outdoor market stall selling fresh vegetables under a canopy.
Three people wearing face masks and black shirts with the logo of a community organization, involved in a cleanup event outdoors, with a green bin and supplies.
People standing in line outside, with tents and tables set up, in a parking lot on a sunny day.
People at a food distribution event in a parking lot, with a woman carrying a baby, a young girl, and volunteers unloading boxes of food.
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Youth Lead Vaccine Equity in Rural Communities
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The Lacambacal family. From left, Gloria, Reynaldo, Giyahna, Reginaldo, Eddie and Eufronio. In front, Lhiann and Jenika Gwen

The Lacambacal family. From left, Gloria, Reynaldo, Giyahna, Reginaldo, Eddie and Eufronio. In front, Lhiann and Jenika Gwen

Gloria Lacambacal.

Gloria Lacambacal.

The Lacambacal family is a family of Poplar Filipinos. Giyahna fixes the hair of Jenika Gwen while she eats grapes just brought back from work.

The Lacambacal family is a family of Poplar Filipinos. Giyahna fixes the hair of Jenika Gwen while she eats grapes just brought back from work.

Reginaldo Lacambacal and his wife Gloria came from the Philippines 20 years ago, after his father petitioned for him. They’ve worked in the fields all those years. During the coronavirus crisis Reginaldo wears a mask around his neck

Reginaldo Lacambacal and his wife Gloria came from the Philippines 20 years ago, after his father petitioned for him. They’ve worked in the fields all those years. During the coronavirus crisis Reginaldo wears a mask around his neck

Baby Lhiann Lacambacal with her grandparents Reginaldo and Gloria.

Baby Lhiann Lacambacal with her grandparents Reginaldo and Gloria.

Leaving the camps brought huge changes for the Filipinos. It made them town residents and helped end their isolation. Itliong himself ran for Delano City Council two years after the strike started, calling for raising farm wages.

Leaving the camps brought huge changes for the Filipinos. It made them town residents and helped end their isolation. Itliong himself ran for Delano City Council two years after the strike started, calling for raising farm wages.

Very little privacy in a bathroom of an abandoned San Joaquin River Delta labor camp

Very little privacy in a bathroom of an abandoned San Joaquin River Delta labor camp

Larry Itliong. (Photo by Bob Fitch, courtesy of the Bob Fitch Archives, Special Collections, Stanford University.) This Picture also hang in the meeting hall of the Larry Itliong Resource Center. (A propgram of CVEA)

Larry Itliong. (Photo by Bob Fitch, courtesy of the Bob Fitch Archives, Special Collections, Stanford University.) This Picture also hang in the meeting hall of the Larry Itliong Resource Center. (A propgram of CVEA)

Victor Tabino takes bunches from the tubs, bags and packs them into boxes.

Victor Tabino takes bunches from the tubs, bags and packs them into boxes.

Teresita Mateo came from Laoag, in Ilocos Norte.

Teresita Mateo came from Laoag, in Ilocos Norte.

Robinson Cadiz, another immigrant from Laoag, picks bad grapes out of the bunch.

Robinson Cadiz, another immigrant from Laoag, picks bad grapes out of the bunch.

Adelina Asuncion arrived from Laoag in 1977.

Adelina Asuncion arrived from Laoag in 1977.

A vineyard in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Annie Domingo came from Laoag, in Ilocos Norte province of the Philippines, 43 years ago.

A vineyard in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Annie Domingo came from Laoag, in Ilocos Norte province of the Philippines, 43 years ago.

Reginaldo Lacambacal talks with Arturo Rodriguez and Mari Pérez-Ruíz, organizers from the Larry Itliong Resource Center.

Reginaldo Lacambacal talks with Arturo Rodriguez and Mari Pérez-Ruíz, organizers from the Larry Itliong Resource Center.