Latinas Adelante! Moving Beyond Diversity,
Embracing Inclusion in the Fight for Equity
By Linda Urrutia-Varhall, U.S. Air Force (Ret) and Dr. Cynthia Baron
As Latinas, many of
us face the concept
of diversity. In both
the civilian and military world,
there are offices and personnel
dedicated to ensuring diversity
as it relates to numbers and
representation. But is diversity
the true end game to ensure
the military, corporations,
organizations, and institutions
reflect society?
To many, the definition of
diversity means different genders
and racial/ethnic identities are all
in the same room. However, just
to place diverse personnel in the
same room is simply not enough.
For Latinas in particular, once in
the room, we must strive to have
a voice and power in that room...
in other words, fight for inclusion.
But the fight for diversity and
inclusion does not stop there...
along with having a voice we
should walk away from the room
knowing we all have a fair and
equal opportunity to succeed in
that particular space.
To be able to succeed, we
Linda Urrutia-
Varhall is the first
Latina to achieve
the rank of Major
General in the
United States Air
Force. She recently
retired after
approximately 35
years of service.
Dr. Cynthia Baron is a social worker and
scholar-practitioner with 17+ years of
experience in private and public higher
education administration. She currently
serves as the
Assistant Dean
for Equity and
Student
Engagement at the
Metropolitan State
University of
Denver (the largest
Hispanic Serving
Institution in
Colorado).
do need to put some things in
place. We should ensure we
have “champions” established at
all supervisory levels. Many
times, this is focused at only the
higher levels. Where we really
need champions is at the
mid-range level. It is often at the mid-range/mid-level where Latinas feel
they must decide between a career and family and the majority of the
time the choice is family. However, if mid-level champions are in place
perhaps Latina up and coming leaders would make career choices based
on the mentoring and supportive work environment invested in their
success.
Additionally, Latinas should embrace being comfortable being
uncomfortable. In fact, that little discomfort means you are moving
forward and exploring new
territory. In our view, these
experiences help us start to feel
confident about having a “voice
in the room and honing our power”
and presents opportunities for
career growth.
We must move beyond the
early 2000’s rhetoric of diversity
and we must remain true to who we
are. In no setting should we ever
apologize for being a woman or
Latina, we must keep the beautiful
resilient characteristics of our
culture alive. Most importantly,
family will always be our number
one value. Family values often
driven by the sacrifice of those who
came before us are the one
constant source of strength
throughout our lives. No matter
what career we choose our
family has been with us through
it all...both good and bad. This is
why in today’s world employers
must recruit the Latina family
and not just individuals. A Latina
does not forsake her family when
she joins the military/corporations
/organizations...in fact, she brings
the family along on her journey and
forges the path for others to follow.
We believe this understanding may
often be lost on employers and it
often forces the Latina to choose
between the two. Perhaps, if the
employer recruited the family from
the onset it could be more widely understood.
We still have a long road to equity in today’s workforce/society,
especially in the senior ranks of our military. The above may not be the
answers in total, but perhaps offer a different perspective as it relates to
moving beyond diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
¡Punto Final!
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48 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 25, No. 6, 2019
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