Founded in 1991, Padres y Jovenes Unidos (PJU, Norman grantee 2002–2007) traces its roots to a group of immigrant parents who came together after a local elementary school forced their children to eat off the floor as a form of discipline. From that founding moment of outrage, the parents built a powerful multiracial, multi-issue organization committed to advancing equality and justice in education and immigrant rights across Colorado.

In 2001, youth leaders created Jóvenes Unidos, an organizing home for young people to develop leadership skills and organize alongside their parents to address the criminalization of Black and Latino youth. In 2004, youth members released a groundbreaking report revealing that while 93% of students at Denver’s North High School wanted to go to college, few were prepared to do so. The youth used the data as an advocacy tool to propose reforms, including bilingual guidance counselors, additional college preparatory classes, and a restorative justice approach to school discipline, recommendations endorsed by over 100 organizations and local leaders. In 2007, that organizing paid off: PJU won new graduation requirements for Denver Public Schools, requiring a rigorous college prep curriculum aligned with college entrance requirements for all students, granting a significant victory for Black and Latino students who had long been tracked away from higher education. Today the organization continues its work as Movimiento Poder, a name adopted in 2021 to reflect the diversity of the Latino communities they serve across Colorado.