Our Story

California’s Campesines are stewards of the land and feed our nation. Many farmworkers come from the Indigenous communities of Southern states in Mexico. As caregivers of the land we are proud of our roots, the care with which we tend to the land, our relationship with the Earth, and the power within our culture. 

 

Yet, too often, our people and families are left behind due to racist systems that continue to oppress our communities. That’s why in 1993, leaders of the Oaxaqueño community founded CBDIO to support campesines and their families in the Central Valley in California.  As the first community based Indigenous-led organization in the state, we make sure our communities’ culture, languages, and knowledge are recognized and respected by the systems and institutions that impact our lives. 

 

As a growing movement of Indigenous leaders, we organize to make sure our community is ready to take action in our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and across California to build a better future for our families. For thirty years, Centro has been a bridge to connect the  Indigenous communities with health, legal and other resources.  We created the first Indigenous Interpreters program in California, wrote a Mixteco after school curriculum, supported access to COVID-related resources in multiple Indigenous languages, and mobilized $4.3 million in pandemic solidarity aid to over 3,000 Indigenous families across nine California counties.  

 

Our team comes from the communities we serve. Collectively we speak six Indigenous languages with 13 unique variants of Mixtec, Zapotec, Tlapaneco, Amuzgo, Chatino, and Triqui. We are organizers, interpreters and connectors to ensure that language and culture aren’t barriers between our community and the resources, services, and support they need. 

 

At CBDIO, we tap into our ancestral knowledge and inherent power to build a collective movement for racial and economic justice. We have a network of close to 60,000 Indigenous people in Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Monterey Counties…and we are growing. At the end of our day, our goal is simple: the self-determination of our Indigenous communities.