Blog

A lifelong South Central L.A. resident committed to the fight for human and civil rights, Pete White founded the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN), a grassroots organization working to ensure the human right to housing, health and security are upheld in Los Angeles.

Milton Hernandez Nimatuj is the Southern California Program Director for Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). It is one of the preeminent environmental justice organizations in the nation, with a mission to build people’s power in California’s communities of color and low-income communities to achieve environmental health and justice.

Meymuna Hussein-Cattan and her mother, Owliya Dima, co-founded The Tiyya Foundation in 2010, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing community support for families of refugees, low-income immigrants, and displaced Americans in the Orange County and Greater Los Angeles regions.

Louis Tse became inspired to start Students 4 Students (formerly known as Bruin Shelter) while a graduate student at UCLA, studying mechanical engineering. 

Larry Gross has been working at the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) for 45 years, since its inception in 1973. CES is a grassroots, multi-ethnic tenants’ rights organization serving low- and moderate-income renters throughout the greater Los Angeles area, committed to organizing tenants to fight to ensure tenants’ rights and preserve affordable housing.

Kelly Lytle Hernandez is a UCLA Professor of History and African American Studies at UCLA and the Interim Director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA - considered one of the nation’s leading historians of race, policing, immigration, and incarceration in the United States.

Jim Hannon founded Beach Cities Cycling Club (BCCC) in 2006, a non-profit corporation that promotes bicycling, fitness and community involvement in the Redondo/South Bay Area comprised of male and female members of all ages and skill levels.

Hue Nguyen is the managing partner of GDBRO Burger. Besides making globally delicious burgers, GDBRO's mission is to engage and create an emotional connection to its community and campaign around supporting local and minority owned small businesses for an equal playing field & a voice for inclusion.  

Franco Vega founded the RightWay Foundation. It’s mission is to build a prosperous future with the right foundation, one foster child at a time.

In July 2018, as President and CEO of the non-profit Northridge Beautification Foundation (NBF), Don Larson received LA County Board of Supervisor Commendations “In recognition of dedicated service in the affairs of the community and for the civic pride demonstrated by numerous contributions for the benefit of all citizens of Los Angeles County.”