Sanford Students interested in Social Innovation
Cecilia Polanco
cecilia.polanco@duke.edu
Cecilia S. Polanco is a local Durham community organizer and proud graduate of Durham Public Schools who believes #TheRevolutionWillBeWellFed. They are a descendent of the Salvadoran diaspora and indigenous peoples of El Salvador, a long time Durham resident, and local small business owner of So Good Pupusas social justice food truck, and founder of Pupusas for Education nonprofit community organization. They work in the fields of mental health advocacy, food and environmental justice, economic community development, youth development and organizing, community financial education and wealth building, and more just philanthropic and nonprofit systems. They value racial equity and anti-racism, intersectionality, the path from DEI to liberatory systems, building bridges of solidarity, freedom dreaming around decolonized strategies and systems, radical joy and celebration, and a visionary for a healing path forward together. As a facilitator they believe in co-creating brave spaces to grapple with both having experiences and being agents of harm, channeling our inner child in our work, and slowing down to prioritize connection, relationship, and heart centered work.