LANCASTER, Pa. — Togetherness, strength and empowerment.
The participants of the first-ever Pennsylvania Latina Women Conference, or PAWLC, shared laughter and tears as they applauded and cheered one another throughout several sessions Wednesday.
In between, there was room for networking and handing out of business cards, LinkedIn QR codes — and plenty of abrazos, or hugs.
The conference, inside Millersville University's Ware Center, featured a cadre of Latina leaders from the Lehigh Valley and across the state employed in health care, small businesses, education and the public sector.
It was organized by committee members from the PA Latino Convention, which will be held in Philadelphia in September.
Fastest-growing group
As members of PAWLC noted, the Latino population is one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the state — and also the youngest (the median age among Latinos is 27, versus 44 among whites).
Close to 300 people registered for the event, including students from Hazel Jackson Middle School and McCaskey High School in Lancaster.
@XochitlOseguera at the #PAWLC2024 @MamasConPoder with @SindyBenavides @latinovictoryus pic.twitter.com/HKjt7FMsum
— Micaela Hood (@micaelahood) March 27, 2024
Before catching the bus back to school, eighth-grader Victoria Berlingeri, 14, said the speakers who touched on everything from politics to entrepreneurialism inspired her.
“It was very nice to hear a woman being so passionate about voting and wanting more women in council. And even talking about reproductive rights,” Berlingeri said.
Sixth-grader Wandalys Anavitate-Colon, 12, was equally impressed during a “national perspective” discussion of the election with Katharine Pichardo-Erksine, executive director of the Latino Victory Foundation; Sindy Benavides, CEO of the Latino Victory Foundation; Melissa Mark Viverito, president of the Hamilton Campaign Network; and Xoxchitl Oseguera, vice president of Mamas Con Poder.
"For the first time, I feel seen. I just want to say thank you for putting this together. This is beautiful. This is meaningful. This is needed. And I cannot wait to be a part of the story."Jasmine Botero, engagement partner and content developer at Highmark Health
As the room erupted with cheers, they spoke fervently about the Latino vote and fair wages for Latinas.
“I feel as if, as they were talking about how we're like our grandmothers, how we're our grandma's dreams, I can relate to that because the things that they were normalized to as kids, we have the upper hand on,” Anavitate-Colon said.
“How [the older generation] are here making moves that we're allowed to do because of them. We're allowed to have an education, we're allowed to play sports. I feel the women of this generation, that we have more support and it's really important that we have support and people championing for equal rights.”
Benavides stressed the importance of voting — just seven months shy from the 2024 presidential election.
"Every 30 seconds a Latino in the U.S. turns 18. Every 30 seconds. What that means electorally is that every single year almost an additional one million Latinos are eligible to register to vote," she said. "Do you know who you are? Do you know how important you are to our country?”
Oseguera added her own thoughts, citing reproductive justice as a top concern.
"With 32 million eligible voters in the election, were are going to claim our power. When you think about it, your grandfather, or your great-grandmothers, think about your abuelas. We are their wildest dreams. We are here for a reason. My abuela did not have the right to choose how many children she could have, and we do, but we're being taken away these freedoms, so it's up to us to fight and you're here to fight," Oseguera said.
'I feel seen'
Jasmine Botero, of Harrisburg, expressed a sense of belonging when she spoke to the crowd at the Latinas in Business and Entrepreneurships segment — one of 10 partitions held throughout the day.
“For the first time, I feel seen," Botero said. "I just want to say thank you for putting this together. This is beautiful. This is meaningful. This is needed. And I cannot wait to be a part of the story … I'm here to push you. You are worthy. You can do this. You are not alone.”
The idea to host a Latina Women Conference came about last year in Harrisburg during the PA Latino Convention.
Committee members include PALC President Norman Bristol Colon, Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez, Wilmarie Gonzalez, Edith Gutierrez-Hawbaker and Jael Conde.
