Interviews

“The movie must have at least two women in it, who talk to each other, about something other than a man.” 20 words that will flip your literary, cinematic, artistic, and otherwise critical lens inside out. The Bechdel-Wallace test is a measure of the representation of women in film and other fiction. The day I learned about this “test” which seems so obvious “test” seems like a misnomer, was the day that Christina Rodriguez answered my pleas, and agreed to let me write about her. I grew that day. Christina is from California, just like Hollywood, and strikingly brilliant- just like the Bechdel-Wallace Test, my May column was shaping before me. The founder of “Latinas with Masters”- Christina’s genius is wise, and not all genius is so. My first Latina representing Nicaragua is the proud daughter of undocumented Americans, and that is a specific use of the term on my part, a mother, and ‘Latinaherstorymaker.’ She created “Latinas with Masters” as an Instagram page and it later grew into a movement, one of which I am humbled to consider myself part of. A doctoral student, a wife, a sister, a homie, a cool kid, a city dweller, a teacher, a friend, a poet, the list could go on, she is a strong spirit. A beacon of light- one that I could see from 2,657.00 miles away in the dark through my swiping. I saw myself in her, in her path to becoming Dr. Rodriguez, in her passion for the brilliance of everyday people, and in her dedication to telling their stories. The ancient home of highly organized and expressive artisan indigenous people, Nicaragua has been the site of complicated coalitions of diplomats for thousands of years. A posit into why Christina’s oratory skills seem highly practiced. Descendant of leaders are modern Latinx people, who like Nicaragua, have multiracial and multilingual contemporary histories I uncovered in my research. Christina is the perfect ambassador for her culture, her state, her city, and for our way of life, which centers healing and family values over material possessions and trending superficialities. A sister in the celebration of lifting other people, her Instagram stories are often full of hopeful faces of the recently graduated, the newly admitted, and the award-winning Latinx student. Her gift to the world is the counter-stereotype. There have been times I have walked into a room full of people and insisted that even though I have not personally lived some of the experiences that my sisters have, that women who have the same last name as I have, and that for the RODRIGUEZ reason, it was my duty to speak for them. Christina is the epitome of who I was talking about. For every two of us, there are two million more Latinas who deserve better, and I do not even need to ask Christina, because she is a Rodriguez for one and two, she and I will be FIGHTING FOR THEM… sure thing, bet your bottom dollar… For every little girl who is working tonight as I tap my fingers across this keyboard, because they are out there, and they are going to have to go to school in the morning, and they are going to be exhausted, going to be sitting in class worried sick; thinking about if someone is going to think that her parents are not American enough, and is going to take them away. Those kids are out there, and working harder than us, and for them, and for every other story of incomprehensible bravery, fortitude, and love we will be here. The storytellers, waiting, and my stories will be stronger told next to Christina’s. A TALK WITH CHRISTINA: The name of my business is Latinas with Masters, which I originally started as an Instagram page. I wanted to share my experience of how I obtained my master’s degree. That included being the only Latina for most of my cohort but then also sharing in real-time my experience of attaining my Doctoral degree. So, what originally started as just an Instagram page, organically turned into a business, which turned into a movement, and turned into a brand. I was motivated because I was receiving a lot of feedback from people that were starting to follow my page; the content that I was sharing was resonating with them. And the content that I was sharing was that I wanted to drop out of Graduate School, as I felt like I did not belong. I had feelings of imposter syndrome even though, technically, I did not even know what that term was.  It was not until my doctoral program, that is when I dug deeper as to the meaning of impostor syndrome, but I was able to now name a lot of these experiences that I was dealing with both in higher education and in the workplace. There are a lot of things that are not told to us right; we are sold and told “a dream”, and so it works to a certain extent but then you walk into these spaces where people do not look like you or you feel like you do not belong and then, suddenly, you start thinking, wow nobody told me this. You know, I was going to experience these microaggressions or that my education is still going to be questioned even though I have advanced degrees and that is more education than most of the people in this room. Those are the things that were not told to me, those are the things that I had to experience on my own, so I am here to change that narrative, here to tell you the things that many people may be scared to share for whatever reason. But I could only speak for my personal journey, the lessons that I have learned from those experiences, and those that are also willing to share their experiences you know I share my platform for us — to have a counter space and provide

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF LGBTQ AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, NEW YORK STATE “Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres.” Standing in the parlor at the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, I thought about that phrase. I ran my newly manicured finger over the name “Chanel J. Lopez” on the stark white business card. I learned something about Governor Hochul (fearless leader/her boss) in 30 seconds. I learned the Governor believes in innovation. On Chanel’s card, I read a title I never knew existed before “Deputy Director of LGBTQ Affairs”, with the seal of New York State, a masterpiece. Meeting Chanel was firstly a lesson about my Governor, but secondly a moment of relief for me. As a SUNY-trained policy analyst, I am always weary of homogenous voices governing all. I knew Chanel could speak for me. — And that was before I learned that Chanel was from Harlem, a place I love dearly.   To go first in history is to be “damned if you do and damned if you do not.” It never goes perfectly. Never. Chanel J. Lopez accepted that privilege/responsibility on her first day. I am thankful for that. The voice Chanel brings to the government is one that has been, maliciously, silenced for too long.   Politically speaking, Chanel, identifying as an Afro-Latina transwoman, is an asset to our government. As a Latina political scientist, I will have greater faith in the policies emanating from Albany because Chanel is there.  Effective governance requires understanding and empathy for “the average citizen”, and RIGHT NOW, the average citizen in New York is beautifully complex. Those complexities are also opportunities if you seek to leverage them. Patriots see the most vulnerable Americans and center them in conversations and planning. I trust Chanel to do that. When you meet Chanel, you will see the light behind Chanel’s eyes. The light — that’s evidence of a person who has accepted the love of their creator and the fact they were made in the eyes of perfection. “Rise to meet your place in history,” I tell the youth during workshops. Chanel did that; did I mention that Chanel’s from Harlem (New York City)?  When I discovered that Chanel was Puerto Rican, I felt lucky. Supported by a family with strong values and an abuelas love.  A public-school kid and graduate of an “alternative school” and a survivor of childhood bullying, Chanel will bring stronger perspectives to government policymaking. Taught at home to always stand up for what you believe in, and in an inner-city neighborhood life is a runway and should be treated as such. The journey to the white business card (with the state seal) was not always glamorous and in fact, required finding the courage to live in the full expression of the human spirit in middle school. Many of our neighbors are lost in pain on the journey of self-discovery and for those New Yorkers, I am confident, Chanel will speak for them, too.  I crave authenticity in my leaders and so do the close to 10 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States. Puerto Ricans are among the Latinos leading the way in overall percentages of new voters, every year, in major states like ours.  Puerto Rico’s population dropped by 11.8% between 2010 and 2020 (according to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College), and 440,000 of us left the island and took our votes with us (BIG WEPA). In hiring CHANEL, our governor has sent a message about how our state will welcome our new neighbors — with inclusion. Join me in recognizing National Day of Silence(*), and stand up for somebody with the courage to stand up to the world, to be there, to be counted! INTERVIEW WITH CHANEL J. LOPEZ: How do you define an advocate and ally? How do you see the future of your advocacy growing? I define an advocate as someone who knows their community, who knows the needs and fights for the rights of their community, and someone passionate about their community. An ally in my opinion is someone who wants to be educated about the community and who is right next to us with a passion for fighting for our rights. I see my advocacy growing by running for office in the future.   Who are you and what values were taught in your home? I am Chanel J. Lopez, an Afro-Latina transwoman, who was raised by her grandmother, grandfather, and my mom in what they called “El Barrio” which is referred to as East Harlem these days. The values I was taught at home were to always stand up for what I believed in and to always watch whom I have in my surroundings. What was your experience as a student and your favorite learning moment growing up? The school was not the best of memories growing up for me, I was always teased and bullied for being feminine, and I was jumped two (2) times after for just being me. When I went to high school, I was in one of the most dangerous schools with nothing but gangs, so I transferred to a vocational school and obtained my diploma. Do you see yourself as a leader? I do not see myself as a leader, I see myself as an advocate, a representative of my community, and an activist. I am much behind the scenes these days and make a difference from the inside, especially working for our governor, I get to have an input in policymaking and make decisions that would protect our community and give them equal access. How do you define an advocate and ally? How do you see the future of your advocacy growing? I define an advocate as someone who knows their community, who knows the needs and fights for the rights of their community, and someone passionate about their community. An ally in my opinion is someone who wants to be educated about the community and who is

NORMA (The normal Latina HerStory interviews will return next month. The writer would like to share a tragedy she discovered on social media which was very close to her past and  journey): Norma Santiago was a loving mother who fell victim to gun violence perpetrated inside her children’s public school at the hands of her estranged husband. She was the first person I ever knew whose life was taken. My father and Norma’s husband were both law enforcement officers and our families were bonded one summer, but not for long; Mom noticed Norma’s husband was “not the nicest” and though my father was no boy scout (he was – but you get what I’m saying), and he agreed. During our last shared family outing, I was never able to forget… I didn’t like Ferris wheels. I volunteered because I could see she feared going up with him alone.  A milestone, in the building or development of my young self-confidence, I felt proud that I could help someone.  That moment was immediately followed by a sobering sense of dread. While we were suspended in the air, I watched his eyes as he mentally fantasized about pushing her over. Being from the hood, guessing at what was coming next — the struggle for survival. He never pushed her out of the car that day, but I’ll never forget his eyes, full of rage. Ten years old and smart enough, I knew something bad was going to happen. I told mom he was going to kill her. I remember her taking me seriously; that was the last time we saw them, but I continue to see his eyes forever. A handful of years later, she was gone. There’s a blog I found memorializing her life and news coverage about her passing. I teared up when I found the page, there she was, in a bumper car, at an amusement park.  Part of my life is dedicated to advocating for vulnerable women and children as I had once been. Being honored as a storyteller this coming month I reflected. Whose story is left to tell? I decided Justice is best served in the form of a celebration of one’s life. Norma, may you rest in peace you have not been forgotten.  The following is an anonymous contribution by someone on the site of the murder:      How did the act of violence that culminated in Norma’s passing affect your life? The act of violence changed my life because it was the first time, I remember experiencing trauma. I couldn’t articulate that as a child, but I distinctly remember knowing something evil just took place. I remember feeling scared and I remember seeing the body bag being rolled out of the door. I remember thinking “she’s dead” there were people everywhere, and so much confusion.      What did you learn that day? I think what I learned that day was that men are dangerous. That I should fear my future husband. No matter how long it’s been, I always think back to that man taking his wife’s life. I feared men. I feared having a husband.     What do you remember overall? My overall impression was fear. I think there was fear instilled in me that day that has never left my body, now I’m triggered when I must do active shooter drills at work.  I was 7 years old back then; I was in second grade. I knew the family because one of their daughters was my classmate at the time and the other daughter was in my sister’s class. I haven’t spoken to them since 1997. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics INTERVIEW #31: MARIA CRUZ July 4, 2023/No Comments On June 2, 2007, I posted my first Facebook photo. I made identity-affirming Latina-centered student content before it was seen Read More INTERVIEW #30: CASSANDRA BOCANEGRA PONCE June 4, 2023/No Comments My son is a six-year-old CEO. We started a brand because he likes art and I found it easier to Read More INTERVIEW #29: CHRISTINA RODRIGUERZ May 4, 2023/No Comments “The movie must have at least two women in it, who talk to each other, about something other than a Read More Load More End of Content.