9to5 Colorado Organizer Jenny Santos was born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents -- Severa Casillas of La Noria de Molinos, Zacatecas and Juan Santos Acosta of El Refugio, Aguascalientes, México.She comes to 9to5 with an open heart to help protect women’s rights in the workplace and to help bring economic justice to all people. Jenny’s desire to help struggling families comes from her own experiences. Her mother relocated to Denver, CO in the 1980s and suffered social and economic hardship as a recent immigrant. As early as age 5, Jenny was conscious that her purpose in life was to protect her people and the Earth from oppressive powers through the strength of God. She has worked to create systemic change to empower communities of color and believes that the people directly impacted by issues should be leading the efforts to create social justice.
Six years ago, Jenny and Michael Miera founded La Raza Youth Leadership, a program that empowers Latino youth to continue their education and build leadership skills. She is on the board of COLOR, (Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights) an organization for Latinas and their families focused on providing education and advocacy for reproductive rights and quality healthcare. Jenny is also a danzante with Grupo Tlaloc Danza Azteca and believes in preserving the cultural traditions of her ancestors.
As a new organizer leading 9to5’s ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) efforts, Jenny will work to ensure that ARRA information reaches all communities and that women and people of color are well-represented in efforts to make ARRA and the new economy more inclusive.
Jenny can be reached at jenny [@] 9to5 [dot] org or (303) 628-0925.
