Irene Franco Rubio
Irene Franco Rubio is an activist, writer, and community organizer born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. A Latina of Guatemalan and Mexican descent, she remains rooted in community and devoted to building an intersectional movement for justice as a scholar, public thought leader and catalyst for social change.
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Counter Storytelling – The Power of our Individual Stories & Voices as a Collective
In a society that has historically forgotten the stories and voices of communities and people of color and replaced it with the dominant American narrative, it is of critical importance we learn to recognize and center the stories of those systematically oppressed. How do we claim and center our stories, and the voices of those directly impacted? How can we counter the dominant narrative and tell our stories of self and our communities, authentically and unapologetically?
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Latinxs in U.S. | Latinxs Are Not A Monolith
Latinx people in communities across the United States vary from one state to another, no group is precisely the same nor are we simply defined. We are a multifaceted, multicultural, and complex ethnic group of people, deriving from various backgrounds and cultures rooted in Latin America, each uniquely their own. As a Latina of Guatemalan and Mexican descent raised in the U.S., existing with these dualities is precisely the complexities that exist in the Latinx experience, and it’s time we recognize we as a collectively ethnic and uniquely diverse population is not a monolith.
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Intersectional Movement Building | Multicultural Advocacy For Our Collective Liberation
In an era of ever-evolving social justice movements, the fight for environmental justice, and racial equity are intersectional movements that require us to not engage in movements in silos but rather as a collective. Across racial and ethnic community organizing, multicultural advocacy requires us to be intersectional and inclusive in order to build broad and multiracial coalitions, allowing us to attain our collective liberation. How can we begin to center intersectional movement building in community organizing, in society, in the workplace, and in our daily lives?
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Community Wellness – Physical, Social, Mental Rest
Capitalist culture and the forces of colonization have dominated the power of our lives in multifaceted ways, whether we realize it or not. From feeling bad for taking a day off from the office, to sacrificing our basic needs and self-care, it has become increasingly prevalent how the forces of capitalism have wreaked havoc on our lives. Centering our physical, social, and mental well-being via rest is precisely what we need to prioritize if we seek to overcome these forces and take control over our lives and well-being back.
Latinx activist, writer, and community organizer
Irene Franco Rubio has multifaceted experience in movements for change as an intersectional movement builder, from local multicultural grassroots organizing in her hometown of Phoenix for the Arizona Coalition for Change & Our Voice Our Vote to working for the first Indigenous woman in the U.S. House of Representatives for former U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland, organizing nationally for Michelle Obama’s nonprofit When We All Vote, is an ambassador of the United State of Women USOW, among other community advocacy engagements.
As a public thought leader, Irene has received prestigious fellowships including 2022 Open Society Foundations Soros Justice Fellowship, is a Public Voices Fellow of the Op-Ed Project at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Humanity in Action Fellow, John Robert Lewis Fellow at the Faith & Politics Institute, Othering & Belonging Institute Fellow at UC Berkeley, Aspen Institute Latinos & Society Socrates Scholar, Davis Putter Student Activist Scholar, 2022 Vital Voices Global Visionary Fellow, Imagining America Fellow, Harvard Public Policy Leadership Scholar, UCLA Law Fellow, and a UChicago Harris School of Public Policy Summer Scholar, in addition to other public engagement.
As a media professional engaged at the intersection of activism and media, she has been recognized as a Facebook Journalism Project Scholar, Marguerite Casey Foundation’s Equal Voice News Scholar, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Scholar, ProPublica Diversity Scholar, and Pilot Media Technology & Innovation Scholar. She has written and published op-eds in Teen Vogue, Youth to the People, Live Kindly, Healthline, Latino Rebels, Prism, Mitu, among others. Now, Irene Franco Rubio is the Impact Deputy at Revolve Impact, an award-winning movement-driven social change agency.
As a scholar-activist and public thought leader, Irene Franco Rubio continues to advocate for historically oppressed communities at the intersection of activism, media, and academia as a catalyst for change, in a relentless pursuit of justice. For more on Irene’s work, check out her portfolio online at: irenefrancorubio.com
Our speakers get attention.
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Mass Deportation Is Coming Under Trump — But Immigration Activists Are Mobilizing to Stop ItIn this op-ed two organizers explain how immigration activists and allies are mobilizing against the Trump administration's plans.
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Are You Getting Enough Rest or Are You a Child of Immigrants?As a kid, Saturday mornings meant cleaning the entire house — from hand-washing dishes in the sink, to scrubbing the toilets, to mopping the floor with the classic lavender-scented Fabuloso.
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This Día de Muertos, I’m Learning to Live for My Late MomI never celebrated Día de Muertos before. The Mexican holiday, which remembers and honors loved ones who have passed away, was never formally observed in my Mexican-Guatemalan home.
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Women’s History Month: A Love Letter To LatinasIt’s time we recognize the Latinas in our lives for our true value and all that we are.
