In the heart of rural Nevada, a quiet revolution is taking root. Gerardo Lopez, the Rural Organizing Manager for Make the Road Nevada, is leading a bold initiative to nurture progressive voices in nine towns across the state. His mission? To prove that even in the most conservative strongholds, there’s fertile ground for change.
“I have experience working with rural communities in California, but it’s very different in some of these rural towns in Nevada and the rest of the country.” Lopez admits. While he sees the incredible resilience and untapped potential of the nine communities with predominantly working class Latino demographics, “It’s slow. We already know that organizing takes time, it’s about building those relationships and trust in the community. It’s almost tenfold when you’re doing this in the rural community.” With a background in labor and tenant organizing, Lopez brings a fresh perspective to this new frontier of community building.
The landscape isn’t easy to navigate. Many of these towns are “border towns,” with economies reliant on commuters. Language barriers and limited access to information create obstacles. But where others might see challenges, Lopez sees opportunities.
In Elko, he uncovered a close-knit enclave of immigrants from Zacatecas, Mexico, drawn by the familiar mining economy. In Winnemucca, he found a hunger for Spanish-language news. These connections aren’t just interesting tidbits – they’re the seeds of future organizing efforts.
Lopez’s approach is rooted in listening and relationship-building. “We really want to hear what you all have to say and help you guide us to best support you,” he explains. This patient, community-driven approach is already bearing fruit.
In Pahrump, Make the Road Nevada recently hired its first local organizer – a significant milestone. The new Outreach Organizer, Rebecca Hayword quickly identified one of the key areas of need in the region: medical access. She immediately tapped into support.
They’re now collaborating with Remote Area Medical to provide translation services at an upcoming health clinic. “Remote Area Medical has a huge need for translation, and we can be live, in person, to translate for folks.” Lopez shares that paying attention to a local need and showing up to fill it is a crucial first step. “Not only is she helping serve her community’s medical needs, she has also spoken up during county commissioner meetings to counter the anti-immigrant/anti-houseless narrative that has been the topic of conversation in previous meetings. “
As the project grows, Lopez and Hayword are identifying more issues of critical importance. In October, they attended a townhall hosted by the Amargosa Conservancy to discuss the impact of massive solar development coming to Pahrump and the neighboring unincorporated communities, where, once again, language access was brought up as a barrier of engagement, given that there is a significant Spanish speaking population in the Amargosa Valley. “We are currently working on a partnership where I help translate their outreach materials to help with engagement and they help us identify community members looking to organize.”
Each of these relationships present an opportunity for attitude and systems change..
Lopez’s commitment shines through when he talks about the potential he sees. “It’s important to highlight the non-English speakers that exist in some of these towns,” he insists. “If rural towns in general are getting overlooked, these non-English speakers are completely forgotten about.”
The work isn’t without its challenges, especially in places where one-party rule seems entrenched. But Lopez remains undeterred. “Even if you may feel like it’s not gonna move anything, it’s important to get that on record,” he advises community members. “That’s even more reason why we should be coming back and bringing more folks and being even louder.”
His optimism is rooted in past successes. As a tenant organizer, Lopez helped build an advocacy group that achieved significant wins. “We were able to mobilize folks who had been renting for 30, 40 years.” He recalls the harrowing work of people who felt like they had no other choice. “We were staying up late until the middle of the night just to be able to make public comment. That was just super empowering, seeing that commitment from folks and seeing direct policy changes.” Their efforts resulted in direct policy changes, including rental assistance programs for folks losing their job and increased legal support for tenants facing eviction.
Now, he’s bringing that same participatory approach to rural Nevada. “It’s about hearing people out, throwing it back on them, and being like, ‘What do you all want to do? Where do we go from here?'” Lopez explains.
The energy is building. In Winnemucca, there’s talk of reviving a Spanish-language newspaper. In Boulder City, conversations about accessibility are gaining traction. These may seem like small steps, but Lopez sees them as the beginning of a larger movement.
“It’s important to be mindful of folks’ different level of engagement and encouraging folks to enter at whatever capacity they feel comfortable,” Lopez says, emphasizing the value of every contribution to the movement.
The message is clear: progressive voices in rural communities are not just surviving – they’re beginning to thrive. With investment, recognition, and support from the broader progressive movement, these seeds of change can grow into a powerful force for transformation.
As Gerardo Lopez and his team continue their work, they’re not just organizing communities – they’re challenging stereotypes and reimagining what rural advocacy can look like. And that story is just beginning.
