Barbara Lopez Steps Down as Make the Road CT Leader

0:00It's April 3rd. This is Hartford News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Barbara Lopez, the co-founding organizer and executive director of Make the Road Connecticut, a key civil rights group for immigrants and Latinos. Just announced she's stepping down at the end of April. As a first-generation daughter of Guatemalan parents who gained citizenship after being undocumented, she got hooked on activism early, watching her. Dad's union bus driver job brings stability, benefits, and a pension that changed their family dynamic. She moved to Connecticut to raise her family, but saw familiar struggles in Bridgeport and Hartford neighborhoods full of hard-working Latino immigrants lacking support. So she co-founded Make the Road Connecticut to build community power where none existed, starting from scratch amid skepticism and low turnout at early meetings. Beyond, trust was tough, folks thought she was scamming them, and cultural differences from various Latin American backgrounds made organizing, tricky, with fears of strikes

1:03tied to dangers back home. But a simple reminder to keep pushing, hey, Que, a shower, or ganas, kept her going, and she navigated those nuances to unite people around shared goals. Her leadership grew the group strong, now members testify at the Capitol, March on May Day, and celebrate wins together. Lopez stresses asking for help as a strength, especially for women of color and first-gen Latinas facing high expectations, drawn from her mom, stepmom, and black women leaders who taught her, it's okay to slow down and learn. She's passing the role to Wendy Cardinist, planning a break to recharge before her next chapter, hungry to grow, get uncomfortable, and make real. Impact, wherever she lands next.