Comunidades indígenas en liderazgo (CIELO) is an Indigenous women-led organization that works with Indigenous-migrant communities in Los Angeles. CIELO organizes to assure racial justice for indigenous-migrant communities who have been marginalized and underserved for many years. We have multiple approaches to addressing the barriers these communities face. CIELO work at a community level by organizing events that focus on decolonizing our own perceptions of indigeneity, creating empowerment at an individual level. We accomplish this by hosting events that foment new ways of identity formation, providing mediums that frame indigenous identity and languages in a positive way. We also engage in dialogues to discuss cultural, linguistic, and social barriers that indigenous communities face in Los Angeles. We take an advocacy approach by empowering and professionalizing the Indigenous interpreters who are at the front lines, assuring that there is understanding in hospitals, courtrooms, and other spaces where indigenous language interpretation is needed.
