Cenzontle:
Who We Are

We are a Language Justice Cooperative based in the Emma community in Asheville, North Carolina.

Cenzontle Language Justice Cooperative is a worker-owned cooperative in Western North Carolina of majority women, Latinx, first generation immigrants who grew up interpreting for our families and communities. Worker cooperatives are values-driven businesses that put worker and community benefit at the core of their purpose. We are based on cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity.

The word Cenzontle (pronounced centzontleh) comes from classical Nahuatl, a language of Central Mexico. It translates to mockingbird, “pájaro de cuatrocientas voces” (bird of 400 voices) - very fitting for a language cooperative!

Language Justice

A world where everyone can express themselves, be heard, and participate fully in their community.

Language justice is the commitment to creating inclusive multilingual spaces, where each of us can bring our whole selves into the room. It is the practice of actively building a world where English is not the dominant language in our spaces and where language is not a barrier to communication and community building. We want parents and caregivers encouraged to be involved in their children’s schools. We want our neighbors to have a say in land development decisions, and we want our elders to gather in community with us too. We stand as an essential part of the change, amplifying the voices of those who challenge systems of oppression.

We approach language justice work as a restorative practice.

We believe language is a tool for building and reclaiming power.

A space rooted in Language Justice allows us to begin the necessary conversations about healing the wounds of language injustice. In doing this work, we must address the history of language loss and language injustice as a result of colonialism, assimilation and slavery. We believe language is a tool for building and reclaiming the power that was taken from us through language loss and repression.

Cenzontle team smiles at the camera. There are four people sitting and two standing. There is a grass field and a creek behind them.
Cenzontle team sits on a small bridge over a creek in a grass field.
Cenzontle team stands outside of yellow la Esperanza office building, smiling and holding the Cenzontle sign.
Cenzontle team looks and smiles at each other while sitting on a small bridge over a creek with a grass field behind them.

Meet the Team

WHO WE ARE

  • Monse sits while wearing a colorful beaded necklace. She has a black long sleeve with a cutoff.

    Monserrat (she/ella)

    Steward/Linguist

    Monse is a Cenzontle founding member and has been a simultaneous interpreter since the age of 18 when she first attended an interpreting for social justice training. A queer Mexican immigrant, first brought to the U.S. at the age of five and calls the mountains of Western North Carolina her home. She is a resident-owner at Sourwood Mobile Home Cooperative and believes in the importance of altars and the magic of healing in community. She hopes to empower undocumented people to come out of the shadows and create change for their communities.

  • Omar sits wearing a cardigan and brown shirt with black pants.

    Omar (he/him/él)

    Coordinator

    Omar came to the United States from Mexico when he was 6 years old. He has worked in Pharmacy and in HIV medical case management, where he learned to voice Language Justice for his clients. He lives in West Asheville with his partner and their dogs, Sam and Pearl.

  • Eva sits wearing a black dress with green flowers and a blue blazer.

    Eva (she/elle)

    Linguist

    Born in Mexico City, Eva studied at Southern California School of Interpretation. She has worked as an interpreter and translator for diverse and multicultural communities. She came to the Appalachian Mountains in 2016 and made Asheville her home ever since. She is passionate about metaphysics, working with BIPOC communities, social work and is very excited to contribute to Cenzontle´s amazing work.

  • Jackie stands next to a big plant with chunky orange earrings and a black blazer.

    Jackie (she/they)

    Linguist/Consultant

    Jackie grew up in Miami, FL, and has called Western North Carolina her home since 2006. Her deep connection to language was inspired by her immigrant mother, but her commitment to language justice work began in 2008 during an internship with Student Action with Farmworkers. She developed her interpreting skills through mentorship with the Center for Participatory Change and organizing in the local immigrant rights movement. Jackie worked at Buncombe County Schools for 5 years supporting migrant farmworkers, immigrant & refugee youth and their families, and has helped community members navigate English-dominant systems through advocacy and accompaniment in countless other settings. She is raising 3 bilingual children with very long names and no hyphens! Jackie is a founding member of Cenzontle.

  • Ingrid sits with a patterned white jacket, a black shirt, and jeans.

    Ingrid (ella/she)

    Linguist

    Ingrid is a Chilean and Cuban immigrant. Born and raised in Chile until 2017, she then graduated from Asheville High school, in her new home in the mountains. Recently graduated from Sweet Briar College, she is passionate about social and racial justice, immigrant rights, and environmental justice. She loves being bilingual, el reggaeton, being in nature, and spending time with her dogs. Ingrid decided to pursue interpretation as a career after participating in a Language Justice training with Cenzontle!

  • Dulce sits with a blue off-shoulder blouse, it has pink and orange flowers.

    Dulce (she/her)

    Linguist

    Dulce was born and raised in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico. She got her professional title as a Bilingual Executive Assistant in the summer of 2013. She moved to Asheville in 2015 and immediately fell in love with the Appalachian mountains. She participated in the Language Justice Interpretation Training in 2022 and decided to join the Cenzontle’s team in March 2023. Since then, she has been learning and gaining experience, perspective and feelings about the importance of communication as a central aspect of existence, human rights and social justice.