An Infrastructure for Empowerment

Rev. Luis Cortés Jr., the founder and CEO of Esperanza. P. Binkley/Illustration

Rev. Luis Cortés Jr., the founder and CEO of Esperanza, discusses his path to service and his passion for supporting North Philadelphia Latino communities.

by Lisa Gill

A 2019 recipient of the Philadelphia Award, the Rev. Luis Cortés Jr., 67, has come a long way from working after school at his father’s grocery store, known as a “bodega” in East Harlem. The bodega is where he learned the impact of social connection. “I’ve never seen sociology papers written from the bodega perspective, but there can be,” Cortés said.

Those early observations informed Cortés’ belief that perseverance and financial literacy can help close the gap for Latino communities. In 1986, Cortés founded the nonprofit Esperanza, which means “hope” in Spanish. The faith-based organization is guided by Jesus’ mandate in Matthew 25:40 to serve and advocate for “the least of these” around us.

Known simply as “Rev” by members of the wider Philadelphia community, Cortés is proud of the breadth of services Esperanza offers. The organization improves the lives of those in North Philadelphia through education, housing stability, work training, civic empowerment, and the arts. Over the last 40 years, Esperanza has grown to serve more than 30,000 families annually. Cortés aspires to do more, still.