Eddie Rivera
Preferred pronouns: he/him
Areas of expertise:
Relationship building
Grassroots organizing
Immigrant rights
Civic engagement
Role: Organizing Fellow
Bio:
Eddie Rivera is a Fellow with the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) and a senior at Dominican University, majoring in International Relations and Diplomacy with double minors in Spanish Studies and Theology. His passion for community organizing is deeply rooted in his upbringing—inspired by the spirit of hospitality his grandparents extended to their community, his early involvement in food pantries, and translating for his mother and other parents at school. These moments sparked a lifelong commitment to identifying needs and finding ways to help.
Eddie’s dedication has grown through meaningful work experiences, including finding creative ways to engage hard-to-reach communities during the pandemic while working for the U.S. Census, and serving as a secretary on a COVID hospital floor—often going beyond his role to support patients and families. At Dominican, he served for two years as Vice President of the Undocumented and Immigrant Allyance, leading advocacy efforts and creating space for student voices.
Currently, Eddie is working with CSPL and the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to establish a Social Justice Committee, where he is applying his organizing skills and building relationships rooted in trust. He has also supported efforts to provide meals and relief to newly arrived migrants sleeping outside Chicago’s 10th District police station in Lawndale. Eddie envisions continuing to learn from this work to uplift communities and pursue justice on both local and global levels, living out his commitment to diplomacy through grassroots change.
Eddie was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras but raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his free time, he enjoys going to coffee shops and taking walks along the lake.
