As Women of Color, We Are The Catalyst for Change in Our Communities
By Jessica, Online
Peer Educator with MySistahs.org, Advocates for Youth
I have spent all of my life living in rural America where I have witnessed and personally experienced a plethora of healthcare disparities. Growing up I thought my only hope was to work at a local poultry plant to sustain mi familia but soon I realized that college was a better avenue to help not only mi familia but also my community.
My activist work began in elementary school, although I did not realize this until I was much older. Not only did I act as an interpreter for my teachers and Limited English Proficient classmates but I also helped community members fill out job applications and served as their interpreter at doctor visits. This was a big responsibility for a kid but I knew that I was somehow making a difference helping to temporarily remove the language barrier.
My passion for activism and helping to create change was also fueled by my family’s uninsured status. Whenever I got sick instead of going to the doctor my mom would boil herbal tea, light a candle, and say a prayer to the Virgen de Guadalupe and for some reason I always felt better the next day.
Another catalyst that led me to become more vocal about health disparities in communities of color was volunteering at a free health clinic. I watched women, children, and the elderly enter the clinic feeling hopeless, expecting to be treated with dignity or receive much needed healthcare attention: they walked out of the clinic with a smile on their face, medication, and a sense of hope.
For me social justice is not just something you talk about in class but something that requires action. It means standing up for yourself as well as others who may be voiceless and ignored. During my college years, I became very involved in Immigrant rights and reproductive justice. I even allowed myself to be terminated from a restaurant job rather than back down regarding my views on immigrant rights.
I also had a unique experience of working on Capitol Hill as a Barbara Jordan Helath Policy Scholar about the health policy legislative process and the U.S. Senators roles in our health experiences enhanced my activism.
Currently, I organize Latinas around reproductive justice through workshops, volunteer activities, and other leadership opportunities. Although the work has been far from easy, it is necessary and Latinas are defining what reproductive justice means to us. I am also a volunteer research assistant for the Atlanta Office of the National Council of La Raza.
My journey is far from over. I hope to continue advocating for women, immigrants, and communities of color through different avenues including health policy, grassroots organizing and, of course, attaining more educational opportunities in the health world. I want to be at the table when decisions about our health are being made.
As women of color, we are the catalyst for change in our communities.
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