What We Do
CoCo serves as a coalition builder, convener, and incubator that blends grassroots community organizing, civic engagement, advocacy, and mass communications to increase impact through strategic partnerships. We also mobilize residents through short—and long-term efforts.
Our dual focus on critical issues responds to the urgency and accountability necessary to positively impact South LA’s quality of life while inspiring residents to stay involved.
CoCo regularly leverages large-scale cultural and community events to bring visibility to South LA, reach a broader section of the Greater Los Angeles community, and cultivate joy. We do this via art and educational installations, Power Fest, our community-centered musical festival that also features visual and spoken word artists, and our People Power Convention, which is a mass organizing event where residents learn about educational equity, justice reinvestment, art activism, and unified voting power
Our campaigns and activism activities leverage the organizing, communications, advocacy, and direct action of the organization to mitigate harm our communities have suffered while fighting for long-term transformation.
Building people power through civic engagement is at the core of how CoCo keeps our “ears to the ground.” This allows us to develop new action campaigns.
“Civic engagement allows us to carry out our mission,” says Alberto Retanta, President and CEO of Community Coalition. CoCo engages the community, and the community keeps us informed on the issues they face, their aspirations for South LA, and what they think the solutions should be.”