Blog
We all fall down. It’s how we get up that matters.
I just returned to work after having taken off 5 months in a fully paid sabbatical leave. It’s been a gift from God to me. I had spent 20 years at a social change nonprofit organization. Alright, now how many of you want to come work at my company? While I was on sabbatical I did so…
Read MoreLessons on Leadership from the Cowardly Lion
Do you remember the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz? I love the way he strokes his tail to settle his nerves. How tremors overtook him as he cowered behind Dorothy for protection. But most importantly, do you remember watching him turn into the Courageous Lion? Like the lion in the story, every day as leaders, we…
Read MoreDenise Padín Collazo’s New Book Addresses How Latinas Can Handle Burnout in Activism
Latinas, who are already challenged by systemic racism, experienced devastating economic loss during the pandemic with unemployment among Latinas reaching as high as 20 percent in April of 2020 according to a recent report by UnidosUS. As the report finds, “Latinas have confronted a triple crisis in the face of COVID-19: disproportionately higher infection rates, economic losses,…
Read MoreLoving like I’ve never loved before
Last year my incredible colleague Catalina Morales asked me a haunting question, “What do you need to leave behind so you can meet your future self?”. As I reflect on last year and slow-walk into this year I know one thing I’m laying down: compartmentalization. The Oxford Languages dictionary defines compartmentalization as the division of…
Read MoreDear Latina Sisters: Will You Name and Disrupt Anti-Blackness?
I live in the neighborhood where George Floyd was killed,” explains Catalina Morales, an activist on the front lines of change. “I want to bring pan dulce to my neighbors.” This instinct to lean in and show our love and empathy is an instinct we would all do well to follow. Catalina has spent her…
Read MorePuerto Rican Social Justice Leader Links the Activism of Latinas and African American Women
Denise Collazo, senior advisor for external affairs of Faith in Action, urges Latinas to “follow African American women because they have operated successfully on the frontlines for ages.” “Our African American sisters have been helping make the lie of the American Dream more true since before the country was founded,” she added. To Black and…
Read MoreThrive In Your Brilliance: Latina Leader, Author on How To Create Change
You may not have heard of the artichoke capital of the world—Castroville, California—but you definitely need to hear and know more about Denise Padín Collazo, a leader, advocate, director and author who coincidentally was born in Castroville. Senior advisor for external affairs and director of institutional advancement at Faith In Action, (formerly PICO National Network),…
Read MoreComing off mute: Breaking the family cycle of violence against women
Trigger Warning: Mention of rape, sexual assault and violence against women. Violence against women is often generational In my family, and likely in yours, violence against women is generational. What violence against women looked like for my grandmothers My Abuela Lela hit her limit seventy-five years ago on the day my Abuelo Marcos threw a…
Read MoreMay We Have the Courage to Love
As we reflect on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the U.S. national mood feels unquestionably different today than twenty years ago. Then, we felt a collective sense of deep grief and unity. Today, we live in a toxically polarized environment which we all helped to create. Yet, I believe the current climate could…
Read More2020 in One Picture
My husband Julio César snapped this picture while he was driving. It shows 3 traffic signals. Two of them have both the green and red lights on, the other has a red ‘no left turn’ arrow lit up. This picture sums up the year 2020. The malfunctioning street lights in the picture send mixed signals…
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