About Us

We’re a team of Black, Latine, INDIGENOUS, women, immigrant leaders & capacity builders.

Instituto Power was founded in 2019 in response to Arizona becoming a battleground state and the need for training leaders at the forefront. Our mission is to build sustained political power with low-income and communities of color in Arizona. Our work includes identifying and training emerging candidates , a one-of-a-kind Co-Governance Fellowship for newly electeds, and much more.

OUR DREAM

In 2027, communities of color will become the majority of the population in the state of Arizona. We know that demography doesn’t always mean destiny. That’s why we envision a state where everyday Arizonans of color will have the political power to vote, govern, and advocate for the issues that matter the most, so they can thrive and live a life of dignity.

Our VALUES

  • We believe in the strength of communities and that they have the power to independently fight for social justice for all.

  • We believe solutions should be community-based and that everyone, regardless of race, gender, language, and education, has a place at the table.

  • We believe communities are already extraordinary and can develop leadership from within to continue their path forward.

  • We believe in learning from history and other communities, with the ability to create and manage knowledge for power.

  • We believe in striving to be the best version of ourselves in order to serve our people and communities.

  • We believe in building relationships with communities by prioritizing trust and respect.

OUR WORK

HARVEST PROGRAM

Advocacy Trainings

Online Library

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Instituto POWER was founded on O'odham & Pee Posh Land.

Arizona is home to one of the greatest diversities of Indigenous Cultures in the United States, including the Hohokam- ancient peoples who are direct descendants of the O’odham who existed from 300-1500 AD. The present-day Gila River Indian Community has alternatively named them the 'Huhugam,' or "loved ones who have passed.” The O’odham communities include the Akimel O’odham, Onk Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham & the Ak-chin Communities, which now surround the Phoenix, Tucson & metropolitan areas.

This area is the original land of the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People. 

We acknowledge this is their land. We encourage everyone to visit the surrounding communities during their social events/activities and get to know the people of this land.

  • The Akimel O'odham, Onk Akimel O'odham, Tohono O'odham & Ak-chin communities have historically occupied south-central Arizona since the mid-1400s. This land was cultivated for centuries and continues to be stewarded today by the O'odham peoples and the Pee Posh, who settled in with the O'odham in the 1840s; these tribes share space and resources to this day. The Akimel O'odham clustered along the banks of the Gila and Salt Rivers, while the Tohono O'odham lived a more nomadic lifestyle in the desert terrain of Arizona in present-day south Phoenix. Recognizing the history of colonialization is important — colonizers forcefully took "Phoenix" from its original landowners, the O'odham, and older tribes. 

    Today, strategic and determined pursuits of tribal economic activities are expanding; the community's gaming facilities remain the catalyst for economic growth, while other endeavors range from telecommunications to resort and golf facilities, health care, agriculture, and the preservation of their arts, culture, and languages.

    Connection to Indigenous Peoples of Palestine 

    Everything about this moment is about the land; everything about what we're defending is about land and the life that it generates, feeds, nourishes, the memory that it carries, and the lineages that it connects us to. In Palestine, the forceful taking of the land is happening, the genocide of the indigenous people of that land. The struggle for sovereignty and against settler colonialism means healing our relationship with the land and recognizing that we are woven, interconnected, and have the power to take action. Living in the United States, we have immense power and privilege, so we have an immense responsibility to show up daily to change this history in real-time. 

    Sourced from: National Park Service, Gila River Indian Community, Heard Museum, Indian Health Services, City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, South Phoenix Oral History Project, Layla Feghali & adrienne maree brown.