Continuing a Legacy
His View 46 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 25, No. 5, 2019
It was 25 years ago that in the living room of a tiny Alexandria
apartment in Virginia, Anna Maria Arias put the finishing touches
to the first LATINA Style magazine. It was a bold adventure, no
Latina magazine existed at that time and the feedback she was
receiving was telling her not to do it, that the magazine would not
succeed. It was particularly difficult because she had been offered a
great job in the new administration.
Her supporters could be counted on one hand; her mom Rita
Arias, Congresswoman Iliana Ros-Lehtinen, the
only Latina Member of Congress at the time, and
a handful of corporate visionaries. No matter
what, it was going to be an incredible challenge.
You see, in 1994 professional Latinas “did
not exist” according to the “powers that be”.
Well, said the naysayers, “If they are born in the
United States, educated here, if they are English
speakers, if they work in corporate America, they
are assimilated, they are part of the mainstream,
why would they want to be singled out as
different, they are Americans!” we were told.
Yes, Latinas are part of the mainstream,
they most likely work in an English dominant
corporate environment, they are business
owners, they are doctors, professors, they are
leaders in their communities, but guess what?
They also are Latinas. They have retained a clear cultural identity
that they are not going to let go of. They are mostly bilingual,
bicultural and hold great respect for the culture of their parents, their
ancestors, they are LATINAS!
And yes, “they are Americans” we responded. “Well, good luck
with that,” we were told. They predicted no more than two editions
would publish and our money would go under the bridge.
Well, guess what? It has been 25 years of hard work, climbing
mountains, fighting prejudices, and continued face-offs with the
naysayers. But we are still here. Now Latinas are the talk of the
country and even the world. We have profiled thousands of Latina
success stories, engineers, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs like Nina
Vaca and Rosa Santana, elected and appointed officials, astronauts,
generals, ambassadors, scientists, teachers, dancers, opera stars,
movie producers, actresses, Olympic stars, inventors, musicians and
even a Supreme Court Associate Justice, the
Honorable Sonia Sotomayor.
Latina success is everywhere, Anna Maria’s
vision was not too far off. Even after her untimely
passing in 2001, we were able to not only keep
the flame alive but receive prestigious awards as
well.
I would like to thank all the mentors, friends
and champions who have made our continuing
journey possible. You are too many to list in these
pages but you know who you are.
Today LATINA Style serves our community
through its different initiatives such as the
LATINA Style 50, the LATINA Style Business
Series, the National LATINA Symposium, the
Distinguished Military Service Awards, the
LATINA Style Hero Initiative, and our partner
non-profit Parents Step Ahead. The challenges are still here but with
your help and support, we are ready to face the future. LATINA Style
and the Latina community will continue to succeed.
Gracias a todas nuestras amigas y amigos. God bless.
By Robert E. Bard
LS
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