ABOUT

Brava is a Spanish word meaning fierce. To be brava means to be willing to take action and fight for change.

Iliana Santillan, Brava NC Founder and Executive Director, has not just witnessed, but also affected change in North Carolina over the last two decades. As an educator, she stood with immigrant families and their children, witnessing firsthand the racism, neglect, and injustice in schools. Stepping fully into movement work, she built a multigenerational pipeline, uplifted dozens of young leaders, and carved out space for immigrant power in NC’s media and political arenas.

Today, Iliana moves between the grassroots and the halls of power with precision, purpose, and deep accountability to her people.

Being brava: iliana Santillan

Mission

Brava NC builds political power, cultural pride, and grassroots infrastructure to ensure that immigrant communities—and all communities pushed to the margins—can thrive. Through advocacy, civic engagement, strategic communications, and bold organizing, we equip people with the tools to fight for justice and win.

Vision

We envision a North Carolina where immigrants of all backgrounds, statuses, genders, ages, and classes are not just represented, but leading. A state where our cultures are celebrated, our voices are amplified, and our power is undeniable. 

Our Values

  • Paqta (Quechua) Meaning together or equality

    In order to truly win, we must build collective power across races, genders, ages, classes, faiths, etc. Those with power stoke division to further skew the imbalance of power in their favor. Our strength lies in intersectional collaboration focused on building power for all together.

  • Nelli (Nahuatl) Meaning truth.

    In an era of disinformation, anti-intellectualism, and AI news, Brava aims to be a reliable source of information for our community to better understand current events and dispel rumors. We hold ourselves accountable to our community, as we hold our leaders accountable to the people.

  • Incendio (Spanish) a fire, a blaze.

    Blazing trails is hardly easy, but progress rarely is. Brava is committed to learning and growing with the community as needs and strategies evolve. Our strength lies in the courage to face the unknown and embrace change.

  • Populus (Latin) the people.

    All of Brava’s work is intentionally informed by our culture and the community. Through active participation with our people and embracing our roots, we are committed to forging proud communities free to be who they are. In the fight for human rights, we will not forget human beings.