One of the hardest parts of life is dealing with the fear and discomfort of not fitting in. We experience peer pressure at school, work, and even in our own groups of friends and families. Co-Founder of UNAS United, Claudia G. Hernandez-Villasenor, moved to the United States at a young age, and she struggled with social integration. Unfortunately, this struggle is not a coincidence.
We live in a country where Latinos make up 17% of the population (53 million people). However, our stories are never told. From 2008 to 2012 the percentage of general market TV network news stories with Latinos declined from 1% in 2008 to 0.6% in 2012. Which means Latinos were present in only 491 out of approximately 80,000 stories. This lack of representation is heavily due to the lack of Latinos as executives and producers. Only 1.9% of Latinos work in top media leadership positions.
In order to change these numbers, we need to continue dreaming big for ourselves and validating our worth everyday. We CAN do it! But in order to be successful, no one can do it alone. As Latinas, we have a shared struggle and we should continue sharing our stories with everyone to challenge taboos and to represent each other where we are not be represented. You are beautiful, powerful, and you are enough!
If you would like to learn more about Latinos in media, check out "The Latino Media Gap" by Frances Negrón-Muntaner
with Chelsea Abbas, Luis Figueroa, and Samuel Robson. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cser/downl...
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