Politicizing the family: How grassroots organizations mobilize Latinos for political action in Colorado

Many will remember 2006 as a pivotal moment in the history of Latino activism. That year protestors took to the streets to oppose HR 4437, a bill that would have criminalized undocumented immigrants, and to support humane immigration reform. While many assumed the marches happened spontaneously, grassroots organizations played a pivotal role in mobilizing Latinos and immigrants for political action by emphasizing cultural values, especially familism, to convey the significance of the marches and immigration reform more broadly. Using interview data with grassroots organizers in Denver, Colorado, this article shows how and why family-oriented frames were used to mobilize protestors.