Francisco joined Virginia Organizing as the Tri-Cities organizer in September 2025. With a previous background in social justice initiatives, particularly language justice and work with immigrant communities, he brings with him knowledge and first-hand experience with helping directly-affected community members. He attended Benedict College for Music before transferring to Virginia State University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Social Work. He specifically credits his time in his music program with developing his leadership skills.
He has worked extensively with the Virginia Language Justice Collective, doing immigration work throughout the state since 2016. Specifically, he worked with immigrant community members in the Richmond area. He was also a part of the Sanctuary Movement in Richmond, where undocumented community members were able to find safety in churches. During this time, Francisco worked in Spanish language interpretation, written interpretation, and spent time with the individuals he had the privilege to watch “grow up.” He considers this work to be the stepping-stone for him to pursue organizing.
While many of his experiences were positive, he also saw the negative impacts of the broken system. He shared that his time working with immigrant communities was his “first time seeing the immigration system not working properly” and “people running from persecution.” He watched people live through “a lot of horrific issues, but also got to see how the resistance gets to become a public place and hub for community at the end of the day.” He also appreciated the skills and knowledge that he learned, specifically surrounding immigrant paperwork and applications. “While others were learning about jobs and college, I was learning about the intersectionality.”
Francisco’s passion for organizing and immigrant rights has shone even through other work that he has done in the Greater Richmond Area. He looks forward to continuing to grow and transfer his skills to his work with Virginia Organizing.
In addition to his organizing work, Francisco also considers himself to be a “music nerd,” enjoying multiple styles of music and playing seven different instruments.
