Edited by Yndalecio Isaac Hinojosa, Isabel Baca, and Jasmine Villa
Working and Writing for Change
Series Editors: Steve Parks and Jessica Pauszek
Information and Pricing
978-1-64317-519-5 (PDF, free download). © 2025 by New City Community Press. 190 pages, with notes, bibliography, and illustrations.
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What People Are Saying
Communities in Action beautifully weaves voices of activists, scholars, teachers, and community members into a vibrant tapestry of writing for social change. The collection gifts us with words and images from storytellers, mentors, artists, filmmakers, and educators who work toward healing transformation in their communities and invites us to imagine how to fight and overcome injustices through collective resistance. —Veronica House, University of Denver
By capturing the lived experiences of grassroots organizers, artists, and digital activists, this collection reshapes how we understand community-building and resistance. Communities in Action is more than a reflection of our current struggles; it is a call to action for future generations, ensuring that equity, justice, and collective power remain at the forefront of social change. This book is a necessary tool in building long-lasting movements that honor the diversity of experience, showing that change is not only possible, but sustainable. —Anel I. Flores, a Creative
Communities in Action delivers on the promise and potential of multimodal, multigenre rhetorical studies for embodied “mattering” in the world. The focus on the lived experiences of Texas activists and Latinx collectives situates inspiring communities in real spaces of action while providing resources, strategies, and examples to take the fight for social justice to any community, anytime. —Sarah Salter, Emory University
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword: Response to Communities in Action: Creating Space and Leveraging Local Knowledges for Social Change
Larissa M. Mercado-López
Introduction: Communities in Action: Creating Spaces of Social Change
Isabel Baca, Yndalecio Isaac Hinojosa, and Jasmine Villa
Part I: Valuing Community Voices
1 #CripTheVote: Disability Activism, Social Media, and the Campaign for Communal Visibility
Christina V. Cedillo
2 Las Imaginistas: Radical Imagination and Community Voices
ChristinaMaria Patiño Xochitlzihuatl Houle, Nansi Guevara, and Celeste de Luna
3 From Yo Soy Teatro to Ya Basta: Honoring Leaders and Unmasking Gender-Based Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Guillermina G. Núñez-Mchiri, Liz Chavez, Lucia Carmona, Cemelli de Aztlan, Karla Corral, Sofia Valenzuela, Annel Mena, Elena Vargas, Mayra Gutierrez, and Jessica Uriarte
4 Activism and Community Engagement: Volunteer Programs as a Pathway to Change
Sonya Saunders
Part II: Healing and Building a Community of Hope
5 Healing Broken Bodies and Cultivating Hope through Gloria E. Anzaldúa
Yndalecio Isaac Hinojosa and Candace de León-Zepeda
6 Visual Storytelling: Preserving African American History in the Public Space and Pushing Back at Gentrification
Kristina Gutierrez
7 On Being an Activist in Your Hometown
James Chase Sanchez and Joel Fendelman
8 “Until We Are All Free”: Acting in Solidarity with Marginalized Communities
Amy Aldridge Sanford
Part III: Sustaining Mentorship Roles and Communities
9 Chicanx Filmmaking: Producing the Next Generation of Resilient Cinema
Elvira Carrizal-Dukes
10 Embedding La Cultura: Digital Engagement by a Latinx Non-Profit Organization
Jasmine Villa and Jennifer Falcón
11 Latinas in Progress Case Study
Alicia Rascón
12 Rare-UTEP Partnership: Educating Students Around the World to Implement Social Change in Conservation and Communities
Stacey K. Sowards, Sarah de los Santos Upton, and and Carlos A. Tarin
Contributors
