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Have you taken the time to celebrate the Latina women in your life? Latina women constantly lead amazing feats — from the entertainment industry to science to politics and entrepreneurship.
Yet, even though Latina women make up 16% of the female labor force, they also represent the highest wage gap out of any minority group in the United States. When accounting for education, that gap still stands. Latina women must also defy harmful pop culture stereotypes such as being spicy or hyper-sexualized.
National Latina Day was established to inspire other Latinas to embrace their narrative and build positive, shared networks. Learn more about this important day and how you can celebrate it all year!
When did National Latina Day start?
Sunday, August 20th, represents the 8th annual National Latina Day. National Latina Day started in 2015 in Texas and was founded by Alvarez Castilla when she created a Facebook page to empower Latinas. Since 2015, National Latina Day has emerged as a social movement, spreading from its origins as a social media campaign into events and celebrations nationwide.
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What do we celebrate on National Latina Day?
National Latina Day is a day for Latina women to embrace their identity and celebrate their place and impact on society globally and within America. Embedded by diverse role models that spread industries, countries, and cultures, Castilla states that National Latina Day is a day to celebrate Latina identity and empower the Latina narrative:
“It is time for us to stand up and be counted for all we are and our accomplishments. It is time to change the mindset of people that we are just loud women with attitudes.”
How should we celebrate National Latina Day?
There are many Latina women of notable acclaim. Ellen Ocha is the first Mexican-American woman to go to space. Isabel Allende will be remembered as one of the most prolific writers of our time. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina and woman of color to serve on the Supreme Court.
But National Latina Day isn’t just about celebrating recognizable Latinas in popular culture. National Latina Day is about celebrating all Latinas everywhere. According to We All Grow Latina, National Latina Day starts with celebrating yourself, celebrating all your mamá, tía, prima, and all the amigas in your life. The popular website suggests:
“If you’re on social media, don’t be shy about sharing some of your greatest successes. For example, you can post: “In honor of #NationalLatinaDay, I celebrate myself.” Then share what you are proud of yourself for with no humility. This is not a day or time to play small. You never know who will be inspired by your story.”
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What do we celebrate National Latina Day?
Different people, organizations, and cities celebrate National Latina Day differently. Salud America! — an organization mobilizing information and policies to make healthy changes within the Latino community — celebrates National Latina Day by highlighting their Latina doctors and employees on their website.
Cities across the southwest are throwing celebrations over the weekend. East Downtown Houston launched the Las Mera Meras Festival bringing the community together to celebrate Latina culture and Latina businesses. 25+ Latino-owned businesses, Latina panelists embedded in the Houston arts scene, and the surrounding community came together to connect, network, and celebrate at this free annual event.
Austin held an entire weekend event, National Latina Day events featured a VIP networking night, a vast vendor selection, and a speaker series consisting of workshops, panelists, fireside chats, and more!
How do we celebrate National Latina Day all year long?
The mission of National Latina Day is to inspire Latina women to embrace the fullness of their identity all year round, as well as to connect with other Latina women and continue to inspire one another through community, connection, and mutual support. Being part of organizations like digitalundivided, We All Grow Latina, and other networks that focus on supporting Latina women through mutual shared interest is a fantastic opportunity to stay connected and find like-minded women to keep the mutual admiration, inspiration, and energy all year long.