Vibrant colors and beautiful images greet visitors even before they enter the Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) offices in St. Paul. Outside the light-filled lobby, a mural features a young girl draped in a shawl decorated with flags of numerous Latin American nations that the people of CLUES represent.  Embedded within the symbolic design, a banner holds the text, “La Cultura Cura,” or “Culture Heals,” in English.

The CLUES building in St. Paul houses the Mexican Consulate, offices for the Abriendo Caminos Behavioral Health Department, cultural art exhibit space, and a commercial kitchen set up for the weekly food distribution, known as the “Canasta Familiar,” or “Family Basket.” Color, art, and culture fill the space and surround anyone who enters.

“When people come to CLUES, we want them to feel welcome and at home. Here community becomes family. “– Jessica Pleguezuelos, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, CLUES

CLUES was founded in 1981 on the west side of St. Paul by Latino social workers, including Rafael Ortega, who is now a Ramsey County commissioner. Now celebrating 43 years with offices in St. Paul, Austin, Willmar, and Minneapolis, CLUES has 145 staff members and plans to add more when funding allows.

CLUES offers various services, including those that address food insecurity, community health and wellness, housing stability, early childhood, cultural engagement, employment assistance, adult education, youth services, and more.

“Providing a sense of belonging and networks of support is at the heart of who we are. We then provide targeted services or interventions as opportunities for transformational impact.” .” – Ruby Azurdia-Lee, President and CEO of CLUES

I share a message with you each month in this newsletter, but this month, I'm going to tell you about myself in a different way.

Over the last two and a half years, I have supervised the Health Equity Networks team. It's been such a dream. I came into this role with many years of coaching and training in public health departments and coalitions, helping people advance health equity and practice community engagement in ways that are as unique as each community. This work is built upon my commitments, values, and the stories and experiences that have shaped them.

My grandparents and parents came to the U.S. as refugees to seek a life with more opportunity and less discrimination than what they were facing as Jewish people in the former Soviet Union. Frequently, my mother said that she came here so that her kids could have a better life - one free of oppression. Unfortunately, as a queer, transgender, neurodivergent, and disabled person, I have also experienced a great deal of discrimination and oppression. These experiences fuel my work. I know we can better create systems that heal rather than harm.

I deeply believe that we owe it to our descendants (and ancestors) to imagine a world where every person can be free, cared for, and loved. This can be achieved not just interpersonally or communally but systemically. It is the basis of health equity work for me. We all deserve to live our lives with dignity, kindness, and respect.

Will you join me in seeking this world? -Shor

'Tis the season of fall transition! The Networks' Metro Regional Coordinator, Lil Pinero, has taken a new position within the Minnesota Department of Health doing youth substance misuse work. The Networks team is excited for Lil, and we will miss her on our team. With Lil's transition, we've been discussing how we can serve the Metro in her absence. If you have thoughts about this, or how the Networks can best serve any region, please reach out to a regional coordinator.