Breaking Down Barriers: Alianzas de Phoenixville

As important discussions surrounding racial and gender equity rise to prominence, it is essential to highlight communities, leaders, and organizations that are breaking down barriers to create an equitable society. Currently, COVID-19 has affected the nation, but the devastation of the pandemic has disproportionately affected people of color, leaving many communities extremely vulnerable in the wake of the global crisis. Nina Guzmán, who is the Executive Director of Alianzas de Phoenixville has amplified her current organization’s initiatives to directly address the effects of COVID-19 in the Latinx/Hispanic and immigrant community in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. Alianzas de Phoenixville was recently awarded a 2-year $10,000 grant as part of our Rapid Response General Operating Fund to directly address the effects of COVID-19 on their organization and community and to help in the rebuild post crisis.

For the past 10 years, Alianzas de Phoenixville has been a catalyst organization advocating for the Latinx community, facilitating connections to the greater Phoenixville community through collaborations and referrals to other community resources to promote cultural diversity. We had the opportunity to sit down with Nina Guzmán, the Executive Director and Founder of Alianzas de Phoenixville to discuss the importance of her work and the dire needs of the Latinx/ Hispanic and immigrant populations. Nina Guzmán dives into the direct effects of COVID-19 on her organization, the shift in philanthropy, and the current initiatives in place to break down barriers in the Latinx and immigrant communities.

Read the full interview here.