Our Crowdfunding Groups
In 1989, what started as a vision of four Latinx undergraduate students at UC Berkeley, Angel Ortiz, Eddie Duque, George Alva, and Issa Martinez, has now changed the lives of thousands and thousands of largely first-generation Latinx students across the state as their inspiration and example have led to new chapters in 16 California higher education schools. In the course of their beginning, Angel, Eddie, George, and Issa aimed to provide Latinx students with place to build community and establish a support system for minority students to increase retention rates at Cal. Hermanos Unidos strengthens and promotes the growth within the member's in our space by working toward self-determination through a concept we call "El Nuevo Hombre/La Nueva Persona." During this process, Hermanos Unidos focuses on three pillars: Academic Excellence, Community Engagement, and Social Networking. These pillars facilitate Hermanos to collectively reach new heights regarding academic achievement, selflessly serving the community, and professional excellence. In doing so, we show Fuerza de Nuestra Hermandad!
Quetzalcoatl, the indigenous Aztec God of intelligence and self-reflection, which is a feathered intertwined serpent, is symbolized in Hermanos Unidos materials and are key to understanding two concepts: El Nuevo Hombre/La Nueva Persona and Fuerza en la Hermandad (The New Person and Strength in Community). The intertwined serpents represent the powerful bond of Familia (Family) that all Hermanos must hold with each other. As the serpent sheds it skin and it becomes something new, Hermanos Unidos seeks to promote the growth and development of all Hermanos towards a greater potential. El Nuevo Hombre/La Nueva Persona challenges the narratives placed upon them by society and the systems of oppression that hurt them and their communities. By stripping away these negatives and pushing through that discomfort, we seek to transform ourselves and the communities we serve. Our unique greeting serves as a daily reminder to constantly push ourselves, remembering our history, and transform the future. Only by learning our history we can preserve it, understand it, and ultimately add to it.
One of Hermanos Unidos's objectives is to educate each of its members by staging forums on such issues as culture, homophobia, sexism, racism, and any other subject pertaining to a better understanding of the society which confronts us. These forums are known as "Platicas" that are organized by our executive committee board. This past year, despite the unfortunate COVID-19 season, Hermanos Unidos successfully managed to host three virtual "Platicas" by inviting guest speakers regarding anti-machismo, decolonization, and sexual violence and harassment. In addition, the executive committee also developed a 20-page constitution to further protect our members from sexual violence and sexual harassment. By learning from the different perspectives of each member and valuable experiences of guest speakers, this Familia serves as a catalyst for the understanding of the issues which affect all marginalized communities our members identify with. In order for these events to happen, we seek to collect funds for honorariums for our guest speakers and meals for our attendees.
Throughout the year, Hermanos Unidos engages in various community engagement activities to strengthen our relationship with our surrounding communities. In a typical in-person setting, our organization organizes "Brown Bags," which is an activity where we prepare and donate meals for day laborers in the surrounding Berkeley communities. Most of the individuals that we serve are Latinx and undocumented, so we provide guides and pamphlets to these individuals that provide information regarding legalities shall they need to access any resources. Other community service events include mentoring first-generation high school students transition into higher education, provide campus tours for K-12 schools, and fundraise for local non-profit initiatives. This past summer, Hermanos Unidos was able to raise $1,000 and matched the donation to support the Black Lives Matter movement and Houseless Aid Initiatives. Please help us reach our goal to continue providing resources for our community and uplifting the next generation of scholars!
Hermanos Unidos is a very diverse space when it comes to academics. Given that we have more than 100 active members, we take academic excellence as an important concern as we strive to retain and help graduate as many Latinx students as possible. To make this goal achievable, Hermanos Unidos hosts weekly academic workshops, study groups, and study hours to ensure academic success individually and collectively. Since our beginning, Hermanos Unidos has graduated thousands of students through the support system that is provided in our space. To reward members for their hard work, we award Hermanos with scholarships to aid their academic endeavors. During this COVID-19 pandemic, many of our members experience financial uncertainty as their technologic and academic needs can not be met. Your donation will help us reach our goal to support our Hermanos during this unfortunate time by providing more scholarships!
30% of the donations will go towards community service events and providing meals for day laborers
20% of the donations will go towards hosting social networking events and Platicas 
50% of the donations will go towards providing scholarships and academic resources
Thank you for taking the time to read more about Hermanos Unidos. We look forward to your contributions and feel free to visit us on our social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram @hu_berkeley! Feel free to contact us with any questions. Fuerza and Go Bears!
If you donate $20, you will receive a social media shoutout from any of of our social media pages!
If you donate $50, you will receive a handwritten thank you note signed by all of our steering members!
If you donate $100, you will receive a personalized thank you video from our steering committee!
