& E V E N T S
One of Centro CSO's activities is to incorporate new members and leaders and to maintain an organization that still fights for the democratic rights of all poor working people without depending or becoming compromised to politicians by government funding.
Our cultural events are well attended by members, community and local activists.
With the opening of our new
community center in the heart of Boyle Heights in the summer of 2000 we re-launched the organization into a new period with a rededication to emphasize on grassroots community organizing and the training of a new generation of poor working class organizers.
We are involved in community campaigns to build a new school in Boyle Heights, and to fight the overcrowded and bad conditions of our schools.
In December of 2000, we held an organizers training for new and old members, youth and mothers, conducted by Alfredo De Avila from the Center for Third World Organizing.
In 1999-2000 we organized youth and parents in the mobilization against Proposition 21 the anti youth initiative that would increase the already high incarceration rate among Blacks, Latinos and poor youth.
We were very instrumental in promoting awareness and participation among high school students and teachers in East Los Angeles about the racist prison industrial complex and the low funding for schools.
We initiated and helped organize voter education, conferences, marches, rallies and promoted unity among youth of color; some examples were the march organized by ELA youth to the ML King parade in South LA in January 2000, we also organized a large march of youth
and families from Boyle Heights to the Twin Tower County jail in February 2000 and we supported the over 1,000 ELA high school students who walked out
of school to protest proposition 21 in March 2000.
In the summer of 2000 we joined with the Direct Action Network of Los Angeles in protesting at the National Democratic Convention and worked in the march
with youth and educators targeting Governor Davis for his support of proposition 21 and demanding more school funding from his administration.
