Jesus Sanchez is a first generation Chicano who grew up in East Los Angeles County. Educated in the public school systems, he remembers the difficulty of witnessing the beauty and power of his community undermined by predatory and extractive policies and practices. Today, these challenges inform his work as a community organizer mobilizing immigrant parents around education and economic justice.

Combining his studies in education with decades of youth work, Sanchez co-leads Gente Organizada with a cadre of community parents - mostly Latinas, many of whom are undocumented. Their self-determined priorities include economic justice within school funding and a district-wide campaign on nutrition. The parents have founded their own organization, called Padres Unidos, which gives them a space to delve deeper into the work and self-organize.