COUNT US IN Women in Numbers

BY ALLIE JUSTIS ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSICA WETTERER

In the Texas Senate, there are only two women of color, making up only 6.5% of the total Senate. These two women represent over 8.8 million women of color within Texas, and their names are Sen. Carol Alvarado and Sen. Judith Zaffirini.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, out of the 435 members representing the entire nation, only 44 women of color hold seats within the House. This makes up only 10% of the House of Representatives. However, 4 out of 5 voting delegates presiding over the House are women of color.

In November, 117 women of color ran for office on the Democratic and Republican ballots. This seems to be a continuation of the same trend seen in the 2018 election cycle where there was a record-breaking number of women of color elected into the U.S. Congress. Texas’ very own Candace Valenzuela ran to become the first Black Latina in Congress this year.

On the Austin City Council there are two women of color that are currently serving the Austin area. Their names are Natasha HarperMadison and Delia Garza. These women make up 18% of the council and have been on the council since 2019 and 2017, respectively.

Of the 127 women serving in the 116th U.S. Congress, only four senators are women of color, making up only 3%. However, although these women only have four seats in the Senate, they represent more than 70 million women of color nationwide. These for women are Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Sen. Mazie Hirono.

Cedar Park Central Austin Dripping Springs Georgetown La Grange Lakeway Marble Falls N. Central Austin Pflugerville San Marcos

South Austin Temple

We know we must do more to address the very real consequences of systemic racism that exist in society today. The impact is clear for communities across the country, including where our teammates live and serve our clients. To drive progress, Bank of America has committed to invest $1 billion over four years to advance racial equality and economic opportunity, building on work we’ve had underway for many years. We’re partnering with community and corporate leaders to create sustainable change. Our actions will help address critical issues and long-term gaps that have only been widened by the coronavirus and amplified by the most recent acts of injustice. Our efforts include: • connecting workers to new skills and enhanced job readiness • increasing medical response capacity and access to health care and nutritious food • powering small businesses owned by people of color through access to capital • helping people find a place to call home My teammates and I here in Austin are committed to doing more, and doing more now.

Nikki Graham Austin Market President

BY ALLIE JUSTIS

Jasmin D. and Violeta M. Romero are two sisters that have turned their love for their Mexican heritage into their very own small business. Hermanitas Boutique specializes in small-batch handmade clothing and accessories.

The Romero sisters have successfully combined their culture and their hobby into a profitable business. Jasmin D. shares five tips that helped take their small business to the next level while also bringing them closer to their heritage.

EMBRACE THE HARD TIMES Embrace the bad and utilize it to motivate your success. I’ve told our story of poverty and of starting our business with $50 and a dream. It was never ‘How are we going to make this happen.’ It was about how we are going to represent our cultura (culture) in our products and inspire generations that were robbed of that when forced to assimilate to U.S. culture. We are both Mexican and American, but no one creates for us or with us in mind. For us by us! CONTINUE LEARNING ALWAYS The “lack of” will force you to be resourceful—go with the flow. What we could not afford we learned to do. My sister and I took the time to watch all the tutorials and look up organizations that could help teach us all that we did not already know. We used the small business center and watched hours [and] hours of WordPress tutorials. I crashed our site multiple times and fixed it because I had no choice.

MAKE CONNECTIONS Build community; it’s vital and will help in moments when you most need it. I am very outgoing and my sister is not, so I took it upon myself to go out and spread the word about what we were creating and why. I attended as many events as I could. I wore our creations and sparked conversation with everyone that I came across. Those people are some of the same people that still follow and support our business and all its endeavors. Some have become great friends and have inspired me to keep creating. Being around other entrepreneurs and makers can uplift and teach you in ways you didn’t even know were possible.

REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED Stay true to yourself. This one seems simple, but along the way all types of things will challenge your values. Your production methods may get questioned or who you work with and vendors you chose. Make sure you are true to yourself, your values and are strong in your mission. No matter what circle you are in, don’t forget who you are and your “why.” Your “why” will align with those it is meant to align with, and if it doesn’t it was not meant to be.

USE EXPERIENCES TO GROW Always be open to learning, and utilize all your interactions as an opportunity to be inspired. I love to learn and travel, and that has been a space for constant growth. It has also helped me teach others and opened many doors within the community for collaboration. I never shy away from working with people in the community and helping in any way I can. The community has always done for me and inspired me to work from a place of love.