We recently celebrated the graduation of our Academia de Conocimientos Básicos de Inmigración 2024, a program designed to educate and empower our immigrant community by expanding their knowledge and understanding of immigration policies that impact us directly or indirectly.

On June 21st, 2024, Castaway Portland once again hosted Fiesta of Hope, an annual fundraiser integral to the mission of Adelante Mujeres. This vibrant event brought together a diverse and enthusiastic crowd united in their support for empowering Latine women and their families. The night was nothing short of magical, filled with energy, heartfelt moments, and a profound sense of solidarity.

At Adelante Mujeres, we pride ourselves on being a lantern of hope for Latine women and their families in Washington County. This year, we took our commitment to inclusivity and solidarity further by participating in the Portland Pride Parade! This action reflects our unwavering support and celebration of our LGBTQ+ Latine immigrant community members.

As the academic year ended, our Adult Education program celebrated remarkable milestones: Martha Aidé García and Erika Rodríguez, founders of the adult classroom at Barnes Elementary School in the Beaverton School District, proudly earned their GEDs.

At Adelante Mujeres, we believe everyone has a responsibility to cultivate a peaceful community and a healthy planet. As an organization that focuses on the Latine and immigrant community in Oregon, we approach this matter with humility and hope, and acknowledge we are not experts on global issues.

Hope is to be found in joining with others in the struggle for a more just and peaceful world.  At Adelante Mujeres we believe that each of us has a role to play in creating peace and cultivating a healthy planet. Muchas gracias for being part of our community in 2023!

On November 11, the Casa Qui community gathered for a special celebration to mark three years of supporting Latine businesses and welcoming a new cohort of four inspiring women. The cozy event was filled with delicious food and hot chocolate, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all attendees. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of community, support, and empowerment for Latine women from all backgrounds. Many thanks to everyone who joined us, and a special thank you to Quever Cuisine for providing the delicious pasta!.

The Washington County Civic Leaders Program was created by Adelante Mujeres in collaboration with Washington County in 2017, to address the lack of culturally-responsive leadership trainings for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. Our program invites community members who have historically been excluded from civic leadership to complete a hands-on leadership training to equip our communities with the tools they need to advocate for themselves and the future they wish to see.

We have chosen to use the term Latine for all our written and verbal communication in Spanish and English to honor the community we serve, whose roots are primarily from Latin America, and most of them speak Spanish as their first language.

As the academic year comes to a close, we take great pride in celebrating the remarkable achievements of over 30 seniors who participated in the Chicas program. The senior celebration was hosted to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class of 2023. The Chicas Program acknowledged the perseverance of each student working towards their goals even through adversities such as the pandemic. With the presence of family and friends, we presented graduating Chicas participants with a certificate of completion for their active participation in the Chicas Program. Each high school facilitator delivered heartfelt words to their graduating chicas, commemorating their achievements and growth throughout the year. As a community, we shared hugs, tears, and smiles as we celebrated them for reaching this milestone and pursuing their dreams in higher education.

The 2022-2023 school year has come to an end and what a year this has been for our preschoolers! Teachers, parents, and students have accomplished many milestones, and there's so much to celebrate! This year has seen them grow and develop so much. They have become confident and competent young learners ready to take on new and exciting things.

Fiesta of Hope 2023, our annual fundraising gala, was held on Friday, June 16 at Castaway Portland. The beautiful venue hosted us for a night of celebration with great food by Tamale Boy, delicious wine, a specialty cocktail, and fantastic music by Y La Bamba and DJ Blas. Not only did we have the opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge our accomplishments, but we also looked ahead at our upcoming program Esperanza and the immense impact it will bring to the Latine community in Oregon.

From expanding mental health support, to growing our Chicas in College Program, to hiring new staff, 2022 was a year full of growth. Click through our interactive 2022 Year In Review - available in English and Spanish - by clicking the left and right arrows on the slideshow to to see what we've been up to over the last twelve months.

The pandemic brought many challenges to our community, including access to food. According to the Oregon Food Bank, “Oregon’s food insecurity rate rose 21% between 2019 and 2020, with the height of the pandemic resulting in nearly 1.7 million neighbors seeking food assistance — double what we saw in the prior year.”

On October 20, at Livi's Taqueria, our Empresas Small Business Development team hosted their first in-person event since the pandemic ended to connect and work with Tigard's Latine community.

The Immigrant Solidarity Project began in 2017 in response to the needs and priorities the immigrant community faces in Washington County. This program is possible thanks to the collaboration between Adelante Mujeres, Community Action, Bienestar, Dreamers Resource Center, Virginia Garcia, and SOAR.

The most difficult entrepreneurial challenges are achieved with effort, creativity, and enthusiasm. Thanks to our participants' and team's resilience and strength, Casa Qui – Adelante’s retail business incubator space – is still thriving, despite the pandemic. This highlights our ability to recover from difficulties when we come together as a community.

This new school year comes loaded with great news, making us proud of who we are. After twenty years of serving the Latine community, our commitment to empowering Latine women through education, enterprise, and leadership is more alive than ever. We continue to grow as a team, expanding our programs and looking for new tools and resources to continue positively impacting the lives of our participants.

Read on the see what's new this school year inside our Education Programs at Adelante Mujeres!

Five years ago, our Health Equity team realized that Latine community members living in Washington County needed better access to health resources. This is how our Promotores de Salud initiative at Adelante Mujeres began. As our staff and volunteers came together last month to celebrate this anniversary, we’ve been reflecting on how the initiative has grown in the past five years and the impact it’s had.

See photos and videos from this year’s Fiesta of Hope!