The Seven Sisters Indoor Market in the North London Tottenham neighborhood doesn’t look like much from the outside. But open the doors, and the aromas of empanadas and fried plantains fills the space—packed with two stories of carefully-styled Colombian, Peruvian, and even Ghanian and Iranian shops, selling everything from Latin American-sourced groceries, plane tickets, and money transfers to Colombia to lottery tickets in the Dominican Republic. Over the years, it has become the largest Latin American market in Europe, and an essential space for immigrants to congregate, find work and a community. It provides a cultural and economic space, and even allows women to run a business while taking care of their children—a rare opportunity for immigrant women in a city like London.

However, all of this could soon disappear. Recently the local Haringey Council issued a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) which demands that traders vacate the property, which has been marked for redevelopment. In two years, the traders say the market won't exist as it does today. Vicky Alvarez and Mirca Morera are leading the fight to preserve the market and have elevated the case all the way to the United Nations on a human rights platform.