Monterey County is a medium-sized county located on the central coast of California and home to Salinas Valley, a rich agricultural region. Sixty percent of the county’s residents are Latinx/e, and more than half speak a non-English language at home. The county has a long history of community organizing to improve working conditions for farm workers.
Starting around 2010, Monterey County embarked on racial equity work involving a broad array of actors, from philanthropy to city and county leaders to national nonprofits to local community advocates in an approach called “Towards a Racially Equitable Monterey County.” Grounded in this ecosystem approach, Monterey County has advanced six critical efforts to address racial equity over the last decade.
Monterey County has built power and resilience by investing in community organizing and collaboration between multi-sectoral actors. However, Monterey County equity leaders highlight four key challenges for continued progress.
By continuing to center community self-determination and multi-sectoral collaborations, Monterey County can achieve future transformations in racial equity.