Women’s History Month: A Resilient Latina

As Women’s History Month draws to an end, we focus on our achievements and the work that still needs to be done.

Growing up in Peru, I don’t think I ever looked up to any women in history. For me, it was relatively hard to find a historical figure that was female and Latina, let alone Peruvian.

As research for this piece, I ended up asking friends and coworkers in LATAM and the US about historical figures, and the responses varied dramatically. Some of them would have difficulty thinking about a single historical female, and even less, a Latina. Everyone who had a name in mind shared a shortlist of specific characters (i.e., Frida Khalo) without much context. I was surprised to see that our education had failed us all so much that we couldn’t even find someone to look up to in our history books! 

My family is originally from Arequipa, Peru, and during the agrarian reform, my family lost almost all its land property. They decided to emigrate to Lima, and it was hard for them to settle at the beginning. Everyone—my mom, aunt, uncles—had to have jobs as kids. 

After a couple of years, my family had saved enough to open a food stand at the local Mercado or marketplace. Then, in the late 80s, Peru underwent hyperinflation, making it impossible for many to earn a living wage and feed their families. We struggled, but we were resilient.

Growing up, the idea of a female leader, innovator or visionary was foreign to me. I realize, now, that I grew up surrounded by strong women. My mother managed our family like her own department, she raised my sister and me to work hard, and my grandma was an entrepreneur, a true leader. So what exactly does making history even mean?

With all of the barriers and the lack of opportunities for Latinas back then, it was almost impossible to “make history.” That’s why this month, we centered our conversation on women who are currently making history, not to disparage all of the amazing women who have made it to the history books, but to inspire women to fill in the gaps for the future!

Here are some of the women we featured on our social media: 

References

“Mujeres Científicas Del Perú: Conoce a Seis Impulsoras De La Investigación y La Ciencia En El País.” Bicentenario Del Perú, Bicentenario Perú 2020, 12 Feb. 2020, bicentenario.gob.pe/mujeres-cientificas-peru-ciencia/.