This is the second post in our School of Political Leadership (SoPL) blog series! This year, 14 dynamic leaders are joining SoPL to build powerful advocacy campaigns that drive racial, economic, and environmental justice in our food and farm systems. Over six months, participants will dive into leadership training, strategy development, and mentorship—gaining the skills and support they need to create lasting change. Stay tuned as we follow their journey! 💡🌱✨
By Jorge Michovich (FJNWA)
Joining HEAL’s School of Political Leadership (SoPL) through my work as a community organizer with Food Justice NW Aurora (FJNWA) has been very powerful. FJNWA is a grassroots non-profit in Aurora, Colorado, rooted in the belief that food justice is inseparable from racial justice, immigrant rights, and community power. Our mission in NW Aurora is to transform local food systems so that they nourish our communities. Some of our work is focused on immigrant-owned small markets, culturally relevant foods, and community-led solutions.
FJNWA applied to SoPL with a clear purpose: to strengthen our organizing strategies and align them with the broader efforts shaping the future of our neighborhood since the local Walmart and Walgreens closed last summer in 2024. We are especially gaining trust in the community through our involvement in the Colfax Community Vision and Action Plan working group. This plan is an initiative sponsored by the city of Aurora and unfortunately is not centered around equity, anti-displacement, and community ownership. Yet this process offers us an unprecedented opportunity to embed food justice into the very fabric of Colfax Avenue’s future.
FJNWA came to SoPL hoping to develop a more strategic vision for our team as we hope to create a just food system in our community. FJNWA believes SoPL’s tools, perspectives, and relationships will help the organization sharpen our work and amplify our impact as we engage more deeply with this critical community planning process.
Session 3 of SoPL was focused on Power Analysis & Campaign Strategy Development, and facilitated by Jose Oliva, HEAL’s Campaigns Director. The session really helped us establish a baseline understanding of power, and learn nuts and bolts of campaign strategy and planning, including power mapping.
My Takeaways!
- Power is built, not just held. The session helped me reframe power as something relational and dynamic. In the context of Colfax, that means community members—residents, small business owners, and local organizers—can build power collectively to influence how decisions are made and who benefits from neighborhood change.
- Power mapping reveals both barriers and possibilities. Through mapping power in our food system, FJNWA began to identify the institutions shaping access and development along Colfax. From city planning departments to local grocers, from neighborhood associations to developers, understanding these players helps us strategize more effectively. It also clarified which relationships we need to strengthen—and where we might push for accountability.
- Our campaign is a vehicle for community voice. FJNWA’s campaign—to support immigrant-owned small markets as cultural food hubs—and sadly this vibrant part of Colfax Avenue is not connected to the current Colfax Plan’s goals of economic vitality, safety and redevelopment. The power analysis session affirmed that our campaign isn’t just about food—it’s about claiming space, voice, and ownership in the future of Colfax.
- Strategy transforms passion into impact. FJNWA has been passionate about food justice from its inception, yet this session helped us break that passion into actionable steps. We’re learning to identify concrete goals, align our tactics with our values, and remain flexible enough to adapt as the political landscape evolves.
- FJNWA’s vision is shared—and growing. Engaging with other SoPL teams reminded us that our work is part of a national movement toward food sovereignty. The Colfax Plan is our local stage, but the vision we’re building echoes across cities, neighborhoods, and communities everywhere fighting for the right to shape their own futures. We share a kindred spirit with our fellow cohort members in Mississippi, New York, California, and Colorado.
Visioning for the Future
FJNWA’s campaign directly challenges power by asserting that the people most affected by food insecurity and displacement must also be the ones shaping their solutions. As the Colfax Community Vision and Action Plan moves from planning to implementation, we’re working to ensure that immigrant-owned markets, and local BIPOC residents are not left behind but instead positioned as leaders in this development.
Over the next few months at SoPL, we plan to deepen our campaign strategy, organize powerfully with the neighborhood community. Next is the implementation phase, and FJNWA will keep uplifting the voices of those who have long been excluded from planning tables. We believe that food justice can be part of how Colfax reimagines itself. With the tools and insights from SoPL, we’re better prepared to make good use of the tools we have been learning.
About Jorge
Jorge grew up in Washington, D.C., with family roots in Bolivia, Spain, and Serbia. He is a proud father of three boys, all born and raised in Colorado. Before joining FJNWA, Jorge spent 15 years as a high school Spanish teacher in Denver Public Schools, working with traditionally underserved communities in West Denver, Montbello, and Green Valley Ranch. He brings over 20 years of experience as a Spanish teacher, business owner, and consultant in the Denver metro area, collaborating on educational and professional projects with local business owners and students. A lifelong learner, Jorge holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lee University in Tennessee. In his free time, he enjoys practicing yoga and spending time outdoors with his sons, hiking and camping. However, he finds the most joy in creating art and writing poetry.