I found this essay to be highly intriguing and valuable in assessing the general effect of institutionalization on small, independent organizations in the United States. The trajectory of Tepeyac was an unfortunate one, and perhaps—as Gálvez seems to have suggested—inevitable. What I believe has been outlined and described in Gálvez’s essay is the ultimate demise of Asociación Tepeyac, an organization that originated as a small, grassroots movement dedicated to serving the Mexican immigrant population in the U.S. The virtually irreversible transformation that has come about the organization in the wake of 9/11 has left it in a position far removed from where it used to be—one described by the dichotomies of conformity and alienation.

Since its founding—which was really a consolidation of various smaller service organizations—Tepeyac had been fully dedicated to the task of allocating government aid to the Mexican immigrant population. Armed with a highly diligent and self-sacrificing volunteer force, the organization accomplished admirable feats and tackled problems that would have been overwhelming even for larger organizations. When the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 occurred, among those affected were immigrants and their family members living in the home country. This drastic situation elicited an emergency response from Tepeyac, which continued in its efforts to serve the undocumented (and extremely underrepresented) community in New York. This called for greater private funding and an expansion of infrastructure, which ultimately led to what is described as institutional isomorphism. It becomes clear that the increased involvement of private funding organizations led to the transformation of Tepeyac into a bureaucratic institution that greatly deviated from its grassroots base in ways detrimental to its cause. In one ironic example, many the very same people who had seen the emergence of Tepeyac and contributed earnestly to its early growth could not even be hired by the organization in its latter days due to their undocumented status.

One thing I kept thinking about as I read this essay was the example of Edna Baskin’s grassroots organization in the last essay we read. I remember reading one part about how her husband was very fixed on not accepting large private donations for the sake of preserving the integrity of Concerned Community Adults. I believe he was a very wise man.