Resiliency Within's host, Elaine Miller-Karas, and her guest, Martha Parra, share the beauty and values of their Latino culture. Martha's family came to California from Mexico, and Elaine's mother and grandmother came from El Salvador. They will share the values they learned from their families and how their rich heritage has inspired their personal and professional journeys as community leaders. They will also share their families' challenges as they immigrate to a new country. Martha will discuss traditional healing practices learned from her father and how he inspired her work as a social worker. They also share the challenges of racism and colonialism immigrants face. This is a time in US history when it is essential to embrace the richness and value of Latino culture to counter the disparaging comments being made. Martha will share two programs initiated by the Reagan administration that gave her and her family a pathway to legal residency.

The Community Resiliency Model and the Trauma Resiliency Model and how they have been accessible to the Latino community. Martha pioneered the first Community Resiliency Model Teacher Training in Spanish in the pilot study through California's Mental Health Services Act and the County of San Bernardino's Department of Behavioral Health. Martha will share her work as an Immigration Evaluations Evaluator and her work with Asylum, Hardship, the Violence Against Women Act, and victims of human trafficking. The diverse Latino culture is rich with traditions. The identities of Latinas and Latinos are shaped by geography, heritage, race, and gender. Latinas and Latinos embrace their heritage and contribute to the culture of the United States. They will share how their families taught them compassion, courage, strength, service, and hard work.