What It Takes To Be An Ally In 2021

If you’ve visited the About page you’d know that this community, of over 12K Latina creators from 40 countries and counting, was built from a personal calling to elevate voices like my own. After many years as an entrepreneur and a few years working in tech in SF, I’ve gained a wealth of life experiences that led me to understand the dire need for more places that illuminate the already incredible accomplishments of Latinas all over the world.

As such, I also understand the energy it takes to constantly educate others on the why. Underrepresentation in media, in funding for our creations, and in general, has always been an issue. However, now is the time people are starting to pay attention to our plights for equality with actual dollars.

It’s no secret that Latina buying power is on the rise topping over 15 trillion and growing by the second. What is a secret, is how companies plan to fully engage with a community that has long been left behind.

Here is a “conversation” I had on Twitter just yesterday:

To which I received the reply:

“Is Historically Underestimated interchangeable here?”

I’ve thought about my response in the hours since and believe it warrants a full blog reply.

The short? No. The problem with adjectives like underestimated is it carries with it an implicit bias. Underestimated by whom? Latinas and minority communities as a whole are, and have been, successful. The context was in regards to funding which largely defaults to the word “estimate” when talking money. But if we have a chance to write the narrative, I’d like to dig deeper as to why words matter.

If we want to add the word historically to something more accurate we could say historically meant to feel like our value was based on the color of our skin or the contents of our undercarriage. But we are PC and as such settle on the collective terminology of underrepresentation.

What makes us underrepresented is that when we walk into these boardrooms, and shatter these glass ceilings we look around and do not see anyone that looks like us let alone is quick to celebrate us. Or more over, we are exploited with false glories such as the Grammy’s Selena “tribute” that was all of 3 seconds but advertised to a group of viewers they knew would watch just for this; despite the lack of actual representation when it came to awards and nominations.

That is a fraction of the reality that we face, and while it’s not a fun conversation to have these are the ones that will lead to our communities taking anyone that approaches seriously. Are you smoke and mirrors or are you action?

If you are an ally who is looking to find your footing in diverse communities, you’ve taken the first step of consuming media produced by a Latina. I invite you to stay awhile and check out the blogs showcasing amazing creators!

The next step is to hold space for conversations like this on your own to truly understand why words can trigger a whole community and why working to get them right together will build a more perfect union.

If you are a VC who wants to invest in the Latinas Create vision, email me Steph@LatinasCreate.org.

P.S. - you can call me Jefa.