A Chance to Change the World: FY19-21 Annual Report
by Ben Scolaro
title
A Chance to Change the World: FY19-21 Annual Report
client
Chicanos Por La Causa
Submission by
Ben Scolaro
Project Lead
Ben Scolaro / Manager of Creative Services, Designer, Photographer
Contributors
Bill Irwin, Director of Marketing Miguel Montañez, Production Artist Veronica Carrillo, Fundraising Specialist
Chicanos Por La Causa’s (CPLC) Annual Report is the final piece of our 2020 campaign, A Chance to Change the World. We chose this theme (based on a quote by Chicana activist Dolores Huerta) in anticipation of a historic presidential election. Little did we realize that the pandemic would end up changing the world in ways we could not have anticipated.
The campaign uses block lettering to hearken to protest imagery—and the accompanying sense of urgency—of the Civil Rights Movement. It employs B+W photography in the style of Platon and stark art direction to convey the contrasting choice in the presidential election.
This duality also speaks to the dual realities of COVID-19. As white-collar workers transitioned to work from home, low-income and minority communities—and in particular, Latinas—bore the burden. These groups disproportionately suffered the economic toll and worked high-risk “essential” jobs that made quarantining possible so many others.
These populations are the faces represented in this document, as they are the populations CPLC focused on supporting during this historic time. Every phrase of our theme aligns with CPLC’s impact during COVID-19:
-“An organizing opportunity” represents how CPLC’s small-business lending program adapted to offer PPP-loans—a lifeline to small businesses. Ultimately, CPLC ended up administering more PPP loans than any other entity in the country.
-“A potential activist” is a tribute to CPLC’s impact on farmworkers—an often-overlooked population which makes our food supply possible and continued working through COVID at high personal risk. These services inspired a former client to educate herself and advocate for her community.
-“A chance to change the world” highlights the “digital divide” exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as learning went online, and low-income families were left behind. CPLC changed the world for the families we connected with computers and internet access.
Ben Scolaro
As an in-house designer and photographer at Arizona-based nonprofit, Chicanos Por La Causa, I consider it a privilege to use my work to amplify under-represented voices in Arizona. Design at its best serves as a bridge—connecting people with stories and ideas outside of their experience. I find it deeply enriching every time I sit down with one of CPLC’s clients—whether they be a farmworker, domestic violence survivor, or small business owner—to connect with them personally and learn about their story. It’s a joy to use my craft to share that story in a dignified and compelling way with others outside this community who might not have any idea what this individual experiences on a daily basis. My hope is that by sharing these stories, I am able to help bring the rich, diverse communities across Arizona a little bit closer together.