The Estria Foundation

Mission

The Estria Foundation shifts the social consciousness on critical human and environmental issues through education, art projects and community events around the globe.

The Foundation

The Estria Foundation (TEF) is a non-profit organization working to create social change through the creation of art. TEF was founded by Estria Miyashiro and Jeremy LaTrasse in 2010. It is dedicated to creating lasting systemic social change by empowering local communities to work collectively and participate in our global network. We work towards a society that places value on people and the environment above the accumulation of wealth.

10 Points of Unity

These ten points of unity define the politics of The Estria Foundation and guide our work.

• Free Speech
  We support freedom of expression, without fear of persecution.
• Human Rights
  We believe in the protection of human rights.
• Creativity
  creativity leads to a healthier, more balanced lifestyle, with tolerance, openness, improved problem-solving, and increased self-confidence.
• Self-Determination
  We support efforts for people to determine their own future.
• Racial, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Equality
  We oppose racism, classism, and gender and sexual discrimination.
• Personal and Professional Development
  We believe on-going study makes people more effective leaders for achieving social change.
• Youth as an Integral Part of Society
  Youth must be included in decision-making, and be given all opportunities for learning.
• Environmental Consciousness
  We encourage environmental consciousness and rally communities’ efforts to ensure the survival of the human race and other living creatures.
• Corporate Responsibility
  We encourage companies to have a positive impact on people and the environment.
• Engagement
  We require engagement from stakeholders and a sense of ownership among the local people where our projects are located.

Company Values

• Humility
• Honesty
• Forgiveness and Trust
• Equality and respect for diverse groups and opinions
• Efficiency; do more with less
• Solidarity; stand together on issues publicly
• Agreement to disagree, speak with respect and recognize when it’s time to move forward
• Strive continually to improve
• Respect; for the office and community
• Individual accountability and collective responsibility
• Balance, we encourage each other to enjoy all aspects of life
• Integrity; be real
• Quality; if we do something, we do it right
• Remain open to change
• Inspire creativity, passion, optimism and fun

Team Bios

Estria Miyashiro

Founder

Estria Miyashiro has been spray painting for over 26 years, and is recognized around the world as a graffiti art living legend. As a pioneer in an arts movement that is arguably more influential than the classical renaissance, he is acknowledged as a valued historian, and also a community leader who is helping to awaken the social and political consciousness of graffiti art.

Originally from Honolulu, Estria moved to The Bay Area in the 1980′s during San Francisco’s “Golden Age Of Graffiti.” He is credited with pioneering important painting techniques, and is the originator of the “stencil tip.” His murals are known to be whimsical, cultural, political, and vibrant, with a focus and dedication to uplift the communities they serve. His graffiti art background has led him to produce innovative projects as an educator, entrepreneur, and social activist. From the city streets, to executive suites, Estria has worked with numerous non-profit organizations, as well as high profile corporations. In 2007, he co-founded the “Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle”, a nationwide urban art competition that honors and advances creativity in the Hip Hop arts. In 2010 He co-founded the Estria Foundation, a community-based organization dedicated to lasting systemic and social change.

Jeremy LaTrasse

Founder

Jeremy LaTrasse is a compulsive entrepreneur who most recently met with some success as a co-founder of Twitter. His philanthropic endeavors are focused on; The Estria Foundation, and The Walden Center & School, a Berkeley California private elementary school founded for peace. Jeremy’s recent enterprises include the launch of a new company Message Bus.

Erin Yoshi

Executive Director

Born in Los Angeles, CA. Erin Yoshi was inspired at an early age by her parents to create. She was influenced by stories of her family’s experiences during the Internment Camps of WWII, which instilled curiosity for human capacity and politics of power. Her foundation as a community organizer has influenced her art and project themes. Yoshi tells stories and shares emotional expression with delicate brush strokes. Her artwork reflects of the struggle within communities, and the paradigms of social injustice and class struggles. The artwork has become the talking point, but the projects she creates have expanded her art form. Yoshi rides with The Trust Your Struggle Collective. Her work has been featured in Vibe, Ruckus, Spirit Magazine, El Tiempo and Time Out New York. Yoshi has left her imprint creating murals in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Chile and across the United States.

Nancy Hernandez

Water Writes Program Manager

Nancy has spent the past 15 years of her life incorporating art into the Bay Area movements for social justice. Gaining political education through the student walkouts against California’s anti-immigrant Prop 187, she joined the Schools Not Jails movement and stepped to the forefront of the NO ON PROP 21 campaign to fight the criminalization of youth and the growing prison industry. She helped build a student-run center to support matriculation of students of color and mobilized thousands to fight fee increases and budget cuts to education. She created art that was used a part of San Francisco’s monumental stance against the Iraq war and the May 1st movement for immigrant rights. A founder of the Ethnic Studies Conference, she has consistently worked towards incorporating art and people’s history into education

She worked in San Francisco’s Mission District for over 10 years to address the root causes of gang related violence. She was able to use silkscreening, stenciling, clothing design, graffiti and muralism to bring together youth from across gang lines. She taught high school for 3 years at June Jordan, a small public Social Justice-focused High School. Her students were able to work with local graffiti legends to paint the walls of the school with their ideas. Through her local organizing and travels to Cuba, Panama, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Palestine, she has developed a dedication to the worldwide struggle for self-determination and human rights. Currently on the board of World Bridges, and Youth Together, she has committed her life work to empowering the next generation of youth to change the world and advance social justice through community organizing and the arts.

Paloma Belara

Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle Manager

Paloma Belara was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and gives credit to New York City for developing her business savvy state of mind. Her education and career began in the fashion and retail industry, and transitioned into the music business at the height of the digital media boom. Inspired by progressive artists in the Bay Area, Paloma began to explore youth empowerment programs and activism, and found her passion in supporting the progressive arts community through public relations. Combining her experience in these fields, she founded PapaLoDown, a boutique PR firm specializing in a client base of educators and activists in the fashion, art, music, and entertainment industries. Paloma is also the program coordinator for FRESH the Magazine, a youth program in partnership with Beats Rhymes and Life, and the East Bay Asian Youth Center in Oakland, CA.

Susie Lundy

Operations Consultant

Susie is experienced in institutional development bringing a creative vision and a depth of experience with community-based culture. She has worked in community arts programs and taught in school and university classrooms in the Bay Area for the past fourteen years. Susie has worked with the Museum of Children’s Art, Eastside Arts Alliance, Oakland Leaf, La Pena Cultural Center, and Youth Speaks, Inc. Her experience includes: grant writing and administration; program development and coordination; budget oversight; teaching and curriculum development; faculty professional development; and long term strategic planning. She has taught at the University of San Francisco and The New College in their arts education programs. In June 2008, Lundy completed her doctorate in the World Arts and Cultures Department at UCLA where she wrote about political graffiti writers from East Oakland. She is a dancer who has performed with local companies including Malia Movement Company, Contra-Tiempo, Dream Dance Company, Starchild Dance Collective, and Bodirock Culture. Her work as a muralist includes sites spanning from San Francisco to Senegal, and from Mexico to Venezuela.