Our team

We’re proud to announce our 2023 Latina Leader Fellows! After a successful pilot program last year, we are continuing the fellowship program, which provides training, professional development, and networking opportunities for Latina women pursuing careers in research and/or policy advocacy. This year, we’re matching ten mentors with ten paid fellows -details […]

May brings the celebration of Mother’s Day. In this installment of Conversations over Cafecito, Aida Negrón, Bilingual Communications Specialist at Esperanza United, conducts an interview with Xochitl Oseguera, vice president of Mamás con Poder, to talk about the impact of gun violence on Latino mothers and how this connects to gender-based […]

by Aida Negrón, Bilingual Communications Coordinator at Esperanza United In 2018, after Hurricane Maria, the number of women in Puerto Rico killed by their partners doubled. According to the ACLU, Puerto Rico currently has the highest per capita rate in the world of women over 14 killed by their partners. Today, a […]

By Ana Ortega During June of 2021, without any legal representation or support, I confronted the person who abused me throughout my youth in court. I left the courthouse with a six-month restraining order. As I exited the courtroom, I knew I wanted to commit my career to helping uplift Latin@ […]

Meet Vivian Huelgo, Chief Programs Officer Where are you from?  Born in Brooklyn NY and raised in Queens, NY to Hugo y Bertha, my beloved parents who immigrated from Colombia. Where do you feel most at home? In New York City with my oldest friends and family around me. What inspires […]

Meet Ana Ortega, Health and Violence Prevention Coordinator Where are you from?   I was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles (Sur Centro de Los Angeles). My parent’s are from Puebla, Mexico. So I like to say that LA and Puebla are my homes.  Where do you feel most at […]

Meet Laura Villarreal, Health & Violence Prevention Specialist Where are you from?   I was born in Des Moines, IA and grew up in a rural area nearby.  Where do you feel most at home?  I feel most at home wherever I am surrounded by people I love.  What inspires you, professionally […]

Meet Aida Negrón, Bilingual Communications Coordinator Where are you from?     I was born and raised in a small town, Utuado, in Puerto Rico. Where do you feel most at home?  Any place where there are loved ones and where we could share good (and not so good) times. What inspires […]

By Zeenyace Flores Dia de los Muertos has a special meaning this year in Minnesota: with COVID-19 disproportionately affecting the Latin@ community, the killing of George Floyd still fresh in people’s memories, the murder of a young Latina women, Yadhira Romero Martines, bringing light to el feminicidio, and growing violence in […]

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month we are highlighting the voices of Latino men in the movement to end gender-based violence, sharing how they came to the movement, what it means to be a Latino male-identifying person to end gender-based violence, and their approach to engage other Latino male-identifying folks […]