Tonatierra Community Development Institute

The Tonatierra Community Development Institute is a local non-profit organization located within the community of Phoenix, Arizona. The mission of Tonatierra focuses on the rights of Indigenous communities and peoples, specifically within Phoenix. The main developmental sectors that the organization highlights include the culture of education, economic development, and community/individual action.

History

Tonatierra has been continuously forming for the past two decades. During the late 1970s and mid-1980s the organization began their work with the Maricopa Organizing Project and the United Farm Workers movement. The Maricopa Organizing Project was officially founded in 1977 with the goal of protecting the rights of farmworkers. Additionally, one of the key players of the Maricopa Organizing Project was one of Tonatierra's founding members, Tupac Enrique Acosta. In 1988 the Maricopa Organizing Project moved to the city of Phoenix and shortly after in 1993 the organization that is now known as the Tonatierra Community Development Institute begun. Since the beginning, and still in the present day, Tonatierra focuses their work on the struggle of migrant workers, mainly due to the fact that their community is one of the main reasons that the organization was created and has developed in the direction that it has today. The Maricopa Organizing Project is known as the origin of today's non-profit, and to this day they continue their work among Mexican and Indigenous communities in Phoenix today. Additionally, back in 2010 Tonatierra was involved in the ACLU federal lawsuit regarding the case titled "Indigenous Peoples as Migrant Workers".

Community action and projects

Those involved with Tonatierra's work and community efforts focus on the process of decolonization that aligns with the community's specific cultural rights and cultural identity. Since the organization's formation nearly two decades ago, Tonatierra have created several projects, such as youth education/empowerment programs, cultural expression efforts and events, and social justice movements. For example, their project "Tititl" is a yearly event held on ceremonial grounds and is directed towards the children of local Indigenous families. Children spend the day participating in various traditional activities that create a unique learning experience for them.

Goals

Since the beginning of Tonatierra, their main goals have been to provide access to cultural education and experiences of cultural awareness for indigenous communities in and around Phoenix. They believe in the power of preserving their culture and educating the youth on these topics as well. Additionally, Tonatierra has been recognized when it comes to organizations within the state of Arizona that have made efforts towards, "the possibilities for change when we dream, build, and imagine" in relation to impacts seen due to the Migrant Rights Movement of 2015. As a more overarching goal for the organization, they value recognizing rights within Indigenous communities, which they feel especially called to do due to the fact that the government lacks this type of support. Past and future efforts within the Tonatierra organization aim to act in accordance to these goals and their core value of truth.