8. How to build political power from the ground up with guest Aquilina Soriano Versoza

Blueprint for California Advocates

Before you can build political power you need a base. And Aquilina Soriano Versoza knows exactly how to get it done.

Aquilina is co-founder and Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center based in Southern California. She is President of the Pilipino Action Center, 501(c)4 sibling organization to the PWC. She is a leader in the California Domestic Worker Coalition, which in 2013 won the historic AB 241 (Ammiano) - the Domestic Worker Bills of Rights.

And because that’s not enough, she is also President of the Board of Directors of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, whose sister organization Care in Action helped push record turnout in the 2021 Georgia Senate races.

Aqui and advocates began organizing Pilipino workers in Los Angeles back in 1997. Today, the PWC is a national model, organizing around mutual aid, voter education, community education, and leadership development.

We discuss:

- How organizations can build trust with the community

- Legislative and political campaigns as an organizing tool -

- The necessity of playing the long game

- Why it’s all about the process

- How to scale your advocacy work

Episode Transcript

Hosted by Kristina Bas Hamilton, founder of KBH Advocacy.

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