Poder NC Education Fund, also known as Poder NC and Poder NC Action, is a far-left Latino activist group that agitates against what it calls “fascism and white supremacy” in America and in favor of abortion access, minority issues, and LGBT interests. The founder of Poder NC Action, Irene Godinez, is a former campaign staffer for the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. ^{1 2 3 4}

Poder NC Education Fund is fiscally sponsored by Southern Vision Alliance, a left-of-center advocacy organization based in Durham, North Carolina, that operates as an incubator for left-wing organizing targeting young people. ⁵

Activities

Poder NC Education Fund aims to increase participation of “Latinx folks” in the electoral process in North Carolina and to disrupt Latino mistrust in government. The organization describes itself as “fiercely pro-Black, pro-Latinx, pro-LGBTQ+, and pro-Reproductive Justice.” ⁶

In 2024, Poder NC Action’s main priorities were to increase “Latinx voter turnout,” facilitate civic participation, and “build a home of authentic belonging for young Latinx.” The group’s strategies to achieve these goals included electoral engagement with Latino voters, civic engagement, and community building, particularly through social hours, parties at the polls, and other activities. The organization’s signature event is Ballots y Belezza, where the group provides low-frequency Latino voters with free beauty services while a “Poder Ambassador” walks attendees through a sample ballot. Poder NC Action also hosts annual statewide youth summits to increase youth activism and hosted the 2024 Southern Summit where “beacons of progressivism” could meet “in the ongoing battle against fascism and white supremacy.” ⁷

In July 2024, Poder NC celebrated the decision of President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Co-executive director of Poder NC said “we are more optimistic than ever” about “having a real opportunity to fight of fascism now that President Joe Biden listened to voter concerns and is withdrawing from the Presidential race.” ⁸

On its social media channels, Poder NC Action criticized North Carolina for only having 14 abortion clinics ⁹ and re-posted a Twitter posting calling Israel’s response to the October 2023 Hamas terrorist attach “genocidal attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.” ¹⁰

People

The founder and co-executive director of Poder NC Education Fund is Irene Godinez. Godinez is also a leadership coach at Lead NC and was previously the vice president of marketing and communications at United Way of the Greater Triangle and Latinx vote director in North Carolina for the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. ^{11 12}

The other co-executive director of Poder NC Action is Mawiyah Patten. Patten is also a facilitator and curriculum developer for Auralite Collective, creating workshops focused on race, gender, class, and sexual orientation, and was previously a field program director for Alliance for Climate Education and an Alabama state coordinator for URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. ^{13 14}

Financials

Poder NC Education Fund is fiscally sponsored by Southern Vision Alliance. Southern Vision Alliance is a left-of-center advocacy organization based in Durham, North Carolina, that operates as an incubator for left-wing organizing targeting young people. Southern Vision Alliance has alleged ties to the communist Workers World Party. Poder NC Action describes itself as a 501(c)(4) that is a “501c3 fiscally sponsored project of Southern Vision Alliance.” ^{15 16 17}

According to tax filings, in 2022 Poder NC Action reported $1,629,887 in revenue, $1,849,767 in expenses, and $306,416 in assets. Of the organization’s expenses, $621,324 was spent on voter engagement, $242,662 was spent on community engagement, and $377,220 was spent on other programs including communications and leadership development for minority women. That same year, Poder NC Education Fund gave $50,500 to Casa Azul, an organization to support the “Latinx” community of Wilson County. ¹⁸

1. “About Us.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.podernc.org/about/.
2. “Our Work.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.podernc.org/our-work/.
3. “Irene Godinez.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenegodinez/.
4. “El Equipo.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 20224. https://www.podernc.org/el-equipo/.
5. “Poder NC Education Fund.” Southern Vision Alliance. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://southernvision.org/project/poder-nc-education-fund/
6. “About Us.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.podernc.org/about/.
7. “Our Work.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.podernc.org/our-work/.
8. “Novedades.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.podernc.org/novedades/.
9. @PoderNCaCtion. Tweet on July 27. 2022. Twitter.  Accessed July 22, 2024. https://twitter.com/PoderNCAction/status/1541520445975019521.
10. @PoderNCAction. Re-Tweet of @Joshreubner on November 2, 2023. Twitter. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://twitter.com/joshruebner/status/1720196835472498973.
11. “Irene Godinez.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenegodinez/.
12. “El Equipo.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 20224. https://www.podernc.org/el-equipo/.
13. “Mawiyah Patten.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mawiyah-patten-3525aa88/.
14. “El Equipo.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 20224. https://www.podernc.org/el-equipo/.
15. “Poder NC Education Fund.” Southern Vision Alliance. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://southernvision.org/project/poder-nc-education-fund/.
16. “About Us.” Poder NC. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.podernc.org/about/.
17. “Elena Everett.” Mapping The Left. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.mappingtheleft.com/person/elena-everett/
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Poder NC Action. 2022.