Before forming El Quinto Sol de America, founder Irma Medellin was involved in the Immigrant Photography Project. Through this program, Irma was able to preserve numerous photos of immigrant farm workers in their daily lives. She saw first hand the injustices being suffered by the immigrant community and was inspired to help change the conditions in which these people experienced life here in the Central Valley of California. In 2003, along with Victor Cervantes, Irma founded El Quinto Sol de America as a way to create a bridge between the resources available in Tulare County and those that needed them.
Mission of EQS
El Quinto Sol de América's mission is to utilize art, culture and education as principal tools to help create more just and equitable communities, including achieving a higher quality of life for farm worker communities. We firmly believe in individuals' abilities and capacity to succeed. We know that by improving farm workers' communication skills and civic participation they will begin to feel more valued and will believe in their own capability and creative potential. This will form the basis for a community-wide transformation that will eventually result in improved quality of life within farm worker communities.
