In April 2026, Denver-based activist Tiffany Hernandez helped launch Shift Change, a national campaign and partnership with Minneapolis bar Meteor, that works with different local rapid response networks and immigrant rights organizations to educate people about deportation. It also aims to get citizens on the same page ahead of this November’s midterms by mobilizing the service industry across the country.
The tour, which features pop-ups and panels hosted by Hernandez, debuted in Chicago on April 26 and continued with another event on April 27. Hernandez and her team handed out whistle kits, and presented hospitality-focused crisis response, community organizing and Know Your Rights training. Planned stops, where presentations will continue in this vein, include New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Texas, Ohio, Minnesota and New Orleans.
Hernandez has always been about social engagement. Whether as a bartender at Cosme and Employees Only, two New York hotspots that have graced the lists of the World’s 50 Best Bars and Restaurants, or while nurturing the Latino bartender scene here in Denver, Hernandez has recognized the power of open communication. But in 2024, she decided she could not sit idly by as public demonstrations of unchecked authority threatened her community.
“As a Mexican-American woman, I don’t have a choice not to be affected by what’s going on,” she said.
The career bartender decided that her best response would be to educate and rally members of the industry she held so dear. Desire turned to action, and Escuelitas was born. “I wanted to bring my bar community together around more than just having a drink,” she said.
Since launching, Escuelitas has taken many shapes. It started with informal gatherings. Hernandez assembled lineups featuring immigration attorneys explaining constitutional rights, immigrants sharing their experiences and liquor brand representatives detailing jeopardized supply chains. Discussions were held over shared food and drinks. “We’re in a unique position to influence communities. Bars and restaurants are already community hubs,” she said. “Who better to facilitate change than a bartender?”
In February of this year, the Escuelitas Foundation incorporated as a non-profit. The board features her and four other attorneys and activists, who asked to remain anonymous.
Even with Shift Change’s national campaign getting into full effect, Hernandez will still maintain a local presence here in Denver. On Monday, May 18, Escuelitas and Meteor will host a Minneapolis pop-up at Bar Max. This will be followed the next day by an Escuelita discussion and happy hour at Occidental. The event will include a panel discussion featuring the Meteor team, Sap Sua chef Ni Nguyen and the Executive Director of Towards Justice David Seligman. The panel will be moderated by James Beard-nominated hospitality writer Emma Janzen.
Not even considering Hernandez’s natural ability as a leader, her Escuelitas events have succeeded in galvanizing the community because of their distinctive structure. Hernandez will reach out to liquor brands, connect them with local accounts, who will then host the proceedings. The system is mutually beneficial for both the brands, who create awareness, and the attendees, who can discuss the issues over free drinks. “I’ve been following a formula that has been tested, tried and true, since I started in the industry ten years ago,” said Hernandez. The issues remain serious, but industry professionals can confront them in an environment that doesn’t feel forced.
While a lot of what Escuelitas does constitutes direct acts of resistance, Hernandez firmly believes that there are a lot of ways to express dissent. That’s why she’s teamed up with CHOW, a Colorado-based non-profit support group for food, beverage, and hospitality workers, to present What Have You Done for You Lately. These open discussions are often folded into broader Escuelitas programming, and feature hosted conversations where guests are asked to assess and share thoughts and feelings related to their emotional, occupational, environmental and spiritual wellness. “We need to be learning. We need to be engaged with each other. We need to check in on each other,” said Hernandez, noting that mental health and well-being are an important, and often overlooked, part of the political climate.
Hernandez’s revolution is rooted in empathy. The discussions, meetups and classes are all effective counters to a lot of the noisier, more macho expressions often associated with the protest movement. Where others seek to burn down, Hernandez chooses to build up.
“We’re in this moment where it’s extraordinarily clear that no one is coming to save us,” said Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales, while speaking at an Escuelitas event in March. It was clear that day that informal spaces can be as political, or more political, than more formal channels.
“I’m advocating for hospitality folks to become more civically engaged. To practice democracy within our industry. To fight for something better,” said Hernandez. “We can turn this around, we just have to get up and do something.”
Keep up to date with events and info at @mezcalmisstress and @escuelitasfoundation
All photography by Nosferatune.
