***UPDATE – FIND THE CONVERSATION WITH YESSENIA ECHEVARRIA HERE!
Join us for the eighteenth episode of Answering the Call with Yessenia Echevarria, a community leader, the founder of Mujeres de Acción and a co-founder of Paso People’s Action. We will talk about her community involvement, including advocacy for the Hispanic population concerning topics of immigration rights, sharing health resources in both English and Spanish, increasing civic engagement, and bringing awareness to racial justice issues.
About Yessenia Echevarria
Yessenia Echevarria is a longtime Paso Robles resident and leader in SLO County, focused on increasing civic engagement among progressive-minded residents and advocating for the Hispanic population concerning topics of immigration rights, sharing ongoing policy changes from City Hall.
Her service started with the founding of Mujeres de Acción (Women of Action—formerly known as Mujeres de Éxito (Women of Success)) in 2014. Inspired by her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she created an annual women’s event that shares health resources in both English and Spanish while engaging community leaders. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mujeres de Acción has also served as a voice for the hard-hit Hispanic community, pushing for greater safety measures and action from City Hall.
The murder of George Floyd in June 2020 and other civil rights issues during the presidency of Donald Trump inspired Yessenia to co-found her next cause, Paso People’s Action, a grassroots progressive community focused on increasing civic engagement, bringing awareness to racial issues, and getting out the vote. Along with other like-minded Paso Robleans, the community organized socially-distanced Chalk and Talks at the Downtown Paso Robles park, endorsed progressive candidates for office, and spearheaded clothing drives for the homeless. During the 2020 election cycle, four Paso People’s Action-endorsed candidates won their races out of five total.
To succeed at her work in both organizations, Yessenia code switches between English and Spanish to translate official announcements, share news articles, or serve as a mediator between leaders and citizens. In a county where official resources are not readily available, her presence has helped maintain trust while helping non-Spanish speakers build inroads into otherwise ignored communities.
Her work, annual Hispanic Women’s Breast Cancer Awareness event, food drives, and virtual workshops have made news and are chronicled in the Paso Robles Daily News, SLO New Times, and KSBY. You can get in touch with Yessenia at Yessenia.twk@gmail.com.
Zoom Meeting Information
Women’s March is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Answering the Call with Yessenia Echevarria
Time: Jan 13, 2021 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 845 9718 0345
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