WHO: Everyone who cares about getting more and more diverse Latinas in elected office
WHAT: Join Latinas from all walks – community leaders, politicians, and businesswomen – for a series of candid conversations about la cultura, the state of Latinas in politics, colorism, galvanizing our communities, political identity, and more.
WHEN: Saturday, October 8th from 9:00 AM to 4 PM (EST)
LOCATION: Virtual – attend from anywhere
COST: Free! Donations welcome
Award-winning organizer, speaker, political commentator, producer, independent journalist, scholar-activist, and former U.S. Vice Presidential candidate
CEO, Co-Founder, Editor-In-Chief of Luz Media; lawyer, media entrepreneur, former Nevada State Assemblywoman, and former Congressional candidate
Communications Director for Latino Victory Project, Obama White House Alum, first national spokesperson for Latino media at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, political commentator
Professor of Political Science and a Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership Faculty Scholar at Texas Woman’s University
Executive Coach for Womxn of color in public office and leadership, first Latina elected to the Detroit City Council, founder The Restorative Democracy Project, Leadership in Government Fellow with the Open Society Foundation
Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement for Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG)
Columnist for The Boston Globe’s op-ed page, Globe editorial board member, and a previous correspondent for Telemundo Boston
Latinas Represent Program Director, Aspen Forum on Women and Girls SOAR Fellow, Operations and Communications Officer for the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association
Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Provost Fellow for Hispanic Serving Initiatives at Arizona State University
Boston City Councilor, Chair of the Committee on Education, the Committee on Government Accountability, Transparency, and Accessibility and the Committee on Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development
Founder and Executive Director of Encuentro Diaspora Afro in Boston, Panamanian writer, activist, poet, storyteller, and one of “30 AfroLatinas you should know”
Intersectional community advocate, feminist leader, and Program Manager for the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women
Founder of Ready to Help, Chair of the Los Angeles Climate Action Committee at the Sierra Club, and former Commissioner for the L.A. Department of Water and Power
Virtual – attend from anywhere
Free! Suggested donation of $50-250 to help us offset the costs of running our programs. That said, our entire goal is to make it easier for Latinas to build political power and community. So we are committed to not letting cost be a barrier to entry for anyone.
This Master Class is now open to Latinas and their allies throughout the United States. We are thrilled to be able to help Latinas nationwide build networks and community.
You! Our Master Class is designed for Latinas interested in making a positive impact in their local communities and willing to do the work to make that happen. We welcome everyone, regardless of educational background and political experience. And we ask all participants to sign onto our values statement, declaring your solidarity with seeking out racial, environmental, and reproductive justice.
While having some background knowledge about campaigns may help, our program is designed to get anyone up to speed.
The Latinas Represent Master Class will connect you with former and current political leaders, breakdown the do’s and don’ts of running a campaign, and help you build the community support you need to shape your journey.
Planning your strategy, launching a campaign, creating a platform messaging, creating a field plan, using social media to fundraise, preparing to get out the vote (GOTV), planning for your first 90 days in office, and more.
Apply Now: Space is limited so apply early to guarantee your spot.
If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]
Rosa Alicia Clemente is an award-winning organizer, speaker, political commentator, producer, independent journalist, scholar-activist, and former vice presidential candidate. A leading voice of her generation, the Bronx-born Black-Puerto Rican is frequently sought out for her insight and commentary on Afro-Latinx identity, Black and Latinx liberation movements, police violence, colonialism in Puerto Rico, hip-hop feminism, third-party politics, and more.
In 2008, Clemente made herstory when she became the first Afro/Black-Latina to run for Vice President of the United States on the Green Party ticket. She and her running mate, Cynthia McKinney, are to this date the only women of color ticket in U.S. presidential history. Since then, Clemente has continued to be a powerhouse. She is the creator of Know Thy Self Productions, under which she has organized multiple national tours; PR on the Map, an independent, unapologetic, Afro-Latinx-centered media collective founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria; and the Black Diasporic Organizing Project, a nonprofit dedicated to combating anti-Blackness within the wider Latinx community. Recently, she was also associate producer on the 2021 Oscar-winning biographical drama film Judas and the Black Messiah. She is currently completing her PhD at the W.E.B. DuBois Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Mónica Ramírez is an attorney, author, and activist fighting for the rights of farmworkers,migrant women workers, and the Latine(x) community. She is the founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, The Latinx House, and Poderistas.
Mónica has received numerous awards, including Harvard Kennedy School’s first Gender Equity Changemaker Award, Feminist Majority’s Global Women’s Rights Award, the Smithsonian’s 2018 Ingenuity Award and the Hispanic Heritage Award. Mónica was named to Forbes Mexico’s 100 Most Powerful Women’s 2018 list, TIME Magazine included her in its 2021 TIME100 Next list and People en Español recognized her as one of the 100 Most Powerful Latinos in 2021.
Mónica is also an inaugural member of the Ford Global Fellowship. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Law Center, Friends of the Latino Museum, Care in Action and she is a member of The Little Market’s Activists Committee.
Mónica is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law and Harvard Kennedy School. She lives in Ohio with her husband and son.
Lucy Flores is a former Nevada State Assemblywoman, former candidate for Congress, lawyer, and media entrepreneur. The daughter of immigrants, Flores was raised in a low-income community by a single father. In 2010 Flores, along with three Latina colleagues, became the first Latinas elected to the Nevada legislature in the history of the state.
After leaving elected office, Flores served as Vice President of Public Affairs at mitú where she successfully developed and executed social impact and political content strategies. After mitú, Flores went on to launch her own digital media brand, Luz Collective, later re-branded as Luz Media, producing digital content and community with a focus on the enormously expanding and influential Latina community.
Flores continues to be a national leader having served on the DNC Unity Commission, the board of Our Revolution, and the national board of the Women’s March. She also provides commentary on national media outlets and speaks frequently throughout the country on both political matters and digital media strategies. Flores continues to advocate heavily for women’s rights, immigration reform, and criminal justice reform.
Johanny Adames is the Communications Director for Latino Victory Project. She is a bilingual communications strategist focused on the intersections of culture, politics, and social justice. Adames was named one of the 100 Latina Millennials Shaping Our World and a People en Español’s Chica Boss.
She served as the first national spokesperson for Latino media at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, where she led the organization’s Hispanic media and engagement. Prior to that, Adames held multiple positions at GMMB, a political consulting and advertising firm in Washington, DC.
Adames began her career in political communications as an intern in the Obama White House supporting African American and Latino media efforts. In 2012, Adames made her prime-time debut on the Democratic National Convention’s main stage, where she gave an inspiring speech on higher education and immigration. She also co-moderated a presidential forum, featuring President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, among other candidates during the 2020 Democratic primary in South Carolina.
A sought-after political commentator in Spanish-language media, Adames has been widely featured in national and international outlets, including People en Español, Univision, Telemundo, CNN en español, Latino Rebels, France24, Politico, Popsugar, Al Día News, Mitú, EFE, and La Opinión.
Dr. Christina Bejarano is a Professor of Political Science and a Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership Faculty Scholar at Texas Woman’s University. She is an author, speaker, and advisor on Latina electoral politics in the United States. Dr. Bejarano’s academic interests are in American Politics, in the areas of gender, race/ethnicity, and political behavior. Her research examines the conditions under which racial/ethnic minorities and women successfully compete for U.S. electoral office, which is reflected in her book on Latina political candidates — The Latina Advantage: Gender, Race, and Political Success. Dr. Bejarano’s work also focuses on how racial/ethnic minorities and women can shape or influence the electoral environment, which is reflected in her second book — The Latino Gender Gap in U.S. Politics.
Jamila Aisha Brown is a communications consultant, NYU adjunct professor, multimedia storyteller, writer, and speaker. She focuses her work on building digital and traditional communications campaigns for social justice throughout the African diaspora honoring her Latin American and Caribbean heritage. Brown is a political scientist who “accidentally” found her calling and purpose through communications for advocacy. Just like her family’s homeland of Panama, Brown acts as a bridge between the Global North and South uniting the diaspora with stories of liberation.
Raquel Castañeda-López is an Executive Coach for Womxn of color in public office and leadership. In 2013 she made history by becoming the first Latina elected to the Detroit City Council. During her tenure, she elevated the conversation around equitable development and racial, social, and environmental justice, successfully passing historic legislation to address these inequities.
After serving eight years as a Council Member, she stepped down to found The Restorative Democracy Project (RDP), the only holistic coaching program training current and former Womxn of Color public officials in governance, transformative leadership, and restorative practices. She is currently developing the program as a Leadership in Government Fellow with the Open Society Foundation.
A social worker by trade, Castañeda-López has over two decades of experience in training and facilitation. For nearly a decade she has served on the board and trained non-traditional candidates to run for office with New American Leaders. She’s traveled globally to study transformative democratic practices as a member of the BMW Foundation’s Responsible Leaders Network and the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network.
Mika Fernandez has built her career around shaping and enforcing civil rights protections at the federal, state, and local level. Prior to coming to work for L4GG full-time, she spent nearly a decade working for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) where she advocated for the civil and human rights of everyone within the United States.
She managed several coalitions of diverse progressive advocacy organizations, including co-chairing the Education Task Force of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Fernandez manages L4GG’s policy team and the Lawyers for Racial Justice initiative — building partnerships with civil and human rights organizations to ensure equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal justice for all.
Marcela García is a columnist for The Boston Globe’s op-ed page. She also serves on the Globe editorial board and writes editorials, the daily unsigned essays representing the view of the Boston Globe as a community institution. García has been part of the op-ed and editorial pages since early 2014. Previously, she was a correspondent for Telemundo Boston, a special contributor to the Boston Business Journal, and the editor of El Planeta, Boston’s largest Spanish-language publication.
Alejandrina Guzman is a first-generation disabled Xicana activist from Fort Worth, Texas. She dedicates her energy to disability justice, uplifting disabled stories, and building community with an intersectional lens while striving for cross-movement solidarity. She organizes alongside disabled siblings on the local, state, and national levels demanding equitable policies for all disabled people. Her combined experiences consist of working on local and statewide campaigns, being a staffer at the Texas capitol, and leading the state in mobilizing the disability community during the 2020 election cycle.
Stephanie Gabriela Lopez serves as the Program Director at Latinas Represent, the only national, nonpartisan initiative dedicated to increasing the number and diversity of Latinas in elected office. As a first-generation Salvadoran American, this work is deeply personal to Lopez, who is committed to advancing Latina leadership in the political arena to create a more inclusive and reflective democracy.
Prior to her role at Latinas Represent, Lopez worked in international education, children’s rights, and immigration advocacy. She earned a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Cambridge, while on a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and holds an undergraduate degree in political science and mass communication and journalism from California State University, Fresno. In addition, she currently serves as the Operations and Communications Officer for the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association.
Dr. Lisa Magaña is the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Provost Fellow for Hispanic Serving Initiatives at ASU. She has published in the area of immigration and Latino politics and public policy issues. She is the author of the books: Straddling the Border and The Politics of Diversity. She is co-author with César Silva: Empowered!: Latinos Transforming Arizona Politics and co-editor with Erik Lee: Latino Politics and Arizona’s Immigration Law SB 1070. She has also published book chapters and journal articles on immigration and Latino politics and has been interviewed on numerous media outlets.
Born in the Dominican Republic, City Councilor At-Large, Julia Mejia arrived in Boston, Massachusetts when she was five years old. Raised by a single mother who was undocumented for most of her childhood, Julia was forced at an early age to speak up on behalf of her mother and others who felt ignored by the very institutions that were supposed to serve them.
Driven by a lifelong pursuit of justice and equity, Councilor Mejia has created countless opportunities for others to step into their power and advocate for positive change as a community organizer. Following the 2019 election AND a historic two-month recount, Councilor Mejia won her seat by a single vote and is now the first Afro-Latina elected to the Boston City Council. Mejia is currently the Chair of the Committee on Education, the Committee on Government Accountability, Transparency, and Accessibility as well as the Committee on Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development.
Yvette Modestin – Lepolata Aduke Apoukissi – Empress Modest-I is a writer, activist, poet, storyteller born and raised in Colon, Panama. Modestin was named one of “30 Afro Latinas you should know.” She is Founder/Executive Director of Encuentro Diaspora Afro in Boston, MA. Modestin has been profiled by the Boston Globe as “The Uniter” for her work in bringing the Latin American and African American community together and for her activism in building a voice for the Afro Latino Community. She was named an “Influeyentes” in Panama for her advocacy in bringing attention to the struggle of the black communities in Panama with a focus on her home province of Colon. Modestin received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from El Mundo Boston newspaper, one of the oldest Latino newspapers in New England in October 2021. She is the Diaspora Coordinator of the Red de Mujeres Afrolatinoamericanas, Afrocaribeñas y de la Diáspora, an international network of Afro descendent women. In 2022, Modestin co-wrote the Reparations ordinance calling for a Boston Reparations Commission. In 2019, she received the inaugural “Every Woman is an Activist” Award from March Forward Massachusetts. In March 2018 on International Women’s Day, she was named as one of the Latina Women Who Inspire. In July 2017, she was named one of Nine Inspiring Women who fought for the Rights and Visibility of Afro Latinamericans by Remezcla. As an artist, a mental health clinician, wellness facilitator, community organizer, educator and Ifa practitioner, Modestin speaks to the historical connection of people of African descent and the importance of seeing each other as we seek our collective liberation.
Daisy Prado is an intersectional community advocate and feminist leader championing women of color in San Francisco. She is a Program Manager for the Department on the Status of Women where she oversees programs to help improve the health and safety of women and girls in the city of San Francisco. Previously, she was the Public Affairs Officer for Planned Parenthood Northern California, serving as a key government relations liaison between elected officials and San Francisco’s diverse communities, while also advancing access to reproductive and sexual health resources. As a passionate advocate for community change and equity, Prado has worked at multiple grassroots organizations at the intersection of social and environmental justice and was appointed as a Commissioner for the City of San Francisco.
Prado is a proud first-generation college graduate and alum of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. She authors an e-newsletter, “The Work Isn’t Done,” focused on advancing equity and fighting all forms of oppression through advancing education and encouraging local activism.
Aura Vasquez is a community leader, environmental justice advocate, and small business owner with 14 years of experience in organizing, politics, and advocacy. She is a Colombian-born immigrant and woman of color who works to amplify historically unheard voices. Her work has ended unfair impoundment laws targeting immigrants in Orange County, protected low-cost housing targeted by luxury developers in Koreatown, and secured a coal-free Los Angeles by 2025. Vasquez was the youngest commissioner and the first immigrant to serve on the L.A. Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners, guiding the country’s largest publicly-owned utility to be more equitable, sustainable, and affordable. She is the founder of Ready to Help, a mutual aid organization that unites L.A. residents to address systemic problems in their community. Vasquez is Chair of the Los Angeles Climate Action Committee at the Sierra Club, and a proud board member of the League of Conservation Voters, and serves on the executive board of the California Democratic Party.
Mayra Lopez-Zuniga is a seasoned organizer and political strategist based in Chicago. She is responsible for successfully electing the first Latina Congresswoman in the Midwest and a bench of young progressives Latine candidates to state and county government in Illinois. Lopez-Zuniga has a profound commitment to tackling racial and economic injustice and works with candidates with a resolve to build political power for the working class. Her north star is to fight for a world where her mix-status, working class, immigrant family can live and thrive with dignity. Lopez-Zuniga is currently working at Mijente, building a political program in Arizona and Texas. Cuando no anda en el chisme de la politica, you can find her hiking, drinking, and eating her way through the Pacific Northwest and trying to force her cat, Tywla, to wear a harness so she can hike with her.