History

The Latina Center was established in 1999 under the leadership of the Executive Director, Miriam Wong. The Latina Center was founded on the belief that successful and effective community change must start with community leaders, especially women, who are crucial partners in making lasting changes to enhance community health.

The Latina Community Women's Health Leadership Program (LCWHL) or Mujeres, Salud y Liderazgo, was designed in Spanish by local Latina leaders to assure culturally appropriate program development and is a cultural and community-based adaptation of the California Women's Health Leadership program. Its goal is to improve the health status of Latina women and their families by providing skills-based trainings, opportunities for social support, expanding access to local resources and promoting community mobilization.

The first year of LCWHL, supported by funding from The Women's Foundation and the City of Berkeley, was a success due to the commitment of the first generation of 15 Latina Peer Leaders and 4 Faculty Advisors. Each year, more and more women have participated in the program. There are now more than 140 Peer Leaders who have graduated from the LCWHL program.