Mission
Raíces con Voz is a grassroots, community-led Latino collective rooted in Boyle Heights and serving communities across Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. We are dedicated to healing, empowerment, and collective care while advancing health, education, and social equity.
Raíces con Voz es un colectivo latino de base ubicado en Boyle Heights y sirviendo comunidades en Los Ángeles y el Inland Empire. Estamos dedicados a la sanación, el empoderamiento y el cuidado colectivo, promoviendo la salud, la educación y la equidad social.
Guided by cultural values and principles of mutual aid, we develop culturally grounded programming that centers youth, families, and community leadership. We intentionally support youth and young adults by creating pathways into public health, higher education, and workforce development opportunities.
Guiados por valores culturales y principios de ayuda mutua, desarrollamos programas culturalmente fundamentados que centran a la juventud, las familias y el liderazgo comunitario. Apoyamos intencionalmente a jóvenes y adultos jóvenes creando oportunidades hacia la salud pública, la educación superior y el desarrollo profesional.
Through wellness initiatives, mentorship, educational resources, food distributions, and advocacy efforts, we create safe, affirming spaces where individuals and families can access the tools, knowledge, and support they need to thrive.
A través de iniciativas de bienestar, mentoría, recursos educativos, distribuciones de alimentos y esfuerzos de defensa comunitaria, creamos espacios seguros y afirmativos donde individuos y familias pueden acceder a las herramientas y el apoyo necesario para prosperar.
We believe every voice matters creemos que cada voz importa and that lasting healing begins when youth, families, and communities uplift one another and lead their own paths toward dignity, access, and collective well-being.
Meet the Founder
I was born and raised in Boyle Heights a community defined by culture, resilience, and collective strength. Growing up there shaped my understanding of both the beauty and the barriers within Latino communities.
From an early age, I witnessed families navigating complex healthcare systems, language barriers, and limited access to preventive care. I saw how deeply our community supported one another and how many talented young people lacked mentorship to pursue careers in healthcare and public health.
Determined to better understand the systems impacting our neighborhoods, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from California State University, Los Angeles. During my academic journey, I interned at the Center for Bioethics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where I engaged in conversations around healthcare ethics, equity, and access to care. That experience strengthened my commitment to culturally responsive and community-centered health systems.
Today, I serve in clinical practice as a CCMA, working directly with patients. In exam rooms, I see firsthand how social determinants of health , housing instability, immigration stress, language barriers, financial hardship shape health outcomes long before a diagnosis is made. Clinical work has reinforced what I learned in public health: access and representation matter.
Raíces con Voz was created at the intersection of lived experience, public health education, and frontline clinical service. It is rooted in Boyle Heights but guided by a larger vision , that Latino communities should not only receive care, but lead in shaping it.
This work is personal. It reflects my journey as a first-generation Latino student, a public health graduate, and a healthcare professional serving the same types of communities that raised me.
Public health is not abstract policy. .It is the family navigating systems.
Raíces con Voz exists to cultivate leadership from within and ensure that our community’s voice is present in every room where health decisions are made.
Miguel Montes
Founder, Raíces con Voz