At the 2026 IMAGINE Policy & Power Building Day in Sacramento, hope wasn’t just a theme — it was a call to action.

During the End Child Poverty Awards ceremony, End Child Poverty California proudly introduced the Radical Dreamer Award, honoring three extraordinary leaders: LeShay Burks, José Herrera, and Génesis Ulloa. These changemakers were recognized for embodying the bold vision, collective power, and unwavering love that fuel the movement to end child poverty in California.

What It Means to Be a Radical Dreamer

This year, End Child Poverty California launched the Radical Dreamer Award at its Community Power Building Day to recognize community members who envision a future of abundance and liberation and take action to turn that imagination into reality.

A radical dreamer embodies uncompromising values. They speak truth to power. They reject deficit narratives, “us vs. them” mentalities, and scarcity mindsets. Instead, they lead with courage and love, affirming the profound impact of collective action and the radical power of community to create change.

Radical dreamers center an abundance vision; fearlessly fighting for a future where all children and families thrive. And at the 2026 IMAGINE gathering, three powerful leaders showed exactly what that looks like.

LeShay Burks: Dreaming Beyond Survival

LeShay Burks refuses to let harmful stereotypes define Black mothers and families.

“Black women have been fighting the stereotype of the ‘welfare queen’ forever. We are made to feel like we’re less than,” she shared. “The radical dream I have is that every family has a home, every family has child care, and every child has enough food to eat, so we can work toward a better future instead of staying stuck in a cycle of struggle. This isn’t just my dream. It’s our dream.”

LeShay doesn’t just speak her vision, she organizes around it.

Last year, through Parent Voices Contra Costa, she demonstrated the power of collective parent leadership by sounding the alarm on the negative impacts of private equity in child care. On September 19, she led parents at La Petite Academy of Antioch in a press conference outside the center, calling out Learning Care Group and American Securities LLC for prioritizing profits over children.

Her advocacy made one thing clear: when parents organize, systems must listen.

LeShay’s radical dream is rooted in dignity and in the belief that families deserve stability, not survival mode.

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José Herrera: From Juvenile Hall to Community Leader

José Herrera’s journey is a testament to what happens when we invest in young people instead of writing them off.

He went from juvenile hall to leading with purpose, not because he had a perfect roadmap, but because he said yes to opportunity.

Communities United for Restorative Justice (CURYJ) opened a door for him. Today, José is lifting others as he climbs, proving that our young people are not statistics. They are leaders in the making.

With love, support, and opportunity, youth don’t just change their own lives — they transform communities. José represents what youth power looks like in action. His leadership is living proof that when systems invest in restoration and healing, communities flourish.

Génesis Ulloa: Poetry, Resilience, and Vision

Mission District poet and advocate Génesis Ulloa Martinez brings art, resilience, and fierce imagination to the movement.

Known in her community as a powerful voice for youth and families, Génesis — alongside her family — is part of Mission Promise Neighborhood, advocating for families who have persisted through barriers and systemic challenges.

Her leadership reflects the heart of a radical dreamer: the courage to imagine a better future for young people in the Mission and beyond — and the willingness to fight for it.

Through poetry and organizing, Génesis transforms lived experience into liberatory blueprints of what’s possible.

Building the Future We Deserve

The Radical Dreamer Award is more than recognition. It is a reminder.

A reminder that ending child poverty requires imagination.
It requires truth-telling.
It requires community power.

LeShay Burks, José Herrera, and Génesis Ulloa show us that radical dreams are not abstract ideals. They are action plans. They are press conferences outside child care centers. They are second chances embraced. They are poems that reimagine the world.

At the 2026 IMAGINE Policy & Power Building Day in Sacramento, these three leaders were honored not just for what they have done but for the future they are helping build.

A future of abundance.
A future of liberation.
A future where all our children and families thrive.

And as LeShay reminded us: this isn’t just one person’s dream.

It’s ours.