[Excerpt]

Eddie Anaya, a Catholic lawyer and lifelong resident of a colonia called Las Milpas, got involved as a young man with Valley Interfaith, an affiliate of the West/Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation, because his Mexican immigrant mother, Carmen Anaya, was one of its co-founders. When he was growing up, Anaya said Las Milpas had no water, sewers, street paving or lighting or police force.

Anaya chauffeured his mother around the state and interpreted for her at meetings with other Texas IAF affiliates as they championed 1989 state legislation that provided funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, which Anaya said stimulated other improvements in the community.

In Las Milpas, where the Catholic Church is the center of community life, Anaya said, conversations after Mass shaped a political agenda for the whole community through Valley Interfaith and backed by the Diocese of Brownsville. “ When you organize around Scripture and put it into action, that not only strengthens the community, but also makes people understand the Gospel much better,” said Anaya….

(Photo Credit: Eddie Anaya)

In Texas' Border Region, Faith is the Bond for Underserved Colonias to Command Attention, Religious News Service [pdf]

City of Pharr Set to Adopt Valley Interfaith’s Initiatives for Las Milpas, Rio Grande Guardian International News Service [pdf]

Anaya: Finally, Las Milpas Residents Feel Part of Pharr, Rio Grande Guardian International News Service [pdf]

Las Milpas, a Case Study in how Civic Engagement can Improve a Community, Rio Grande Guardian International News Service [pdf]