Our New Anahuac

Founded earlier this year by Attorney Frances Valdez, Latino Giving Houston (LGH) is a non-profit designed to boost the work of non-profit sector organizations.  Steeped in the ideas of philanthropy, Latino Giving aims to help non-profits through this economic crisis by raising money and giving that money to existing non-profits.  What’s even more progressive is that every member gets a vote on which non-profit should receive funding for that year.

“Given the economy, LGH is also helping those non-profit organizations that have been doing great work in Houston’s Latino community for a while, sometimes even decades, at a time when the need for assistance is more urgent than it has been in years,” said City Hall Fellow and secretary of the group Mario Salinas.

The organization can play a pivotal role in allowing non-profits to be less beholden to grantors who have been known to cut funding due to new philanthropic fads or political pressure.  This trend has been well documented and has been something that many non-profits have had to contend with.  From my perspective, this is a great opportunity to “do for self.” 

Earlier this month, it was revealed that some big name charities in effect intended to check the immigration status of children who were to receive donated Christmas toys. Every one of my readers could see the hypocrisy of calling yourself a charity and then punishing the children of our people who broke a civil infraction to come over and work.

I speak for myself, not LGH, when I say that we are better off doing for ourselves than bickering over the crumbs and false charity that mainstream groups want to dole out only to part of our community. We need not waste time seeking the love of people that don’t love us back.

Doing for our own, however, takes us being able to fund the groups who really have their hearts open to our community, our own groups. Their light bills, rent and payroll don’t pay themselves, and if they are funded by outsiders, they are more likely to be susceptible to pressure from outsiders. Funding them ourselves can make them less dependent on traditional funding sources, less vulnerable to political pressure and more responsive to our true needs.

Anyway, let me be clear, LGH seems to be founded on traditional philanthropic principles: “Starting LGH in a fiscally responsible way demonstrates the giving circle’s deep dedication to exceptional stewardship and governance which is vital to garnering and keeping membership and public trust. ” 

This post is just one nationalist’s way of showing the group some love, wishing them the very best and it is a way to share my own ideas on why the group’s work is important.