We Broke Ground and So Much More at The TransLatin@ Coalition’s Groundbreaking Ceremony

The TransLatin@ Coalition’s historic groundbreaking marks a new era for TGI communities in Los Angeles

On a bright Friday morning on Sunset Boulevard, surrounded by community members, elected officials, partners, and chosen family, The TransLatin@ Coalition did something no TGI-led immigrant organization has done before in Los Angeles: we broke ground on land for a building we will own. It will become the home of our future offices, a moment seventeen years in the making.

Ownership means permanence. It means stability for the people who walk through our doors. It means that no lease renewal, no landlord, and no political climate can take away the ground beneath our feet. That future began on April 10, 2026.

Before the ceremony began, Mariachi Arcoiris welcomed guests with traditional Mexican music as attendees gathered around the main stage. Shortly after, a member of The TransLatin@ Coalition, alongside a community leader, performed a land acknowledgment and blessing of the site.

President and CEO Bamby Salcedo opened the ceremony with remarks that set the tone, not only for the event, but for what this building represents. After thanking those who made the moment possible, she grew emotional. Cheered on by the crowd chanting “sí se puede,” she reflected: “Even when we thought we couldn’t get off the streets, back in the ’80s, when there was no support, no help for any of us, we could only dream, but this place is now a reality.” Her words carried the weight of years of sacrifice, loss, and relentless work.

Following the program, Vice President and COO Maria Roman-Taylorson shared an original poem, The Future Is Bright, including the lines: “The future is bright, together we ignite, as we unite in the fight, we become the light, from surviving to thriving, we step in our might, because we are the flame–and the future is bright.”

Maria Roman-Taylorson reciting “The Future Is Bright”, a poem written by her for the special occasion

The event featured remarks from elected leaders and partners who have stood alongside the community, including Congresswoman Laura Friedman, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, Robin Toma, Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations, and Mark Faucette, Project Director at Advancing Human Potential. Each speaker underscored what this moment represents, not only for the organization, but for the broader fight for TGI rights and dignity at a time when those rights are under coordinated attack.

Between remarks, the crowd danced and clapped to performances by LZ Love and Jazzmun Nichcala Crayton, two artists whose lives and work embody the resilience and joy at the heart of this community. The energy in the crowd held grief and celebration, history and future, all at once.

Throughout the event, attendees wrote notes, created small pieces of art, and took Polaroid photos to be placed inside a time capsule. Bamby herself contributed personal objects, each carrying a heartfelt message. The capsule was then sealed and buried ten feet beneath the ground of the future site. It will be opened in thirty years, with the hope that whoever opens it will feel the love rooted in that April morning.

Bamby reading the letter she placed inside the time capsule, alongside other personal significant objects, that members of the T.G.I. community will get to see in thirty years.

Thank you to every community member, volunteer, donor, partner, and elected official who has supported The TransLatin@ Coalition over the years. This building is yours, too. It exists because you believed in us.

To the TGI community we serve, the people who come through our doors seeking care, support, safety, and belonging, this home is being built for you. Every floor, every room, every square foot.

As Maria said, “The future is bright, we are the flame.”

Construction on the Trans Wellness and Empowerment Center at 5314 Sunset Boulevard is expected to be completed in late 2027.