AlMAS Libres

---

ALMAS LIBRES, a program of Raizes Collective (“Raizes”), is a membership organization in Sonoma County, led by over 100 Immigrant and Indigenous women from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.  Its mission is to support the empowerment of women through healing, community education, leadership development, and grassroots policy campaigns.

ALMAS Libres members are predominantly undocumented, Immigrant & Indigenous  house cleaners, caregivers, and agricultural workers who face daunting challenges like low wages and exploitation at work, intimidation due to their immigration status, and sexual violence.  The women of ALMAS Libres determine their own leadership structure, programmatic priorities, and vision.  The organization’s membership continues to grow and to make meaningful changes in their lives and for their community.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE AND NEED FOR ALMAS LIBRES?

According to the Voices of Sonoma County Women Report (2020), produced by the County Commission on the Status of Women, Latinx women face injustices at work, communications barriers in institutions at all levels, and a lack of political power, among other challenges.  Latinx women lack access to general services and opportunities due to language and cultural barriers.

Moreover, women’s undocumented status causes low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness and severe anxiety and depression.  Over 25,000 undocumented people live in Sonoma County, many of them women and children.  Many immigrants in Sonoma County, including members of ALMAS Libres, have worked the front lines during the global pandemic and wildfires of recent years and are considered essential workers. They have made Sonoma County their home and have waited for a Path to Citizenship for decades.   

Under the Trump administration, Immigrant and Indigenous women face extreme fear and isolation due to the current repression by ICE, the forced separation of families, and mass incarceration.

One of the remaining issues most important for our state is ensuring a clear and rapid roadmap to citizenship for the currently undocumented population. Immigration reform matters to California not only because of the sheer size of our immigrant population, but because immigrants have become woven into California’s, and Sonoma County’s, social, civic and economic life.

A SUMMARY OF  ALMAS LIBRES’S WORK

• Leadership development and training for Immigrant & Indigenous women.  ALMAS Libres builds individual and collective power among marginalized women.  We hold regular trainings and discussions on “What it means to be a community leader,” “How to build our self esteem,” and “How to partner with others to organize campaigns.” Know-your-rights trainings include labor rights, how to access mental health services, and how to ensure safety at work. We also hold monthly “Support Circles,” to support our members’ mental health.  As members develop their individual leadership, they participate more in the decision-making and functioning of their organization
• Support for Immigrant & Indigenous women’s labor rights.   ALMAS Libres provides outreach, information, assistance, follow-up, and organizing support for women who suffer abuses at the workplace.  In recent months, we supported several women.  For example, we assisted Deysi Lopez in filing a wage theft complaint with the State Labor Commissioner, and she won her case for over $4600.  When the employer still refused to pay, ALMAS LIBRES organized a community picket of the employer and met with the Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez to begin collaborating on wage theft cases.  Another member survived ongoing, pervasive sexual harassment at her workplace, Alvarado Bakery, in Petaluma.  We organized a community/labor delegation which met with the company’s president to express no tolerance of sexual harassment in our County.  We continue to fight for a safe and healthy workplace.
• Regional Coalition for a just Immigration Reform.  ALMAS Libres continues to coordinate the Northern California Coalition for Just Immigration Reform, which includes organizations and unions in Sonoma, Alameda, Humboldt and San Francisco Counties.  Currently, the regional coalition is actively supporting the “Registry Bill,” which would allow approximately 8 million undocumented people to apply for legal permanent residency.  With partners like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the Dignity Campaign, we held meetings with Congressional leaders, organized strategic actions, and keep the community informed and engaged.  For example, in 2023, we held  regional press conferences, two Community Forums on the Registry Bill, spoke with Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., and organized a three-day walk from Petaluma and San Jose to San Francisco, which successfully gained local support for a path to citizenship.
• Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition.  In response to President Trump’s election and his anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, ALMAS LIBRES quickly helped form the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition in 2024 in order to respond.  The Coalition now has hundreds of individual members and dozens of organizational ones.  Under ALMAS LIBRES’s leadership, the Coalition has become one of the most vibrant and powerful groups in Sonoma County.  Recently, it successfully passed a County “Sanctuary” Ordinance and is working on ensuring that local law enforcement doesn’t provide any information to ICE.
• “Teatro ALMAS Libres.” Art and culture are among the most powerful tools to offer education, empowerment, and inspiration to underrepresented communities.  As part of a cultural empowerment organization, ALMAS Libres uses theater and art to support Immigrant & Indigenous women’s liberation.  This year, ALMAS LIBRES received a California Humanities Award to produce another production written and performed by ALMAS LIBRES members.  

Please help us by financially supporting the transformational work that ALMAS Libres does in our community. 

For more information:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1620107098392385

Please feel free to contact the phone number or email address below.

Renee Saucedo, Program Coordinator

reneesaucedo8@gmail.com, 707-273-2974

Almas Libres celebrates their 5th year anniversary, reflecting on their accomplishments while envisioning the future.  The video was featured at the opening of the fundraising event that included food, raffle, live music, and presentations of gratitude to the women of ALAMS Libres and their families. 

🦋🦋🦋

Almas Libres celebra su quinto aniversario, reflexionando sobre sus logros y proyectándose hacia el futuro. El video se presentó durante la apertura de un evento de recaudación de fondos que incluyó comida, una rifa, música en vivo y muestras de agradecimiento a las mujeres de Almas Libres y a sus familias.

El pasado primero de mayo 2022 en las calles de Santa Rosa, California, se realizó una marcha con los trabajadores del área norte de la bahía, en conmemoración del día Internacional del trabajo y por los derechos de los y las inmigrantes, que culminó en Old  Courthouse Square con  la presentación de la obra de teatro del grupo de trabajadoras de ALMAS. Los invitamos a ver y disfrutar este reportaje del evento. 

On May 1, 2022, in the streets of Santa Rosa, California, a march was held with workers from the North Bay area, in commemoration of International Labor Day and for the rights of immigrants, which culminated in the Old Courthouse Square with the presentation of the play by the group of workers from ALMAS. We invite you to see and enjoy this report of the event.