La Cultura Cura: Cultivating a Movement of Community Health
Earlier this year, Salinas grappled with the death of four community members killed by the police. In East Salinas, residents are healing from these tragic events by demanding respect and equity and lifting themselves up by their “Rootstraps,” part of La Cultura Cura.
La Cultura Cura is a transformative health and healing philosophy led by Jerry Tello of the National Compadres Network that recognizes the importance of cultural values, traditions, and indigenous practices on the path to healthy development, restoration, and lifelong well-being.
MILPA (Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement) — a Salinas-based collective “think tank” of women and men who are cultivating a movement of community health — is advancing the philosophy of La Cultura Cura and leading efforts through culture and critical consciousness. MILPA is “Cultivating Changemakers for the Next Seven Generations.”
The video below features traditional healing circles (círculos) led by MILPA and community leaders. As one of the leaders of the movement describes, “these círculos have catalyzed a change in our community. They have given people hope.”