MOVE the Valley coalition takes a collective approach to addressing political and social issues in the Central Valley
In 15 years as an activist in the San Joaquin Valley and at the national level, MOVE the Valley Executive Director Destiny Rodriguez has advocated for cleaner air, environmental justice, public health, housing rights and many more causes. One big realization she’s parsed from her extensive experience on the activist front is just how intertwined these various social and political issues are.
“Everything is interconnected … each topic leads to another and everything is bridged together.” Rodriguez says. “We see this interconnectivity in regards to housing, which is itself a result of a lot of economic issues at play here in the Central Valley. That also ties in with job security, which ties into education, and the environment.
“And all of these tie to youth engagement, because many young people struggle with rent and housing disparity and feel like they’ll never be able to own a home. The connections go on and on.”
“Through our partnerships, MOVE the Valley is able to achieve more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable civic engagement across the Central Valley and Sacramento regions by empowering residents with the tools, resources, and opportunities to actively participate in shaping their communities’ futures through more informed voting.”
Destiny Rodriguez, Executive Director, MOVE The Valley
Rodriguez also serves as Trustee for Area 1 at the State Center Community College District. She says her experience campaigning for that position, as well as her realization about the interconnectivity of vital issues, spurred her to work with MOVE the Valley. “Running my own campaign brought out the concerns I personally have about civic engagement and voter turnout,” she says. “I felt that the civic engagement space was a place that I could potentially do some good.”
MOVE the Valley is a coalition of activist organizations focused on ending the profitability of white supremacy, amplifying the electoral voices of the community and building regional political infrastructures in California’s Central Valley. The MOVE in the moniker stands for “Mobilize, Organize, Vote, Empower.” The organization is headquartered in Fresno and was formerly known as the Fresno County Civic Engagement Table.
The coalition is a multi-racial and multigenerational alliance focusing on voter engagement, voter education, and get out the vote (GOTV) efforts within historically marginalized and excluded communities. Its member organizations are Communities for a New California Education Fund; Faith in the Valley; the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce; Hmong Innovating Politics; and the Jakara Movement. All of the partner organizations carry out civic engagement programs in the city and county of Fresno, and collectively work in nine counties from the San Joaquin Valley to the state capital, including Kern, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Kings, and Sacramento counties.
The idea of strength in unity reflected in this diverse makeup is woven into the organization’s DNA, and—Rodriguez explains—the key to its effectiveness.
“Through our partnerships, MOVE the Valley is able to achieve more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable civic engagement across the Central Valley and Sacramento regions by empowering residents with the tools, resources, and opportunities to actively participate in shaping their communities’ futures through more informed voting,” Rodriguez says.
More information on MOVE the Valley’s member organizations, current efforts and how to get involved can be found at www.movethevalley.org.
