by Araceli Catalán

I have been a member of St. Peter’s Housing Committee in San Francisco for seven years, which has merged with Just Cause in Oakland to form Causa Justa :: Just Cause! The merger of two organizations that fight for the rights of the community, regardless of race or color, is what inspired me to become a part of CJJC, where I have found help, emotional support but more than anything, trust. As members, we are invited to participate in meetings with other members and learn about the rights and responsibilities that we have as tenants and as a member of this community!

We learn a lot. It is so valuable because members have the opportunity to learn and then become leaders. We disperse the information and knowledge to the community by talking with family members, acquaintances and friends. That’s how one’s leadership is built, whose objective is to defend the rights of our community. That is why CJJC invites us to participate in member meetings (Cafés) which happen every second Wednesday of the month and other important activities where we can share our knowledge! This is a great opportunity for our membership grow, because there are many tenants being evicted on a daily basis and we have a lot of rights to defend.

As we all learn to defend our rights, we become leaders!

—Translator Yaya Ruiz