Check out our Q&A with Affordable Housing Policy Manager Vee Sanchez below. Congratulations on 4 years with Empower Missouri, Vee!
What does “People-Powered Policy Change” mean to you?
It means ordinary people growing our capacity to cogovern. It means our communities set and advance the people’s agenda and are not merely spokespersons, but leaders and experts in their own right. Real change happens when the people most impacted lead the way, whether it’s neighbors coming together to organize for safer living conditions, families pushing for food security, or communities coming together to build, win, and sustain what they need to flourish.
What accomplishment are you most proud to have been a part of?
I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to join with others to seed two tenant unions in Missouri. Watching neighbors build deep relationships, stand up, take risks together because they know they deserve better – and they hatch a plan to win? Organizing has been and continues to be a constant reminder that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.
How have you seen the organization grow or change in the time you’ve been involved?
We’ve grown so much. From a smaller staff that was mostly in KC and STL to now having folks in SE, SW, and Mid MO. It’s really deepened our understanding of people’s lived experiences and expanded our sense of what’s possible when people from every corner of the state have a seat at the table.
What do you hope to see in the next 25 years for Missouri?
I hope to see a Missouri where people have real power over the decisions that shape their lives and communities – where we look out for each other, where belonging is for everyone, and where we lean into our state motto: Salus populi suprema lex esto – the welfare of the people is the supreme law.
Describe Empower Missouri in three words.
Dynamic. Growing. Learning.
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