Dusti Gurule has been the President and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and the COLOR Action Fund since 2017. COLOR is Colorado’s leading multi-entity reproductive justice organization, with a mission to enable Latinx individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy, and self-determined lives.
Dusti was born into an activist family who instilled the importance of equity, justice, and the dignity of all people. Her upbringing, rooted in the civil rights movements of the 1970s, laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to advancing various social issues. In 2004, Dusti served as the founding Executive Director for the Latina Initiative, a nationally recognized civic engagement and political leadership organization that amplifies the voices of Latinas across Colorado. Her vision helped launch Colorado’s Latino/a Advocacy Day and Latinas Increasing Political Strength (LIPS), which continue to be important spaces for Latino/a power building. From 2010 to 2017, Dusti was an appointee of President Obama, serving as a Regional Representative for the Secretary of Labor in seven states where she led education and coalition-building efforts, demonstrating her strong leadership skills.
In addition to her work at COLOR, Dusti serves as the board chair for Voces Unidas Action Fund, a community-based advocacy organization in Colorado’s central mountain region. Complementing her professional experience, Dusti’s academic journey has significantly shaped her career. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Chicano Studies from MSU Denver and a master’s in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. Her work and impact have been recognized through various awards, including the City of Denver Mayor’s Award for Diversity & Inclusion, Latinas First Foundation Unsung Heroine, Colorado Common Cause Craig Barnes Democracy Award, the Cesar Chavez Peace & Dignity Award, and the Vanguard Legacy Award from Groundswell Action Fund. In 2024, Dusti had the distinct honor of being inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.
Monica is the youngest daughter of immigrants and was born and raised in the picturesque rural community of Southern Colorado, fostering a deep-seated connection to community and service from an early age. Her educational path led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at Colorado State University, and shortly thereafter to attend University of San Francisco for her Masters, where she honed her passion for higher education and community engagement. With a background firmly grounded in academia, Monica has recently embarked on an exciting transition to COLOR, where she is dedicated to embodying her core value of serving others. With COLOR she has found profound fulfillment in giving back to the community and making a tangible impact on the lives of those around her.
When not actively contributing to her professional endeavors, you’ll often find Monica at the gym, embracing the therapeutic power of a good workout. She firmly believes in the importance of self-care and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to sustain her energy and focus. Beyond her professional commitments, Monica holds a deep love for exploration and discovery. Whether jetting off to far-flung destinations or indulging in culinary escapades, she is always eager to broaden her horizons and immerse herself in the richness of diverse cultures.”
América Ramirez joined COLOR in Aug. 2019. América is a bi-cultural Mexicana-Americana and daughter of immigrants, born and raised in Colorado. She earned her bachelors’ degrees in integrative physiology and ethnic studies with a certificate in public health at the University of Colorado Boulder. At CU, América began working with pre-collegiate youth and advocating for social justice among historically marginalized communities. Then, she incorporated her passion for reproductive health when working for a pregnancy prevention program for teen girls, a majority identifying as Latinx. América is passionate about reproductive justice, social equity, dismantling institutionalized oppression, civic engagement among historically disenfranchised populations, and access to quality education and healthcare – and she is in her dream job at COLOR. América enjoys traveling, live music, and engaging in introspective platicas and spending quality time with family and friends.
Vanessa (she/her/ella) is a fourth-generation Mexican-American who was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her policy advocacy background is rooted in community organizing, with over 15 years of non-profit experience fighting for social justice. During this time, she has had the privilege of collaborating, learning and building power, together with immigrant and Latine communities in Nebraska and across Latin America.
Much of her career has been based in Nebraska, where she worked with Nebraska Appleseed to support community leaders statewide to engage with elected officials, drive political agendas and pass inclusive state and federal policy. Vanessa is passionate about building power through participation, collaborating with local advocates to build systems and policies that work for all of us and to take part in the decision making that affects their lives.
Vanessa also spent five years based in Mexico City as the Americas Regional Coordinator for the International Detention Coalition, making policy recommendations and supporting governments and civil society partners in various countries to reduce the use of the extremely harmful and unnecessary practice of immigration detention.
Beginning in 2019, Vanessa became more involved in the reproductive justice movement, motivated both by her personal experience navigating endometriosis and infertility, and by witnessing whole communities harmed in her home state when legislators attacked and eventually banned gender affirming and abortion healthcare, denying individuals the right to make decisions about their own bodies.
As a recent member of the Colorado community, Vanessa has found her social justice home with the COLOR team and is excited to continue to learn from and build power together with these amazing local Latine leaders and families.
Vanessa holds Master’s degrees in Latin American Studies and Community and Regional Planning from The University of Texas at Austin.
Jennifer Arreola-Soria (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Mexican-American pursuing her Associate of Arts degree in History at the Community College of Denver and will be transferring to Metropolitan State University of Denver to finish her Bachelor’s degree in Spring of 2024. She first joined COLOR as a LIPS participant in 2020. After her time as a LIPS participant, Jennifer joined the canvassing team to defend abortion access in Colorado. She then applied for the Youth of COLOR Fellowship as an Organizing Fellow in 2021 and carved her space in the organization. Her time as a youth advocate in High School and recent work with COLOR has now brought her full circle to this staff position. Jennifer’s passion for Reproductive Justice stems from the strong women in her life who taught her to always speak up for what she believes in, and that with hard work – great things can happen. Jennifer enjoys traveling, talking endlessly about history and its funny way of repeating itself, and spending time with friends, family, and her two dogs Loki and Yoda.
Nicole Guzman (she/her/ella) is a storyteller with a passion for sharing the stories of the Latinx community in Denver, Colorado. She attended The School of The New York Times, where she wrote her first story on how multimedia hypersexualization of Latina women impacted Latina youth in Denver. Since then, her interest in representing and sharing the stories of her community grew into a passion.
Nicole attended the University of Denver having received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism Studies and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. She has reported on pressing issues impacting the Latinx community including mental health, substance misuse, and immigration. She is the former Creative Leader for a non-profit in Denver working with youth to share the stories of their community in Westwood. She worked closely with youth and government agencies to provide resources and solutions to issues in their communities from creating gun violence prevention campaigns to conducting youth forums for mental health awareness. Today, she assists in creating media content and running social media campaigns for COLOR, bringing attention to the efforts and values of COLOR’s mission to advance reproductive justice for everyone.
Aside from her professional career, she is a dog mom of one to a Siberian husky named Zoey, loves to hike and visit the mountains, values time with her friends and family, and considers herself a boba enthusiast.
Isabela (she/her/ella) found COLOR in 2019 when she worked as a Community Organizing intern with particular attention to creating community development toolkits at the intersection of Religion and Reproductive Justice. Upon earning her Master of Arts in Social Justice and Ethics from Iliff School of Theology, Isabela chose to continue her journey in academia and began her doctoral studies in Religion and Latine Social Ethics at the University of Denver in 2020. Now, she is elated to be reunited with COLOR as a Liberative Faith-Aware Community Organizer while writing her dissertation on Latine Ethics and Queering Our Lady of Guadalupe in Culturally Catholic Mexican Households. In the Reproductive Justice sphere, Isabela is most energized by engaging socially liberative interpretations of faith and religious texts in order to engage harmful faith-based anti-abortion narratives both within our communities and at the legislative level. Isabela’s work has been published in Perspectivas: an online bilingual journal of the Hispanic Theological Initiative. She has organized several gender-justice-based organizations because her academia, without community praxis, is meaningless. When Isabela is not organizing or writing, she can typically be found rock-climbing, skiing, trail-running, backpacking, or eating homemade Mexican food at home with her papá and their three dogs: Alma, Dolores, and Bruno!
What it means to be working at COLOR: When I worked at COLOR as an intern, I knew I discovered a special organization because I had never encountered a space that honored the unique intersections of my identity as a Queer Latina studying Religion and Latine Social Ethics. As an advocacy platform, COLOR was crucial in my identity formation as a scholar activist in Queer womxn’s rights and Reproductive Justice. I would not be the scholar or community organizer I am today without COLOR!
Liliana Salcido Beltrán is a first-generation Mexican American with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology, as well as experience in public health research. Her undergraduate psychology research at Regis University focused on the ways Marianismo, Mujerismo, and Machismo affect cis Mexican mens’ aggression towards women. Her passion for this research was inspired by her desire to understand why so many femicides happen in the borderlands of Mexico, which is where her family is originally from. This research was showcased at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s 2023 Annual Convention. Additionally, after graduating college, Liliana’s lifelong passion for human rights and reproductive justice led her to work in the public health research industry. Her experience in studying the psychology of her own Latinx community combined with her background in public health fueled her desire for advocacy work and community organizing. Currently, Liliana works as the Communications and Outreach Coordinator, providing support for the planning, developing, and coordinating of communications projects, such as social media and advertising content, as well as community outreach events. In her spare time, Liliana loves to travel, rewatch The Office, play with her 2 dogs and cat, and watch an endless amount of true crime documentaries and podcasts.
Mariah Guerrero is an advocate with a background in both government and the nonprofit sector. Her commitment to service is deeply rooted in her and her family’s lived experiences. Throughout her career, she has witnessed the transformative power of diverse voices in decision-making processes. She is dedicated to uplifting community voices to disrupt inequitable systems, with a particular focus on progressive policies in healthcare, housing, and immigration.
Mariah previously worked in the housing space and served as a family advocate for single-parent and immigrant families where she helped them navigate healthcare, education, and access to economic opportunities. During this time, she gained a deeper understanding of the link between housing and reproductive justice. Prior to her direct service work, she served as a United States Senate legislative intern, and as a legislative aide for the Colorado House of Representatives.
She is a lifelong learner and a proud first-generation student. She holds a Master’s in International Studies and Public Policy from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Her research interests include migration and social movements in Latin America.
In her free time, she enjoys concerts, martial arts, and spending time with her family and two dogs, Rosie and Leo.
A proud Denver native and DPS alum, I embraced the journey of education as an adult, earning my bachelor’s degree with determination and passion. Coming from a big Mexican family, I’ve always cherished the vibrant connections that family and friends bring to life. I have a deep love for dancing, music, and travel, often seeking out new adventures and experiences that celebrate culture and connection.
I believe in the importance of choice and the power of personal decision-making. While we can all share our opinions, I hold firm to the idea that what matters most is making choices that align with our own values and best interests. At the end of the day, it’s all about embracing what truly resonates with you.
Danielle Young-Kombo is the Vice President of Colorado Black Women for Political Action, a progressive community leader and principal consultant at D.K. Global Consulting, LLC. She made history when she ran for the Colorado House of Representatives becoming the first woman of color to win a democratic primary election in House District 45 in 2018. She continued her work in Colorado politics by running for the U.S. Senate in 2019 and serving as the Women’s Vote Director for the Colorado Coordinated Campaign in 2020 for the Biden-Harris ticket.
Danielle’s achievements include being elected and serving as the Chair of Diversity and Affirmative Action for Douglas County Democratic Party from 2018-2020, serving as an At-Large Member of the Executive Committee for the CO-MT-WY NAACP State Conference (2018-), joining the distinguished alumni of the women-led political candidate training program, Emerge Colorado (2019), being selected to attend the distinguished Congressional Black Caucus Institute for further training in American politics (2019), and developing and implementing voter outreach strategy to help Colorado attain record breaking voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election.
Danielle currently manages political campaigns and works part time as a White House Advance Associate for the Office of the Vice President. In 2020, Danielle was selected to join the prestigious Truman National Security Project as a political partner for the Colorado Chapter. Prior to her journey into politics, Danielle worked as a physician recruiter and primary care clinic leader in the healthcare industry, and attended Colorado State University to study Healthcare Administration.
When Danielle is not working in politics, she enjoys spending quality time with her family at home, watching NBA basketball and attending track and field competitions. She and her husband of 20 years are also the proud parents of four sons.
Victoria was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She has a deep love for her community and the region. She has been an organizer both in Denver and her hometown for years, working on issues such as meal outreach for the unhoused, supporting the families of incarcerated folks, overdose prevention and harm reduction, and of course, reproductive rights and abortion access. She is the founder and organizer of ¡Bunnies Against Bans!, a do-it-yourself (DIY) initiative that raises money and awareness for the Buckle Bunnies abortion fund in Texas through events like shows and art markets.
As a graduate of CU Boulder’s Education Policy Master’s program, Victoria specializes in the areas of youth leadership, K-12 education, and discipline and policing of youth in schools. She is an abolitionist, and takes inspiration from scholars such as Mariame Kaba and Ruth Wilson Gilmore.
Victoria currently lives in Denver with her black lab, Metzi. Outside of work, she is a musician and DJ under the name “Vicky Burp”, and enjoys organizing shows that are a safe space for everyone.
Andrea Arreola-Soria (She/Her/Ella) is a proud Mexican-American and a first-generation daughter of immigrants. She recently made the journey back to the US from México to pursue her passion for science. She is a dedicated student working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry degree at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Andrea’s journey into advocacy and empowerment began when she joined the LIPS (Latinas Increasing Political Strength) program. This transformative experience left a profound impact on her life. Through LIPS, she discovered the world of Reproductive Justice, which ignited a fire within her to create positive change in her community and beyond. This program introduced her to intersectional feminism, effective communication, and the art of public speaking. It equipped her with the knowledge and skills to address the issues that affect the Latine community, many of which she had little prior knowledge of. Andrea’s involvement in LIPS fueled her passion for activism. It significantly improved her academic performance, particularly in communication and public speaking. Andrea enjoys listening to music, traveling, spending time with loved ones, including her dog Bobby Soufflé, and researching with her professors to contribute to scientific advancements.
Erika (she/her/ella) is currently a junior pursuing her BA at the University of Denver, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Socio-Legal studies. She is a first-generation college student, during her time at DU, she has focused her studies on Latinx and gender studies and aspires to actively work to uplift and empower the Latinx community through policy and judicial advocacy. This academic year, she is a Peer Mentor for a first-generation program and will be the Director of Marketing for DU’s Feminist Student Alliance. Erika is a proud Salvadoran American who was raised in Aurora, growing up she was immersed in the Latinx culture within her household and socially. At an early age, Erika witnessed hardships many in her community, like her parents, faced for being immigrants in the U.S., thus inspiring her path to work on advocacy. Her goal as the Policy Fellow is to bring awareness to our community on political issues and encourage the Latinx community to place accountability towards our legislatures. Aside from her love for attaining knowledge, she is family-oriented and enjoys spending time with her parents and siblings. Erika enjoys reading books, her all-time favorite books are The Hunger Games series and The Outsiders.
Amy Cerna Sanchez is a first-generation Mexican American student who comes from a large family of seven. She is a very involved person on both the school front and in her personal life. She was involved in over five clubs and worked at Children’s Hospital on the Youth Action Board during her high school years. It is here that her passion for social justice bloomed.
Amy is currently studying at the University of Denver, where she is a double major in psychology and business with a focus in marketing, along with a minor in leadership. She sits on the executive board for Colorado Women’s College and Association of Latino Professionals for America. She is also a Greenhouse Scholar, where she is actively involved in recruiting new scholars and community projects. Her goal is to open her own mental health clinic that aims to provide accessible resources to communities of color.
During her free time, Amy will be playing or coaching soccer. She loves spending time with both her blood and chosen families, which continues to motivate her to make the world a safer place for future generations.
Mar (they/them/elle/ella) found COLOR in 2018, as a student, which shaped their studies to center reproductive justice, social movements, and race/gendered politics more broadly. They graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in Sociology and Women & Gender Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. Mar spent those years growing their passion for research, teaching, and community organizing. As a researcher, they’ve written and published their work in academic journals such as Feminist Studies and Politics, Groups, & Identities, but have always brought it back to community. For instance, they restructured one piece into an asynchronous reproductive justice training for the Colorado Doula Project. As a [queer] teacher, they center a queer pedagogy: queer in reference to the notion of dismantling power structures—and preconceived notions of what “knowledge” is considered legitimate by those structures—within learning groups. They approach teaching/learning, in the context of workshops, classrooms, or even social movements more broadly, as an opportunity to co-create knowledge in community. They believe their work as a community organizer will help them bring community into the policy work they do now. Mar also loves to make art, and has recently brought it into their research and policy work. Mar moved to Colorado at the age of 8 from Peru, and now lives in Aurora, with their family and their beautiful cat, Hazel, also known as “purris.”
Alexis Moncada (she/they/ella) is a Chicana organizer from southern Florida who received her Bachelor of Social Work at Florida State University and is pursuing her Master of Social Work at the University of Denver. Alexis has been involved in political movements for nearly a decade, ranging from elections to women’s rights, workers’ rights, LGBT rights, immigrant rights, and liberation for all racially oppressed groups. Proudly identifying as a lesbian, Latina woman, she hopes to bridge solidarity among all working people despite differences. Wherever there is struggle among working people in this state, you can find her there, in unity with our community.
Vilma (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Argentine-American with a solid background in operations management and customer service, as well as writing and editing. During her former career in the travel industry, Vilma trained and coached her staff and learned the importance of team comradery in accomplishing goals and ensuring financial success. Although she enjoyed her travel industry career, she decided to move to the nonprofit sector and create a new career that reflected her life experiences and passion for social justice.
Vilma grew up in California and watched her working-poor parents struggle financially as immigrants who could not speak English. As a teenager, she lost her mother to a stroke. Then, when she was a young adult, her father soon followed, dying from a heart attack. Both tragedies and her childhood experiences solidified her passion for the intersectionality work of economic, immigrant, and health justice. Vowing not to end up like her parents, Vilma is the first in her family to earn college degrees and an English Writing summa cum laude graduate from the University of Colorado, Denver, where she studied BIPOC literature. She joined the COLOR team to help better the lives of Latinx people and join the reproductive justice fight. She is thrilled to contribute detailed and organizational work behind the scenes to ensure the nonprofit’s success.
In her spare time, she loves to blog, garden, read, and explore the Rockies.
My name is Saul Alfaro, my pronouns are he/him/his and I am the new organizing fellow for COLOR. I am from Los Angeles California who is also a first generation Guatemalan American. I moved to Colorado about 20 years ago. I have always been big into working out and still do almost daily. I played tackle football for six years from middle school through high school. I have always wanted to do things that many others fear doing such as playing tackle football and advocating for things such as abortion access and reproductive rights. Over the past three years I have found love for non-partisan politics and have gained a lot of experience working in jobs similar to the one I have just been hired for. I have a great passion for supporting abortion and abortion access because it is an infinitely complex and layered issue that needs allies to support such as myself. For as long as I can remember I have always given 110% to everything I do and do not plan on ever stopping.
Sayuri is a proud Latina born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and moved to Denver, CO. when she was 8 years old. She is a first- generation student at Regis University currently studying Business Management with a specialization in Marketing and a Minor in French. She is also bilingual in Spanish and English. Sayuri graduated from the LIPS program in May 2021 and has since continued with COLOR as a Youth of Color Communications Fellow. Sayuri is passionate about reproductive justice, immigrant rights, language access, education, and gender equality. Sayuri loves getting involved in her community and wishes to be able one day give back. She wishes to work in a community where she can encourage other Latinx youth to grow and be successful. Sayuri enjoys the outdoors, concerts, exploring the city and spending time with friends and family.
Victoria (she/her) joined COLOR in November 2021. She is from San Antonio, Texas, and identifies as Latinx/Tejanx Her dad’s family is from Chile; her mother’s family is Mexican and Mescalero Apache with a rich Tejano music history. Her mother is a Tejana singer, her grandpa had a mariachi band, and her great uncle is considered the father of Tejano music. Following the tradition of music in her family, Victoria spent years playing violin in orchestra, and plays piano, guitar, and other instruments. She has a band, solo project, is involved in the music scenes of Denver/San Antonio, and is a part of the Text Me When You’re Home collective in Denver. Victoria has a very sweet 3 year old black lab named Metzi.
Victoria finished her BA in Ethnic Studies this past summer, and is currently finishing her last year for an MA in Education Foundations, Policy, and Practice, as part of a 5 year concurrent degree program. Her areas of passion are ethnic studies, abolition and the relationship between disciplinary policies and the school-to-prison pipeline, and youth engagement in social justice.
She is also interested in decolonial studies, abortion access (including doulas, self-managed abortions, fundraising), harm reduction, and sex worker rights. Victoria started and helps run a book club where their mutual aid is centered around the houseless community and incarcerated siblings in Yanaguana Somi-Se’k (San Antonio/Bexar County).
Preferred gender pronouns: She, Her, Hers| From Greeley, Colorado | B.S. in Accounting (University of Denver) and Master in Public Administration, Concentration in Nonprofit Organization (University of Colorado – Denver) | COLORistx since Oct. 2013
Favorite thing about life in Colorado: being close to family, good friends and the mountains
Favorite local restaurant: still finding my favorite
Dream job: travel the world and be a wine connoisseur (critique regional wines)
Job Kathy wouldn’t do in a million years: prison guard
Best thing about working at COLOR: the AMAZING women I work with and all the food!
Greatest extravagance: my large Jacuzzi bathtub and my closet
Talent Kathy would like to have: speak Spanish fluently
Gina is an immigrant from Morelos, Mexico. She got involved in the social justice movement since 2007 after she witnessed firsthand the abuses towards the immigrant community. She has worked with several immigrant rights organizations and believes that fighting for justice is her passion. COLOR gives her the perfect opportunity to continue working for justice and helping women and children in the community. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Instituto Tecnologico de Zacatepec in Mexico. She moved to Colorado 17 years ago, and now lives in Denver with her beautiful daughter, Gianella.
Elva joined COLOR as the Donor and Events Coordinator in March of 2020 during her last semester at CU Boulder. With an extensive background in community organizing and abortion destigmatization, Elva was very motived to fight for Reproductive Justice in the Latinx community upon graduating. Elva is a first-generation Mexican-American and the proud first woman in her family to receive a Bachelor’s degree. Receiving a BA in International Affairs with a focus in Latin America and a Minor in Spanish in May of 2020, Elva came on full time to transform the way COLOR looks at development and donor relations. When she’s not in the streets advocating for systemic change or in COLOR’s office telling you about the amazing work of our organization, you can find Elva tending to her 40 house plants, reading a good book, cooking tamales, or cuddling her 2 pups.
Katherine joined COLOR in August 2020, and has policy and legislative support, research and analysis, and advocacy as primary functions. Katherine is a queer Mexican/Salvadoran-American (Chicana pride!), born and raised in Texas. She has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where her passion for social justice, particularly around migration, gender, and health began. Following graduation, Katherine moved to Istanbul, Turkey and spent two years teaching and traveling to learn more about refugees in the country and the humanitarian crises causing such migration. Upon her return to the States, Katherine began working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Los Angeles in refugee resettlement and job readiness for asylum-seekers. These experiences motivated Katherine to pursue a dual-Master’s in Social Work and International Development with a certificate in Global Health at the University of Denver. During her graduate career, Katherine served with the City of Denver’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, as a high-school social worker for pregnant and parenting teens, and as a humanitarian research associate specializing in migration, gender-based violence, and mental health. Katherine’s lived experiences with abortion, visual disability, and as a woman of color have emboldened her to work at the intersection of policy, community organizing, and social justice. She loves dancing, cooking, camping and playing with her cat, Nova.
Yadira Solis joined COLOR in Aug. 2019. Yadira Solis is a first-generation Mexican American and first-generation student graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology, minor in political science and a Spanish/English translation certificate, and a master’s in social work at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Key components of social work guide her groundwork of equality, social justice, and diversity as an advocate that our differences bring us closer together. Yadira has worked with First Generation Initiatives with first-gen students and under the Center for Equity and Student Achievement, and the College Assistant Migrant Program. As part of her community outreach she has been a board member for Adelante Mujer Incorporated which supports young Latinas to achieve a university education. Additionally, she has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Colorado children in the foster care system. Lastly, she provides translation services for Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. In order to connect to her roots, she dances Mexican Folkloric Dancing, enjoys spending time with family and traveling. One of her life mottos is that in order to become successful I have to grind harder than a molcajete.
Elizabeth Marie Taveras is Cuban-Dominican and a Miami, FL native. She earned her degree at the Florida International University with a focus in digital media communications and political science. Her work in Miami includes working with various grassroots organizations like Dream Defenders, Florida Immigrant Coalition, and the Miami Workers Center. She was also a Kairos fellow which focused on the intersection of tech and racial justice. Elizabeth became a community organizer through Occupy Miami and has since been involved in taking action on several issues, varying from climate justice, prison divestment, justice for Palestine, immigrant justice, and feminism – always in the struggle towards the liberation of Black and brown communities. Upon her arrival to Colorado, she began her work with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105 and worked alongside Denver janitors, healthcare workers, and airport workers. She believes in the power to change narratives through strategic and meaningful communications.
Aurea Bolaños Perea is a Tijuana-native from San Diego, CA. She earned her Master’s in Political Science with an emphasis on legislative behavior and Latinas in politics from CSU Chico in 2019. Aurea’s involvement in political movements and political consulting began during her time in UC Merced as a Campus Organizing Director where she was in charge of implementing and strategizing the response student activists would take throughout the UC system. From then on, she has trained community members, non-profit organizers, elected leaders, and soon-to-be-elected leaders throughout the state of California and the nation about political organizing, political strategy, effective communication skills, and more.
As someone who cares about the political empowerment of every woman, Aurea believes that all of our hermanas deserve to be involved in every sphere of government which is why she seeks opportunities where Latinas are the driving force in enacting policy change.
As COLOR’s Director of Grants and Evaluation, Vic (they/them) leverages 20 years of grassroots and community-centric fundraising expertise to foster trust with and secure multi-year investments from state and national funding partners for a combined annual $2.1M budget of a multi-entity enterprise. As well, they help assess and communicate the impact of 6+ distinctive youth-to-elder statewide programs training and educating participants on sexual and reproductive health as well as leadership. Vic publicly advocates for health equity as a recognized opinion leader and published author in the reproductive justice field.
Their grassroots leadership includes professional, volunteer, and board roles with efforts focusing on worker’s rights, immigrant rights, human rights, education, and health. Vic has a bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of Colorado Denver and a master’s in nonprofit management from Regis University, is a Transformative Leadership for Change 2019 fellow, a 2014 Regis University Affiliate Faculty, and a 2014 Mayoral Appointee for the Denver Women’s Commission.
As a political creative, gender migrant, crip migrant, and cuir feminista uplifting the struggles of the latine diaspora, Vic is an active storyteller, spoken word performer, and visual artist committed to stigma busting.
Christina was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan and received her degree from the University of Michigan, majoring in Sociology and Women and Gender Studies. Christina has nearly eight years of organizing and running electoral work experience. She got her start as an organizer with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, where she worked with communities in the metro-Detroit and Flint areas to advocate for policies that impacted access to abortion and health care. She worked in coalitions to center the stories of patient advocates through electoral and storytelling programs. During her time with PPAM, Christina also worked with partners around water justice for Flint residents – implementing water filter donation programs, and distributing accurate information to immigrants around clean water at the height of the Flint Water Crisis. Christina moved to Colorado in 2019 and began working with America Votes as their Colorado Program Director, where she had the opportunity to work with many progressive organizations. She supported partners as they built out their electoral strategies, coordinated direct voter contact programs, and facilitated coalition meetings around a shared strategy, relevant trainings, and ballot measure support. Prior to joining the COLOR team, Christina served as Board Chair for COLOR Action Fund. Christina has a passion for reproductive justice and social justice – she knows that the community must be at the center of everything we do, and wants elected officials to know that as well.
Mykaela is a proud Burqueña, born and raised in New Mexico. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in transborder studies at the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University. It was there she began reporting on the complexities of transborder economics and immigration policy, particularly between the U.S. and Mexico, and sharing the stories of folks who are deeply affected by them. These stories inspired Mykaela to pursue a career in womxn’s rights, after seeing the disproportionate ways in which Latinx womxn experience injustice. COLOR has provided her a space to reimagine liberation for our communities alongside the fiercest team, and it’s truly an honor. Mykaela is a sweet tea connoisseur who loves alliteration, the free press, and every dog to ever exist.
