LUPE: La Unión del Pueblo Entero

La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) is a non-profit organization in San Juan, Texas, founded by the United Farm Workers Movement and recognized by the Department of Justice. LUPE is a power-building, membership-based organization dedicated to helping disenfranchised and working-class people recognize their own voice, agency, and collective strength. It believes that every person holds the power to shape their community and to participate fully in public life. Through a model that connects social services, leadership development, civic engagement, and grassroots organizing, LUPE activates this power across the Rio Grande Valley and throughout its growing membership network.

LUPE builds pueblo power by meeting people where they are and by reminding them that they already possess the knowledge and ability to create change. Each year, LUPE’s trusted and culturally rooted services support more than 8,000 members. These services include immigration assistance, tax preparation, health navigation, notary support, and free adult education classes. Services are the first step in a deeper relationship, inviting members to see themselves not only as individuals seeking help but also as leaders capable of transforming the systems that shape their daily lives.

Guided by the values of respect, self-help, equity, integrity, and a Sí Se Puede attitude, LUPE invests heavily in developing strong community leaders. Organizers and members work side by side to identify issues that affect working-class and marginalized communities, including infrastructure, access to health care, immigrant rights, workers’ rights, LGBTQ+ justice, climate resilience, and more. Members lead neighborhood campaigns, form committees, and develop strategies that bring real improvements to their communities. They also drive LUPE’s civic engagement efforts by educating voters, turning out the vote, and advocating at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure their communities are heard.

LUPE is more than an organization. It is a movement created by and for everyday people who want a future rooted in dignity, justice, and belonging. Through collective action, shared leadership, and community vision, LUPE helps people step into their power and use it to build stronger neighborhoods, a stronger region, and a more democratic society for all.

Visit Lupenet.org for information about our offices in: Rio Grande City, Alton, San Benito, and San Juan.