Latinas Honored in TIME Magazine’s Latino Leaders Special
TIME magazine celebrated Latino Leaders including prominent Latinas Camila Mendes and Hezly Rivera
Courtesy of TIME magazine: Photographs by Austin Hargrave/ Rosaline Shahnavaz Illustration by Sol Cotti
Latinx excellence doesn’t often get the recognition or support it deserves in various industries but that doesn’t take away from the leaders who are striving to make a difference. Latinas including Nava Mau, Aubrey Plaza, Camila Mendes, and Tanya Saracho were recently recognized for their work as part of TIME magazine’s second annual special report, Latino Leaders. The list features 17 Latinx trailblazers that were selected by the publication because of the “significance of their work and the diversity of their perspectives.” From Hollywood to D.C., these leaders are infusing their heritage into their work and uplifting Latinxs along the way. The pride of being connected to their roots regardless of whether or not they were born in the homeland of their ancestors is evident among all the honorees including influencer Tefi Pessoa. The 34-year-old is Brazilian on her father’s side and Colombian on her mother’s and shares how she often gets pushback about not being “Latina enough” having been born in the U.S.
“I think that if my ancestors met me, they would like me, and I think they would want me to be proud of where I came from,” Pessoa said.
The list also spans a few industries including sports, which is often lacking in spotlighting women let alone Latinas. This year Dominican American gymnast Hezly Rivera represented the U.S. in the Olympics alongside Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Suni Lee. The 16-year-old was the youngest member of gold-winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics this year and won a gold medal for Team USA in the women’s gymnastics team final.
“My parents are from the Dominican Republic, so I am very tied to my culture,” she told the publication. “I love it a lot and I want to inspire young Latinas to know they can do anything they put their minds to.”
It’s also an election year and one of the most prominent Latina political commentators is Nicaraguan American Ana Navarro. The co-host of The View was a vocal Republican until she spoke out against then presidential nominee Donald Trump in 2016. She went on to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton and is now voicing her support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Though she says she’s now seeing more diversity in politics within the media industry, she told TIME that early on in her career as a political consultant for the Republican Party that often “I was the only Latina in the room.”
Congrats to all the Latinxs recognized for their efforts in uplifting the community and diversifying Latinx representation.
The full list of Latino Leaders is available at TIME.com
