Arturo Ybarra
WCLO is the only Latino multi-cultural nonprofit organization specifically serving Latinos and African-Americans in South LA, even though Latinos represent nearly 70% of residents in the area. Long known for his ability to work well with both Latino and African-American communities, Ybarra has been a tireless organizer and activist on housing, violence, education reform, and environmental issues. Arturo and WCLO facilitate Advancement Project’s “Lifting Invisible Communities” project aimed at building Latino Leadership capacity in South LA and Watts.
Presentations from Facing Race 2014
Violence Reduction Through Cross-Cultural Leadership Development
Less than a decade ago, Los Angeles residents living in Watts’ housing developments were unlikely to interact with police in a positive way and rarely ventured outside of their homes due to the lack of safety. In 2011, a unique and historic collaboration of unlikely allies—law enforcement, the housing authority, and Watts residents—formed the Community Safety Partnership in an effort to improve community relations and safety. The breakout session will discuss how an experiment to transform a violence-ridden community became a sustainable and widely successful program that uplifts community voices in a racially-tense neighborhood.
Speakers: Virginia Lee, Arturo Ybarra, Andre Christian