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    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

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  • Community
    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

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  • Featured
    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

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    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Porfirismo and Mexican monumental architecture

    Porfirismo and Mexican monumental architecture

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    Brilla! Excels as it Illuminates and Entertains

    Basilica of the National Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Charity of Cobre

    Basilica of the National Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Charity of Cobre

    Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Vatican City

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    Members of Ballet Folklórico of Wayne State University rehearse calabaceados, a high-energy dance style originating from Baja California, at the Student Center in Detroit, Michigan, on April 16, 2025. The group is preparing for their “¡Viva el Norte!” presentation, which will feature traditional dances from northern Mexico

    Viva El Norte! WSU Ballet Folklorico Celebrates Northern Mexico

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EL CENTRAL Hispanic News
  • Home
  • About
    • Introducing the partnership with the Race and Justice reporting Initiative
    • Resources
  • Español
    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Juana Saavedra, business development manager at Alliance Catholic Credit Union, at left, met with former ACCU employee Brenda Villarruel to share their journeys as businesswomen and discuss their future goals

    Businesswomen and Entrepreneurs Share More than Contacts at Networking Event

    Porfirismo and Mexican monumental architecture

    Porfirismo and Mexican monumental architecture

    Community Mourns the Loss of Beloved Couple Making a Difference in Detroit

    Community Mourns the Loss of Beloved Couple Making a Difference in Detroit

    Caesar Chavez Academy’s Robotics Team Represents Southwest Detroit at World Robotics Championship

    Caesar Chavez Academy’s Robotics Team Represents Southwest Detroit at World Robotics Championship

    Basilica of the National Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Charity of Cobre

    Basilica of the National Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Charity of Cobre

    Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Vatican City

    Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Vatican City

    James Craig, un ex jefe de policía de Detroit, anuncia su campaña para alcalde a los reporteros de Executive Cuts & More. Foto: Annalise Frank/Axios

    Un punto clave: Entrevista con James Craig

    Preparing for the Cinco de Mayo Parade in 2025

  • Community
    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Juana Saavedra, business development manager at Alliance Catholic Credit Union, at left, met with former ACCU employee Brenda Villarruel to share their journeys as businesswomen and discuss their future goals

    Businesswomen and Entrepreneurs Share More than Contacts at Networking Event

    Server Angelina Celestee delivers tacos and handmade sopes to diners at La Jali in Taylor, MI., on Monday, May 5, 2025

    La Jali Arrives: Bringing Mexicantown Heritage to Taylor

    At the end of the performance, the actors proudly display their certificates for completing the third season of La Carpa Theater

    Brilla! Excels as it Illuminates and Entertains

    Community Mourns the Loss of Beloved Couple Making a Difference in Detroit

    Community Mourns the Loss of Beloved Couple Making a Difference in Detroit

    Detroit Cristo Rey Celebrates Continued 100% College Acceptance

    Detroit Cristo Rey Celebrates Continued 100% College Acceptance

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    “Strangers No Longer” Gathers Amid Increasing Threats to Immigrants and Refugees

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    Aging in Fear: How I.C.E. Raids Impact the Mental Health of Latino Seniors

    Detroit Welcomes New HQ for Innovative Tech Startup “ChurchSpace”

    Detroit Welcomes New HQ for Innovative Tech Startup “ChurchSpace”

  • Featured
    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Caesar Chavez Academy’s Robotics Team Represents Southwest Detroit at World Robotics Championship

    Caesar Chavez Academy’s Robotics Team Represents Southwest Detroit at World Robotics Championship

    El Arzobispo Edward J. Weisenburger dirige las oraciones durante una Misa en memoria del papa Francisco el 21 de abril en la Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament en Detroit. El papa Francisco, quien ha liderado la Iglesia católica desde 2013, murió la madrugada del lunes, el día después del Domingo de Pascua. (Foto de Valaurian Waller | Detroit Catholic)

    Archbishop Weisenburger leads Detroit faithful in mourning Pope Francis’ death

    Photo of Cesar Chavez Academy’s High School Robotics team, the AzTech Eagles, after their successful performance at the FIRST State Robotics Competition. Photo taken by the AzTech Eagles robotics team.

    Southwest Detroit Robotics Teams Earn Recognition at District, State and World Competitions

    Attendees of Youth In Action for Immigration’s conference gather together for a group photo. Photo by Ixel Garcia and Evelyn Garcia

    Immigration Conference Inspires Catholic High School Students to Take Action

    Co-writer and lead actor Alex Ruiz anticipates production of the film Love & Detroit during a recent Investor's Pitch. El co-guionista y actor principal Alex Ruiz anticipa la producción de la pelicula Love & Detroit durante un reciente Investor's Pitch

    Filmmakers Return Home to Challenge Hollywood’s Lens

    La Basilica of Ste. Anne, un emblemático templo de 139 añosserá completamente restaurada gracias a una alianza transformadora con The Catholic Initiative. The 139-year-old Basilica of Ste. Anne will undergo a $30 million “complete rehabilitation” thanks to a “transforma- tive partnership” with The Catholic Initiative. (Foto de / Photo by James Silvestri | Special to Detroit Catholic)

    ‘Innovative partnership’ will secure future of Ste. Anne, preserve basilica for generations

    Archbishop-designate Edward J. Weinsenburger stands before St. Augustine Cathedral in Tucson, Arizona.

    Detroit’s new archbishop a caring leader who listens, coworkers and friends say

    Daniel Mata, 18, left, waves a Mexican flag Tuesday, March 4 during a protest at Clark Park. Mata is a junior at Covenant High School Southwest. Photo by Dustin Blitchok/Planet Detroit

    Hundreds Gather in Mass Protest Against Heightened ICE Presence in Detroit

  • Opinion
  • Culture & Arts
    • All
    • World Cultures
    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Southwest Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Parade Prevails Over “Rain and Rumors” to the Enjoyment of Thousands

    Porfirismo and Mexican monumental architecture

    Porfirismo and Mexican monumental architecture

    At the end of the performance, the actors proudly display their certificates for completing the third season of La Carpa Theater

    Brilla! Excels as it Illuminates and Entertains

    Basilica of the National Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Charity of Cobre

    Basilica of the National Sanctuary Of Our Lady Of Charity of Cobre

    Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Vatican City

    Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Vatican City

    Members of Ballet Folklórico of Wayne State University rehearse calabaceados, a high-energy dance style originating from Baja California, at the Student Center in Detroit, Michigan, on April 16, 2025. The group is preparing for their “¡Viva el Norte!” presentation, which will feature traditional dances from northern Mexico

    Viva El Norte! WSU Ballet Folklorico Celebrates Northern Mexico

    ina Tse during the Commemorative Quilt Project at Neighborhood Art School in Detroit, Michigan, on April 19, 2025. Held ahead of Detroit Fashion Revolution Week, the event honors garment workers lost in the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh

    Detroit’s Fashion Revolution Week Embraces Circularity, Community, and Cultural Roots

    Yaidimar Narvaez left, and Kathleen Dickinson

    Accomplished Young Southwest Detroit Artist Featured in Multiple Exhibitions

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EL CENTRAL Hispanic News
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Detroit’s Latinx communities tend to have low voter turnout. This organizer is trying to change that

These voters have gone underappreciated for too long, Cindy Gamboa says

EL CENTRAL by EL CENTRAL
October 31, 2024
in Community, Español, People
Reading Time: 11 mins read
Home Community
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  • Ethan Bakuli, Outlier Media
  • Alejandro Ugalde Sandoval for Outlier Media
  • October 31, 2024
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Cindy Gamboa is no stranger to door-knocking. 

Cindy Gamboa, executive director of MI Poder, poses for a portrait during canvassing on Oct. 12. “If we don’t mobilize, decisions will continue to be made without us,” Gamboa says. Photo credit: Alejandro Ugalde Sandoval for Outlier Media

 

She began serving as the organizing director of Detroit Hispanic Development Corp. (DHDC) in Southwest Detroit when she was 31. She led the organization’s advocacy for immigration justice, education and civil rights for seven years. 

Now, the community organizer and mother of three canvasses the streets of Southwest Detroit as the executive director of MI Poder, a nonpartisan nonprofit launched in 2022 to build grassroots political power across Michigan’s Latinx communities. MI Poder is the brainchild of Gamboa and Angela Reyes, founder of DHDC. Together, they say they have raised more than $2 million from statewide nonprofits, unions, progressive organizations and private donations for the new organization. 

The Latinx population in Michigan has grown faster than the national average over the past decade, but at roughly 600,000 residents, only accounted for 6% of the state’s population last year. In 2022, more than 300,000 Latinx Michiganders became eligible to vote, a number that could change the outcome of next month’s presidential election. 

Gamboa and her team are attempting to mobilize this voting bloc. She says their interests are not prioritized by state and national politics. 

“It’s easy for people to discount the needs of our community,” Gamboa said as she left a flyer at somebody’s doorstep. “Even in an election season, we’re always othered.” 

Through targeted campaign ads and outreach across the country, both presidential candidates have worked to engage Latinx voters — including participating in town hall events in front of Spanish-speaking audiences. 

But those same voters aren’t being courted by campaigns locally, Gamboa says. The houses she walks by in Southwest Detroit along Michigan Avenue, west of Livernois Avenue — where the Dominican, Guatemalan and Venezuelan diaspora are settling — lack any election mail or flyers. It’s an area with low voter turnout, something she and her team are addressing through exhaustive door knocking campaigns. 

“People are disillusioned with a lack of action,” she said. “If they come out (to vote) and nothing happens, then it’s hard to keep up the momentum and keep telling people the same thing.” 

Gamboa is facing a monumental task. A quarter of voting-eligible Latinx Detroiters said they were unlikely to vote in the Nov. 5 elections, compared to only 8% of white Detroiters and 11% of Black Detroiters, according to an April survey conducted by the University of Michigan and Outlier Media. 

That’s part of a larger trend: Hispanic voter turnout across the United States is historically lower than other racial groups. 

Gamboa has taken it upon herself to encourage Latinxs in Detroit to take time to understand the issues that matter most to residents in a time of heightened political apathy. 

“It’s easier to connect with people who look like us and sound like us. It lessens the lift because we know how to better relate with our community,” she said. Earlier that day, she spoke with an undecided voter — a young Guatemalan American mother leaning toward former President Donald Trump. 

Despite Michigan being a key swing state in this year’s presidential election, Gamboa and some state political analysts argue Latinx voters haven’t received the same attention given to states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada. 

“Other campaigns are targeting the people they know are going to come out to vote because it’s cheaper,” she said. “For us, it’s about connecting with our entire community, including the least likely voters.” 

Choosing a career in organizing 

Cindy Gamboa converses with a Latina Detroit resident on Oct. 12. Photo credit: Alejandro Ugalde Sandoval for Outlier Media

Gamboa grew up in Los Angeles in a Mexican American family. Her family moved to Southwest Detroit around the time she turned 14. Far from the palm trees and year-round sun, she nonetheless found her place. 

“There was a lot of first-generation immigrant communities here, so I felt like I could relate to their stories and what folks were going through,” she said. “It felt like home, and there was a familiarity to it.” 

Things were going well for Gamboa: Once she graduated from high school, she started a family with her husband. She deferred her plans to go to college while her children were young. Then she went to school to get her bachelor’s degree. 

At first, she wanted to become a psychologist, in response to the scale of deportations during the Obama presidency. Her husband is undocumented. 

“My kids were terrified of losing their dad,” Gamboa said. “I tried to look into getting them the help they needed, but there were no bilingual, culturally competent therapists that we could see, much less that we could afford.” 

But by the time Gamboa graduated in 2016, she changed her mind. The anti-immigrant rhetoric intensified under President Trump, and his family separation policies were taking a toll. She was terrified of the repercussions on her family and her community. 

Gamboa ultimately felt the most significant impact she could make was through organizing. In 2017, she joined a growing movement protesting the Trump administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 

‘We need to invest in our future leaders’ 

Reyes, DHDC’s founder, is board chair of MI Poder. Reyes believed Gamboa could be the right leader for the organization. She knew Gamboa was a “natural leader” before hiring her to direct DHDC’s community organizing department in 2017. 

“Some people are visionaries but don’t have the skills to make that vision a reality, and other people are good at moving things forward but don’t have that big picture. Cindy has both,” Reyes said. 

Jose Luis Orozco Jr., a board member for MI Poder and executive director of Voces, a Battle Creek-based organization serving the West Michigan Latinx community, first met Gamboa as a member of Protecting Immigrant Families, a coalition created in 2018 to fight against the Trump-era revision of the public charge rule. 

Orozco said he and Gamboa immediately “clicked over just advocating for the community.” 

With Gamboa’s leadership, Orozco sees a pathway toward building a new generation of future leaders at local and legislative levels. 

MI Poder is tapping into a statewide network of eight community organizations to activate Latinxs to run for public office and address some of the state’s biggest challenges. 

“We need to invest in our future leaders,” Orozco said. “We’re trying to push folks to run for school boards, get on the community oversight board.”

“We need leaders that we don’t have to convince about language access, about equal access to health care, about environmental justice,” Gamboa said. “People feel like politics isn’t for them. We need to shift that mindset.”

Una líder comunitaria está tratando de cambiar la baja participación electoral de los latinos en Detroit.

Estos votantes han sido subestimados por demasiado tiempo, dice Cindy Gamboa

Para Cindy no son nuevas las visitas casa por casa.

Cindy Gamboa, directora ejecutiva de MI Poder, posa para una foto durante una campaña el 12 de octubre. “Si no nos movilizamos, las decisiones se seguirán tomando sin nosotros”, compartió Cindy. Crédito de la foto: Alejandro Ugalde Sandoval para Outlier Media

Comenzó a trabajar como directora organizacional de Detroit Hispanic Development Corp. (DHDC) en el suroeste de Detroit cuando tenía 31 años. Lideró la defensa de la justicia migratoria, la educación y los derechos civiles de la organización durante siete años.

Ahora, la organizadora comunitaria y madre de tres hijos recorre las calles del suroeste de Detroit como directora ejecutiva de MI Poder, una ONG no partidista lanzada en 2022 para construir poder político de base, en las comunidades latinas de Michigan. MI Poder fue creada por ella y la fundadora de DHDC Angela Reyes, recaudando más de 2 millones de dólares, de ONG estatales, sindicatos, organizaciones progresistas y donaciones privadas.

La población latina en Michigan, ha crecido más rápido que el promedio nacional durante la última década, pero con aproximadamente 600.000 residentes, solo representó el 6% de la población del estado el año pasado. En 2022, más de 300.000 latinos de Michigan se volvieron elegibles para votar, una cifra que podría cambiar el resultado de las elecciones presidenciales del próximo mes.

Cindy y su equipo están intentando movilizar a este grupo de votantes. Ella dice que sus intereses no son priorizados por la política estatal y nacional.

“Es fácil para la gente ignorar las necesidades de nuestra comunidad”, comentó mientras dejaba un volante en la puerta de una casa y agregó: “Incluso en época de elecciones, siempre nos marginan”.

A través de anuncios de campaña específicos y actividades de divulgación en todo el país, ambos candidatos presidenciales han trabajado para involucrar a los electores latinos, incluida la participación en eventos de cabildos abiertos frente a audiencias de habla hispana.

Pero esos mismos votantes no están siendo incluidos en las campañas a nivel local, comenta Cindy. Las casas por las que ha andado en el suroeste de Detroit, a lo largo de la avenida Michigan, al oeste de la avenida Livernois, donde se están asentando las diásporas dominicanas, guatemaltecas y venezolanas, carecen de correos o volantes electorales. Es un área con baja participación electoral, algo que ella y su equipo están abordando a través de exhaustivas campañas puerta a puerta.

“La gente está desilusionada con la falta de acción…Si salen (a votar) y no pasa nada, entonces es difícil mantener el impulso y seguir diciéndole a la gente lo mismo”.

Cindy se enfrenta a una enorme tarea. Según una encuesta realizada en abril por la Universidad de Michigan y Outlier Media, el 25% de los latinos de Detroit que reúnen los requisitos para votar dijeron que era poco probable que votaran en las elecciones del 5 de noviembre, en comparación con solo el 8% de los blancos y el 11% de los negros.

Eso es parte de una tendencia más amplia: la participación electoral hispana en los Estados Unidos es históricamente menor que la de otros grupos raciales.

Cindy se ha encargado de alentar a los latinos de Detroit a que se tomen el tiempo para comprender los problemas que más les importan a los residentes en una época de mayor apatía política.

“Es más fácil conectarse con personas que se parecen a nosotros y hablan nuestro idioma; aligera el esfuerzo, pues sabemos cómo relacionarnos con nuestra comunidad”, dijo. Ese mismo día, habló con una votante indecisa: una joven madre guatemalteca estadounidense que se inclina por el expresidente Donald Trump.

A pesar de que Michigan es un estado clave en las elecciones presidenciales de este año, Cindy y algunos analistas políticos estatales sostienen que los votantes latinos no han recibido la misma atención como en estados como Pensilvania, Arizona y Nevada.

“Otras campañas se dirigen a las personas que saben que van a salir a votar porque es más barato”, dijo. “Para nosotros, se trata de conectar con toda nuestra comunidad, incluidos los votantes menos probables”.

Eligió una carrera en la organización.

Cindy Gamboa conversa con una residente latina de Detroit el 12 de octubre. Crédito de la foto: Alejandro Ugalde Sandoval para Outlier Media

Cindy Gamboa creció en Los Ángeles en una familia mexicano-estadounidense. Su familia se mudó al suroeste de Detroit cuando ella cumplió 14 años. Y encontró su lugar aquí, lejos de las palmeras y el sol.

“Había muchas comunidades de inmigrantes de primera generación aquí, así que sentí que podía identificarme con sus historias y con lo que la gente estaba atravesando”, dijo. “Me sentí muy a gusto, como en casa”.

Las cosas iban bien para Cindy: una vez que se graduó de la escuela secundaria, formó su familia y aplazó sus planes de ir a la universidad mientras sus hijos estaban pequeños. Luego continuó sus estudios para obtener su licenciatura.

Al principio, quería convertirse en psicóloga, en respuesta a la escala de deportaciones durante el gobierno de Obama. Su esposo es indocumentado.

“Mis hijos estaban aterrorizados de perder a su padre”, comentó. “Traté de buscarles la ayuda que necesitaban, pero no había terapeutas bilingües y culturalmente competentes a los que pudiéramos acudir, mucho menos que pudiéramos costear”.

Pero cuando ella se graduó en 2016, cambió de opinión. La retórica antiinmigrante se intensificó con el presidente Trump, y sus políticas de separación familiar estaban pasando factura. Estaba aterrorizada por las repercusiones en su familia y su comunidad.

Ella finalmente sintió que el impacto más significativo que podía tener era a través de su organización. En 2017, se unió a un movimiento creciente que protestaba contra el intento de la administración Trump de poner fin al programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA).

Necesitamos invertir en nuestros futuros líderes

Reyes, fundadora de DHDC, es presidenta de la junta directiva de MI Poder y sintió que Cindy podría ser una dirigente adecuada para la organización, pues sabía que era una líder nata, desde antes de contratarla para el departamento de organización comunitaria de DHDC en 2017.

“Algunas personas son visionarias, pero no tienen las habilidades para hacer realidad esa visión, y otras personas son buenas para hacer avanzar las cosas, pero no tienen esa visión general. Cindy tiene ambas”, dijo Reyes.

José Luis Orozco Jr., miembro de la junta directiva de MI Poder y director ejecutivo de Voces, una organización con sede en Battle Creek que sirve a la comunidad latina del oeste de Michigan, conoció a Cindy, como miembro de Protecting Immigrant Families, una coalición creada en 2018 para luchar contra la revisión de la regla de carga pública de la era Trump.

Orozco comentó que él y Cindy “inmediatamente se conectaron simplemente para defender a la comunidad”.

Con el liderazgo de Cindy, Orozco ve un camino hacia la construcción de una nueva generación de futuros líderes a nivel local y legislativo.

MI Poder está aprovechando una red estatal de ocho organizaciones comunitarias para activar a los latinos para que se postulen a cargos públicos y aborden algunos de los mayores desafíos del estado.

“Necesitamos invertir en nuestros futuros líderes”, dijo Orozco. “Estamos tratando de impulsar a la gente a postularse para las juntas escolares, a formar parte de la junta de supervisión comunitaria”.

“Necesitamos líderes a los que no tengamos que convencer sobre el acceso al idioma, sobre el acceso igualitario a la atención médica, sobre la justicia ambiental”, comentó. “La gente siente que la política no es para ellos. Necesitamos cambiar esa mentalidad”.

Traducción Carmen Elena Luna.

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