$25,000 / Spring 2017
Emma Sandoval, Co-Director
Albuquerque, NM
http://www.swop.net
Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) is a multi-issue, intergenerational organization founded in 1980 with an explicitly anti-racist and values-based social justice reform agenda for New Mexico. Over the last few years, SWOP youth haveĀ succeeded in bringing visibility and change to systemic education and food justice issues for primarily Latinx communities in Albuquerque. SWOP youth seek to confront systemic racial inequity in schools by improving school climate, making school food more affordable and nutritious, and reducing suspensions and expulsions of students of color. Over the last grant period, SWOP defeated curfew bills at the city and state levels and was able to expand the cultural and ethnic studies curriculum across the school district. This year, with a one-year renewal grant from Hazen, SWOP youth will use its recently approved school Bill Of Rights to develop and implement school policies to improve wellness in schools, reduce harsh discipline practices, and scale back school privatization.