Raíces has come a long way since co-founders Michael Esposito and Yolanda Alcorta met with the late Tony Moreira at Yolanda’s house in April 1991 to discuss whether to call the organization “Raíces Culturales” or “Raíces Folklóricas.” Yolanda felt that Raíces Culturales was more inclusive of important cultural elements that did not necessarily fall under the umbrella of folklore, and history has proven her right. In fact, it was that constant give and take that made Michael and Yolanda work well together as a team for 15 years and expand the scope of the organization from its beginnings as a performers’ coalition to a multifaceted arts entity. When Yolanda needed to move to Washington, DC at the end of 2005, Raíces was, for several months, in danger of going under completely until Verónica Castillo-Pérez came on the scene in 2006 to succeed Yolanda as Executive Director (see Frederick Wherry’s book The Philadelphia Barrio for a description of Raíces and other community organizations), and grow the mission and reach of the organization even further until Mary Rivera succeeded Verónica in 2012.

In spite of heroic efforts, Raíces, like so many other nonprofits, confronted the harsh reality of a shrinking economy, and the organization found itself in the same place it had been in 2005. A discussion in June 2015 for planning a 25th anniversary celebration turned into an assessment of Raíces’ viability. The Board, led by Harry Perales, invited Michael to their meeting and shared their conclusion that Raíces could not continue in its current state. Michael indicated that he would return to Raíces (he had retired from active duty on the Board in 2009) and continue its mission. Yolanda immediately agreed to join him, and plans were made for a transition.

Michael and Yolanda agreed that Raíces could reinvent itself not only to address current economic realities but also take advantage of how technology can bring people together in ways that would not have been possible in 1991. In fact, the activities that Michael and Yolanda have pursued while they were not actively involved in Raíces have given the reinvented organization a head start. Yolanda has spent years successfully organizing Latino cultural events in Washington, having developed a close relationship with the Smithsonian Institution and tapping into the diverse Latino community in the DC area. Michael has continued his interest in culture by developing newsletters in Yahoo groups for Latin American and Caribbean constituencies, and creating the Folklorelatino Facebook page. A new group of collaborators have joined Michael and Yolanda with a renewed energy and sense of purpose to build on the first 25 years of Raíces and lead it into an even more promising future.