2 minute read
Latinas Unidas: Celebrating the Diversity of the Latinx Experience
— ALE CASILLAS ’21
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The first thing you should know about Latinas Unidas is that it’s a group effort. Unusually, there are five club co-heads—Ale Casillas ’21, Adrianna Greenup ’21, Natalia Rodriguez ’21, Stephanie Rodriguez ’21 and Mariana Trujillo ’21. Their 30-member club represents a broad mix of the Latinx community with connections to Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Columbia, Spain and Mexico. But like the name “Unidas” suggests, this group is all about being unified, showing solidarity even while celebrating differences. Ale describes her fellow group members this way: “All of us have beautiful traditions to contribute, truly reflecting the diversity of the Latinx community.” Co-head Stephanie concurs: “I believe that being able to all collaborate together and bring different ideas to the table makes the club stronger and more diverse.”
In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, the Student Diversity Leadership Council hosted a virtual all-school assembly in conjunction with Latinas Unidas. Viewers of their digital presentation could click from section to section, introduced by students, with curated video and text content that covered Afro- Latinx culture, Latinx artists and Latinx holidays. It even explored the important distinction between terms like “Hispanic” and “Latinx.” This joyous, energetic approach was not only educational, but also incredibly welcoming and inclusive.
“The importance of the presentation was for others to learn about the culture, promote diversity, and have a bigger appreciation for it,” says Mariana. “I definitely feel like we accomplished that.”
The five co-heads see an important role they can play for freshmen in particular. They feel driven to make sure this club offers a nurturing environment in which younger members can tap into a sense of empowerment and embrace their leadership skills.
“Since we are remote it is challenging to feel a sense of community, especially for the freshmen since they have never been to campus,” says Mariana. “We want these girls to learn about the heritage and culture of Latinx as well as being able to express who they are.”
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Interview with Teresa Romero
On César Chávez Day this year, we shared an interview that Latinas Unidas Co-Head Natalia Rodriguez ’21 did with Teresa Romero, President of United Farm Workers Union—the organization co-founded by Chávez and Dolores Huerta in 1962. Romero described her own immigrant journey and her special passion for advocating for the rights of female agricultural workers, who, she says, still struggle with gender discrimination. “They can pretty much tell you no, I’m not going to hire because you’re a woman,” explains Romero. “[So] when we can have a woman being hired because she’s competent...it is a step forward because not only we are showing people that women can do the work, we’re showing women who are empowering women to fight for themselves.”
