Being Latina
The past two weekends I have been helping out at my family’s restaurant–El Rancho Colombiano in Union City, NJ–in the past I was not available as much to do so but one of my new year goals is to support my family and contribute more to our business. That being said our employees have noticed my presence and some even said something to me. They were surprised to see me more and willing to get down and dirty with them. It was a very humbling experience and fun! I worked at the drink station with Veronica, my friend, a Colombiana. We teamed up and created a great flow for craziness that the weekend brings. Veronica is from Medellin and has been living here for a number of years now. She was also helping us out the past two weekends, especially since she knew I would be teaming up with her. I’m planning on doing a spotlight on her journey soon to share with you all. Tune in the next few weeks to learn more about Veronica!
Back to this weekend–Veronica and I talked about what it means to be a Latina. She grew up in Colombia and came here later in her twenties so she was curious how I felt since I moved from Manizales to New Jersey when I was three. She has a 9-year-old daughter who is asking questions about her Colombian culture. She mentioned her and I spoke the same, that Jersey accent! I shared with Vero that my parents were the reason I felt a connection. They were very insistent on raising us knowing where we came from and our culture. They were also very honest in admitting that it was difficult with some of American values. I think they are right there are some differences yet I also see similarities.
I thought more about what it means to be a Latina. What that reminds me of?
Family
Community
Hard working
Passionate
Fierce
Can’t forget the Saturday morning dancing while cleaning!
I share the same conclusion Mona Lisa Faris, President and co-founder of Olive Tree Publishing, Inc. wrote in the Huffington Post,
“That being a Latina means having a deep appreciation of your background and understanding the great importance of family.”
My hard work and passion stem from both of my parents. The endless amount of hours working and being there for my sisters and I to make sure we were comfortable and unaffected of economic troubles. They wanted us to have the world and to learn how to fight for what we wanted. Later in the article Faris mentions the importance of community and networking. That is something very ingrained in me. My parents arrived here only knowing my uncle. Today I can proudly say my parents have built an empire of businesses and friends. They are very well known and respected. Their community continues to grow and has helped our family with grown our various businesses. Without this network we wouldn’t have been able to achieve many of our business goals (perhaps another blog post on this!)
These are some stats she shared about Latina’s that I found entertaining that I think you would enjoy:
Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau reported there are over 787,900 Hispanic women business owners and that Hispanic women possess over $330 billion dollars in purchasing power!
Recognizing the Latina's consumer loyalty and their social media involvement, Nissan, for example, just launched their Spanish language Facebook to increase loyalty and become evangelists for their brand.
Hispanic women would rather sleep with their smart phone rather than the person next to them. Not surprisingly, studies showed 52% of women would rather give up sex than their smart phone.
What does being Latina mean to you?
I love Eva Longoria’s answer and can’t wait to hear yours,
"Because being a Latina is the most beautiful thing about me.”