ByKris Putnam-Walkerly, May 21, 2021, 02:57pm EDT (view full article on Forbes)

“When I go to Santa Cruz, one of my greatest joys is visiting the Barrios Unidos headquarters and their retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains,” says award-winning actor and producer Danny Glover. Anyone who’s been an activist as long as Glover understands the necessity of a place to heal. Long before starring in the blockbuster Lethal Weapon franchise, having hit television productions like Lonesome Dove and Brothers & Sisters, and giving acclaimed performances in such classic films as The Color Purple, Mandela, Beloved, Grand Canyon, and Places in the Heart, Glover was working for racial and social justice.

For decades Glover has supported and championed Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos. This 40-year-old institution, led by Vietnam veteran and Chicano/Latino activist Nane Alejandrez, struggles for racial justice, advances prison reform through restorative justice, and supports formerly incarcerated citizens’ successful re-entry into society. Barrios Unidos provides extensive trauma-informed prison and neighborhood-based services to help at-risk young people and their families recover from violence and thrive. As part of its “La Cultura Cura” (culture cures) philosophy, the organization also relies on nature and traditional Native American ceremony at its five-acre mountain Walter Guzman Retreat Center outside Santa Cruz, California to build people back up and give them the strength and perspective to persevere.