|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Representation matters. Being able to embrace your whole self as a leader—and show others that they can do the same—matters.
This wasn’t always a reality for an Afro-Latino leader. It was choice between identifying as Black or Latino. But each year, more Afro-Latino leaders are connecting with their whole identities and setting examples for the next generation.
“As an Afro-Latina woman in the tech space, I am often the ‘only minority in the room,’” ALPFA’s Enna Jimenez told Hispanic Executive in 2020. “I want to be able to mentor others, or give back and provide opportunities for people with my similar background to get where they want to be in their careers.”
Citi’s Samantha Santos also understands the impact of what it means for others to see themselves in someone else’s success.
“I have been at speaking engagements where people have literally thanked me for coming to the event with my natural hair,” Santos told Hispanic Executive in 2022. “I know that may sound strange to some people, but I do not think you can discount being able to identify with someone who has achieved some measure of success in their career.”
To close out this year’s Black History Month, Hispanic Executive spoke with Zimar Batista and Nicole Godreau, two up-and-coming leaders and 30 Under 30 honorees, about what being an Afro-Latino leader means to them.
Zimar Batista, Public Welfare Foundation
2024 NextGen Collective 30 Under 30
“To lead as an Afro-Latino leader means leading with excellence in whole authentic self. It means showing my complexities, my culture, and my heritage in any room that I’m in from my accent to my Dominican sayings. As an Afro-Latino leader, I’m leading with my whole self without putting a whole mask to assimilate rather showing everyone the beauty and enriching culture of where I’m from and inspire others along the way.
“I’m bringing both of my cultures into multiple places. One day my mind is the Dominican Republic, my very first home that I grew up in for the first sixteen years of my life and on other days my mind is centered in the DMV culture which is where I moved in 2012. My Afro-Latino leadership has grown and become empowered thanks to these two worlds.
“To lead as an Afro-Latino leader means to teach others while you are teaching yourself to embrace your Blackness holistically and loving your Latinidad profoundly.”
Nicole Godreau, Spotify
2023 NextGen Collective 30 Under 30
“Being an Afro-Latina leader means embracing my identity unapologetically and showing others that we belong in every space we step into. It’s about rewriting the narrative, challenging outdated stereotypes, and ensuring that our voices are not just included, but valued. I lead to make a difference, to uplift my community, and to leave behind a legacy of empowerment and progress.”
