Latinas’ economic contribution

As stated in the introduction, between 2010 and 2021, Latinas’ economic contribution grew by 51%. This growth is due, in part, to financial literacy opportunities for Latinas, such as La Cumbre conference and advocacy efforts like Latina Equal Pay Day. These initiatives are crucial in reducing the pay gap for Latinas. According to a U.S. Senate report (2023), “Latinas are paid just 57 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men, and Latinas will not achieve equal pay at the current rate for another 432 years” (p.748).

In this activity, students will complete three parts:

Part I. Students will be divided into pairs and listen to the episode titled Latina Entrepreneurs ( https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-e15cd8b87cb ), recorded in 2019, from minute 1:22 to 16:10. They will then discuss the meaning of the following quotes from the interview in the context of the episode’s content:

“En este lugar, me van a cuidar aquí y yo voy a cuidar a los otros.”
“Hay tanto mensaje opresor que el mismo oprimido se la cree... En realidad el poder existe cuando el oprimido da ese poder, pero cuando nos damos cuenta que hay un poder colectivo y hay un poder interior, entonces nadie nos para… Juntas somos imparables.”
“Esta magia se crea cuando uno se atreve a mirarse, se atreve a escucharse a sí misma y a la otra persona… Nosotros, como Prospera, sabemos que no proveemos poder, solamente reconocemos el poder de las mismas mujeres. Nos acompañamos y nos decimos: ‘Órale manita, aquí podemos y aquí la hacemos.’”
“La familia Prospera es muy rica… Las mujeres del programa son las embajadoras; las mujeres son las que estaban creando ideas para hacer el outreach. Entonces, sí, somos cinco, pero somos más, y esa es parte de la riqueza… Estamos en el proceso de desaprender y decir: ‘Somos muy ricos, tenemos unos programas riquísimos.’”
“Hay un camino para las mujeres aquí en Prospera; no es así de: ‘vengo, tomo mi curso y me voy,’ sino de ‘tomo un curso y sigo, sigo, sigo y sigo avanzando, me quedo y me apropio de la organización.’”
“Una vez que tú prosperas, impactas a toda la gente, a tu familia y a tu comunidad.”

Part II. Students will continue listening to the podcast Latina Entrepreneurs ( https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-e15cd8b87cb ), from minute 16:35 to 48:49. In this section, students will hear testimonies from women about how Prospera has changed their lives, as well as an interview with one of the keynote speakers at the conference, La Cumbre. Each student will need to choose one of the women’s testimonies below and write a short summary.

Anahi Rojas
Sonia Ordoñez
Concha Saucedo-Martínez

Summary:

Part III. Divide students into groups of three and ask them to listen from minute 1:00 to 57:50 of the episode Latina Equal Day Pay, where the host Chelis López interviews activists Claudia Tristan (immigrant campaign director of Moms Rising) and Mónica Ramírez (founder and president of Justice For Migrant Women), available at https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-b6feb67dbdf . In this program, students will learn about the movement Latina Equal Pay Day. Each group must fill out the following details about Latina Equal Pay Day.

Details of Latina Equal Pay Day

1. What injustices have Latinas faced regarding their pay, and how has it affected them, their families, and communities?

2. Why is Latina Equal Pay Day important?

3. What have Latinas and organizations done to fight for equal pay for Latinas?

4. What can Latinas do to find out if they are being paid less than their colleagues?

5. What groups of Latinas are the most affected by not receiving equal pay? Explain your answer: why are they the most affected?

After answering the questions, as a class discuss and write the main ideas for each question on the board. Then, as a class, discuss what you and your local community can do to fight for and demand equal pay for Latinas. Are policies enough? Is this an issue that affects only women and should only be fought by women? Explain your answers.