Powerful Leaders
Latinas Rising founders Sol (l), Edna Mojica, and Tasha James
COMMUNITY
Houston’s First-Ever Conference for Latinx Women LatinaCon set to empower all Latina identities.
T
By MARTIN GONZALEZ
he Houston organization Latinas Rising plans to usher in the era of the Latina with LatinaCon, an event that will address Latinx topics ranging from education and mental health to advocacy, legal issues, and the Afro-Latina identity. Latinas Rising was founded by Edna Mojica, Tasha James, and Sol in 2017 to create spaces and social change that reflect the issues facing Latinx communities. The inaugural LatinaCon will provide Latinas of all backgrounds with a public platform to discuss these issues on Saturday, November 9, at Warehouse 72. “We hope to inspire attendees to stand up, speak out, and do more for their communities,” says board president Sol. “We want to speak on subjects that are taboo to our own communities so that we can destigmatize them and break generational cycles.” Latinas Rising advocates for all Latinas (including those belonging to the LGBTQ community) and educates on social-justice issues within the community—including sensitive
topics like domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide prevention. The group’s belief is that all women have the right to be heard, celebrated, and highlighted. Melissa Allala, a Mexican-American lesbian and Houston GLBT Political Caucus board member, serves as Latinas Rising’s director of diversity and inclusion. She uses her leadership roles to ensure LGBTQ Latinx people feel empowered to join conversations around community issues. In September, Allala helped facilitate and organize Latinas Rising: Queer Latinx, a panel featuring six LGBTQ Houston Latinas discussing their identities at Houston’s Montrose Center. “Latinx folks in general make up 44.5% of the Houston population, but LGBTQ+ Latinx make up a much smaller portion of that percentage,” Allala says. “I want to make sure that we, as queer Latinx Houstonians, have a seat at the table.” A featured panelist for Latinas Rising: Queer Latinx was Houston GLBT Political Caucus communications director Maria
Treviño-Rodriguez, a bisexual Latina. “Working with [Latinas Rising] was definitely a breath of fresh air,” Treviño-Rodriguez says. “I had never worked with an all-Latina group who was so willing to prioritize intersectionality and uplift the voices of Latinas who don’t get heard.” As two of the few queer Latinas in the GLBT Political Caucus, Allala and TreviñoRodriguez say they are all too aware of the difficulties Latinx people face in having their voices heard. “I think the queer Latina community is one of the most overlooked portions of the LGBTQIA+ community,” Treviño-Rodriguez admits, “because I think it comes with a lot of cultural barriers when speaking about not just our gender expressions, but our sexual orientions as well.” With the Latina population in Houston growing across a multitude of economic and social arenas, Allala believes it is crucial that we address the increasing concerns within the community through LatinaCon. “Mujeres (women) are starting to dominate different occupations in numbers, but as Latinas, we still need to have a seat in those spaces,” she says. “I hope that this event resonates with those that attend it and motivates them to continue pushing through with advocating issues that affect Latinas.” The conference comes at an important time in our history, according to Sol. “Due to the [socio-political] climate Latinx people are experiencing, it is important to create safe spaces and build community for our jente,” she says. “We need to speak on our experiences, our struggles, and our triumphs so that others know they are not alone. Most importantly, ➝ OutSmartMagazine.com | NOVEMBER 2019 47
