The

Issues

WE BUILD THE POWER OF THE LATINX AND WORKING-CLASS PEOPLE OF COLOR TO ACHIEVE DIGNITY AND JUSTICE THROUGH ORGANIZING, POLICY INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION

The United States administration continues to target and criminalize immigrants of color; this hostile and difficult environment prevents immigrant communities from thriving and earning basic rights. Unfortunately, immigrants are exploited and forced to live in the shadows, unable to access services like healthcare, education, and legal support.

Our number one goal is obtain a pathway to citizenship but until that’s achieved, we want to help our immigrant communities become stronger. We strive to build leaders who can create real changes within the immigration system, and we strive to maintain a strong arsenal of resources for our members; this includes having people who can assist on legal cases and provide legal guidance, fundraising for DACA, and more.

For Immigrant Justice resources, click here.

If you have any questions about Make the Road Nevada’s Immigrant Justice campaign or need any assistance, please contact us!

AB275

Professional License Reform

In 2018, we helped pass AB275—one of the most bold and progressive bills in the 2018 Nevada Legislative Session; this bill helps undocumented immigrants who were unable to obtain professional licenses due to their immigration status.

Before AB275, many professional certifications required a social security number. After the bill was passed, applicants were now able to use a tax payer identification number as a social security number alternative.

$1.5M

Deportation Defense

In 2021, The Clark County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allocate $500k over 2 years to free legal assistance for people in deportation proceedings. 

With the passage of AB376 in the 2021 NV Legislature, Make the Road Nevada and the Nevada Immigrant Coalition have secured 1 million dollars to aid in deportation defense in Nevada.

IN 2017

One of our greatest accomplishments was helping undocumented folks who were working the Route 91 festival on October 1, 2017—one of the deadliest mass shootings committed in the United States. Our help and our partners’ help varied from emotional support to legal assistance. Many undocumented survivors started the U-Visa immigration process with the hopes of something good coming from this immense tragedy.

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$32,000+

DACA Application Fees

We have helped over 65 DACA recipients renew their DACA applications, but we still have more people who need our help. The costs for renewal fees can be expensive, leaving many to struggle to afford their renewal.

Since 2019, we have been able over $32,000 in monetary relief. Please consider supporting other DACA recipients with your donation.

Health equity means every community member has equal access and opportunities to quality health. However, factors like poverty and discrimination make it difficult for some communities to thrive.

People who live in urban areas, near highways, or in traditionally underfunded areas of cities are oftentimes the same people who don’t have access to quality living, such as access to fresh food or specialized medical professionals. 

At Make the Road Nevada, we work hard to remove obstacles for these community by providing reliable and accurate resources to these communities. We also advocate for access to specialized medical professionals and accessible medical information in native languages.

For Health Equity resources, click here.

If you have any questions about Make the Road Nevada’s Health Equity campaign or need any assistance, please contact us!

When the global pandemic arrived in all of our lives, Make the Road Nevada took immediate action in helping and educating our community. From updating our members on masks mandates and social distancing requirements to helping distribute vaccines, we always—and continue to—worked hard to keep our community in-the-know and healthy. Below are only some of our achievements:

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We helped schedule 57 vaccine appointments.

We partnered Immunize Nevada to host vaccination clinics tailored to the needs of the immigrant community in our office—which located in 89110, the most impacted zip code in Nevada.

Our communications team wrote blog posts with COVID-19 and Nevada updates, including school and reopening updates.

Economic Justice aims to create and successfully provide financial prosperity for all community members—particularly those who’ve been economically marginalized.

Make the Road Nevada believes in advocating for people who are disproportionately affected by current policies, practices, or lack of support deserve sufficient institutional change for equal opportunity.

In Nevada, we’re seeing these disparities across the board for black and brown workers, being given little to no access or resources to unemployment insurance, fair employee work weeks, and unliveable wages.

Join us weekly on our virtual Take Action Tuesdays meetings at 6:00pm and on Wednesday Member Meetings at 6:00pm. We give our community resources and information on current events related to housing, health, immigration, economic, housing, environmental, and education justice. We also utilize our meetings to hear from you directly on what assistance and advocacy you would like to see.

For Economic Justice resources, click here.

To receive reminders of our meetings, upcoming events, and more, join the remind text chain with the following link: https://www.remind.com/join/maketheroa

If you have any questions about Make the Road Nevada’s Economic Justice campaign or need any assistance, please contact us!

We Won the First EarnED Paid Sick Days Law in Nevada

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed SB 312 in 2019, which now requires Nevada private-sector employers provide employees with up to 40 hours of paid leave per benefit year. This win even was expanded in light of the pandemic in October of 2021; employers must provide additional paid leave for COVID-19 vaccination, allowing employees to use existing paid leave to care for themselves and their family.

Raised the State Minimum Wage
to $12.00

In 2019, we pushed for and succeeded in having Nevada’s legislature pass Assembly Bill 456 (AB 456), which implemented annual minimum wage increases each July until 2024, leading up to $12.00 per hour.

Provided Stimulus Cash Assistance To Excluded Communities

In the wake of the pandemic and its shutdowns, people across the United States received stimulus relief checks to offset these devastating effects. However, our most vulnerable communities, immigrant and low income populations, were unjustly left out of said relief. Make the Road was able to provide cash assistance via our Immigrant Relief Fund, ensuring Nevada marginalized members received some of the economic support the government failed to provide.

Nevada has a housing crisis, and it’s not a Reno or Las Vegas-only issue, either. Rather, it’s a statewide concern impacting 45% of Nevadans and their everyday lives. As renting skyrockets, Nevadans are still renting. However, how sustainable can this be?

We at Make the Road Nevada believe in affordable housing for all. We believe in educating and aiding our Nevada community because housing is not a privilege—it’s a right. To ensure success, we provide bilingual affordable housing resources and education, and help with community building for low income, immigrant families.

For Housing Justice resources, click here.

If you have any questions about Make the Road Nevada’s Housing Justice campaign or need any assistance, please contact us!

Helped people with access to homebuyer education, workshops and orientations, along with down payment assistance.

Helped nearly 1,000 families from eviction through the Care Housing Assistance Program (CHAP)

Educated more than 4,000 people about evictions and renters rights

We’ve accommodated Spanish speakers by translating text on housing issues such as evictions, landlord discrimination, habitability problems, and accommodations for those living with disabilities.

Environmental injustices are severely impacting Nevadans and their everyday lives and health. The current system has failed to represent low-income families and has failed to provide resources.

We at Make the Road Nevada are demanding for the fair treatment and involvement of this community. As the people who are impacted the most, low-income and POC groups deserve to have a say in environmental matters and deserve a healthy quality of life.

These groups are the most likely to live in areas that don’t meet the federal government’s safe air quality standards, which exposes them to harmful pesticides in the air and water they consume. 

Some of the other environmental injustices that are impacting our community include but are not limited to: inadequate access to healthy food and inadequate transportation.  

Without Environmental Justice, many people are made to be victims of the plans and ambitions of the top percent. 

For Environmental Justice resources, click here.

If you have any questions about Make the Road Nevada’s Environmental Justice campaign or need any assistance, please contact us!

The EROS Project

The EROS project is a campaign which focuses on street vendors such as our community’s eloteros, paleteros, tamaleros, and more. Our campaign provides them with accessible resources like bank account connection, mobile payment applications, and more. Our goal is to give voice to thousands of our community’s essential workers who deal with environmental challenges such as extreme heat caused by the heat island effect. 

Our Involvement With the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition (NEJC)

The NEJC is a state-wide coalition, and we are a part of the executive leadership committee within it.

Our Membership With the Environmental Justice Committee of the Hispanic Caucus

We are members of its subcommittee.

The Breath Free Nevada Report

In collaboration with other organizations, we helped create this report, which documents how environmental injustices impact low-income Nevadans. 

The Youth Power Project (YPP) is a youth-led program that engages young Nevadans in their community, local grassroots organizing, policy innovation, and financial literacy education.

We at the Youth Power Project value social and economic justice, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, youth leadership and empowerment, and dismantling the school-to-prison and school-to-deportation pipeline

We turn these values into action through engaging in the electoral process, get-out-the-vote campaigns, bill drafts, legislative engagements, and increasing our knowledge and skills necessary for everyday—such as financial literacy, healthy lifestyles and relationships, and communication.

Since our beginning, we have set and met goals, but here are some we are still working—and need your help—to achieve.

  • Dismantle Clark County School District’s (CCSD) school-to-prison and school-to-deportation pipeline.
  • Organize with youth across Nevada to build a statewide coalition, partnering youth-led program and placing young people on boards, commissions, and committees to ensure their voices are heard at all political levels.
  • Engage state legislators to pass legislation that would mandate multicultural instruction in all 17 counties. We believe by enacting a multicultural education curriculum, we can help end the erasure of BIPOC communities in our schools and begin to value their contributions.

For Youth Justice resources, click here.

For more information, please contact us!

Follow us at @youthpowerprojectnv on Instagram and @YPPNV on Twitter for the latest Youth Power Project updates, events, and more!

AB261

Members of the YPP were proud to support AB261 during the 2021 Legislative Session. This bill, now signed into law, requires purchased textbooks to be used in public schools meet diversity and inclusion standards, including the addition of more people of color  contributions and the real history of segregation and racism in our state and nation.

 

138 in-depth surveys

Though there is a lot left to be done, we’ve accomplished so much since our beginning. Below are a few of the awesome things our members have done:

Between November 2020 and January 2021, YPP fielded 138 in-depth surveys with young people. The survey was designed to see student’s experiences, interactions, and feelings about police and security at school. The survey found police and security didn’t make students feel safe, students often have harmful sightings and interactions with police and security, and students favor additional resource over increasing police and security funding. For additional information, view our report here.

educational justice campaign

We launched an educational justice campaign; this has resulted in standing meetings with the Superintendent of Clark County—the fifth largest school district in America.

1,000 volunteer hours

Our members have completed over 1,000 volunteer hours toward our program.

We grew our membership base to over 1,200 youth. 70 members regularly participate in our weekly meetings and actions.

At Make the Road Nevada, we’re committed to fighting for the rights and equality of marginalized groups–and our LGBTQ+ campaign is a vital part of that effort.

We understand members of the LGBTQ+ community still face discrimination and marginalization in their lives: from accessing healthcare and finding employment to experiencing violence and harassment. We will not stand idly by. 

Through our campaign, we aim to provide resources, raise awareness and educate others about the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community. We work to advocate for policies that protect and empower LGBTQ+ individuals.

This is not just a campaign; this is a movement. We invite you to join us in standing for the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals and striving for trans and queer joy. Together, we will create a just and equal society for all. 

LGBTQ+ resources coming soon. 

If you have any questions about Make the Road Nevada’s LGBTQ+ campaign or need any assistance, please contact us!

our GOALS

  • We are raising awareness and educating the public about LGBTQ+ issues and the unique challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community. We provide information and resources on healthcare, employment, and violence prevention; this includes organizing events and campaigns to educate and engage the wider community.
  • We advocate on behalf policies and legislation that support and protect LGBTQ+ individuals. Our adovocacy includes collaboration with lawmakers and partner organizations to promote non-discrimination laws and policies.
  • We’re building an LGBTQ+ committee. The LGBTQ+ committee members and allies advise on issues and act as representatives of the community within the organization and externally. The committee will ensure the organization’s policies and practices are inclusive and affirming LGBTQ+ individuals, especially Black and Brown queer and trans populations.

las vegas pride

We participated in the Las Vegas PRIDE Parade and Festival 2022, demonstrating support for the LGBTQ+ community, and promoting inclusiveness and diversity.

no hate in our state

Effectively organized and participated in the “No Hate in Our State” press conference in collaboration with local advocacy groups and elected officials, effectively countering and refuting harmful anti-trans radio ads during the November 2022 elections.

GENDER MARKER CHANGE CLINIC

We facilitated access to legal resources by providing a Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) William S. Boyd School of Law, empowering the LGBTQ+ community to affirm their identity legally.

LGBTQ+ DEFINITIONS

Lesbian: a woman who is sexually attracted to other women. 
Gay: of, relating to, or exhibiting sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of one’s own sex or gender.
Bisexual: a person who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of two or more genders.
Transgender: noting or relating to a person whose gender identity does not correspond to that person’s sex assigned at birth: noting or relating to a person who does not conform to societal gender norms or roles.
Queer: an umbrella term relating to a sexual orientation and/or gender identity that does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender, especially heterosexual norms.
Cisgender: a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth.
Pronouns: words you may like others to use for you in place of your proper name. Some examples include “she/her” or “he/him” or gender-neutral pronouns, such as “ze/hir,” [pronounced: zee/heer] or “they/them.”  Some people use specific pronouns, any pronouns, or none at all. Using people’s pronouns are important because by using a person’s pronouns correctly, other people are showing them respect and forming an inclusive environment.
Gender: gender assigned at birth refers to the label a medical professional gives to a baby when it is born, most times by just the ambiguous examination of external genitalia.
Gender identity: is the personal sense of one’s own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person’s assigned sex or can differ from it.
Gender expression: is how you dress, act, and physically present your gender identity, whether it be through clothes, makeup, hair, accessories, and more.