Your Culture is an Asset

As Latinas, we get to create our culture together, in community and in dialogue. We know that culture is a moving, shifting, growing thing and it is not static!

So when I say "Your culture is an asset," what do I mean? I mean that you get to create a uniquely individualized Latina identity, because who YOU are as a Latina is unique to you... And however you choose to create it, it brings you strength and possibility.

You may be one who grew up poor, or grew up relatively wealthy. You may be someone who grew up speaking Spanish... or not. You may be a Latina who has black hair and brown eyes, or blond hair and blue eyes. You may be Catholic, or you may follow any one of a number of different spiritual paths. You may be gay, straight, or transgender.

As a Latina, you have a diverse group of women that share this "title" with you. You are unique, amazing and wonderful. And you see the world from a different perspective. You have an eye that allows you to see outside the mainstream, regardless of your specific past.

As a Latina, you understand certain things, and can see with more than one lens what it means to move in this world, in this culture, in this country.

I am *not* suggesting that we all share the same political beliefs, the same background or community ties, the same experiences, and certainly not the same preferences and privileges. What I am saying is that as a group, we have the opportunity to create more TOGETHER than we are able to as individuals.

As a Latina, when you walk into a professional setting, you bring with you your special attributes and they are yours IN PART because you are Latina, regardless of the particulars of that experience for you.

You, as a Latina, share with other women a certain something, and sometimes, we get to choose what that will be...

So think about what being Latina means to YOU, and we will be exploring the idea of culture and how it pairs with our strengths throughout the course of this month.

You have strengths you may not even realize, strengths you may not yet have tapped into. And those who don't value the idea of Latinidad sadly miss the strengths those bring to the table, and what they can mean for a STRONGER, more vibrant and skilled community in the U.S., as we bring our cultural, intellectual and physical assets to bear on a country that does not always appreciate the gifts we share.