Conversations Over Cafecito

In celebration of Mother’s Day we have invited members of our staff and network to reflect on their experiences having or being a mother and or a mother figure and how that has impacted their work supporting women and girls. This week, Conversations over Cafecito will bring you a collection of stories, focusing on motherhood- the good, the challenging, and those that fall in between. People will share moments of struggle, sadness, joy, and hope, which some may find difficult to hear.

Esta semana, les compartimos una colección de historias, centradas en la maternidad: lo bueno y los retos de ser madre. Estas historias compartirán momentos de lucha, tristeza, alegría y esperanza, que a algunos les resultará difícil escuchar.

¡Martha Hernández-Martínez forma parte de el equipo de Casa de Esperanza / Red Nacional Latin@ y comparte con nosotr@s los retos de ser madre soltera durante una pandemia y la fuerza que deriva de la sabiduría y el amor transmitidos por sus abuelas materna y paterna!

This week, we bring you a collection of stories, focusing on motherhood- the good, the challenging, and those that fall in between. People will share moments of struggle, sadness, joy, and hope, Which some may find difficult to hear.

Martha Hernandez-Martinez is a member of Casa de Esperanza's National Latin@ Network and shares with us the challenges of being a single parent during a pandemic and the strength she derives from the wisdom and love passed down by her maternal and paternal grandmothers

In celebration of Mother’s Day we have invited members of our staff and network to reflect on their experiences having or being a mother and or a mother figure and how that has impacted their work supporting women and girls. This week, Conversations over Cafecito will bring you a collection of stories, focusing on motherhood- the good, the challenging, and those that fall in between. People will share moments of struggle, sadness, joy, and hope, which some may find difficult to hear.

Ivette Izea-Martinez remembers growing up with a mother who taught her countless lessons- loving nature, understanding healthy relationships, and approaching any situation with creativity and humor.

In celebration of Mother’s Day we have invited members of our staff and network to reflect on their experiences having or being a mother and or a mother figure and how that has impacted their work supporting women and girls. This week, Conversations over Cafecito will bring you a collection of stories, focusing on motherhood- the good, the challenging, and those that fall in between. People will share moments of struggle, sadness, joy, and hope, which some may find difficult to hear.

Adrienne Todela spent her childhood in the Visayas region of the Philippines, living with her family in an expansive garden. She didn’t know it at the time, but spending her days tending to this garden with her mom would change her life.

In celebration of Mother’s Day we have invited members of our staff and network to reflect on their experiences having or being a mother and or a mother figure and how that has impacted their work supporting women and girls. This week, Conversations over Cafecito will bring you a collection of stories, focusing on motherhood- the good, the challenging, and those that fall in between. People will share moments of struggle, sadness, joy, and hope, which some may find difficult to hear.

When Paula Gomez-Stordy was 5 years old, her mother sent her to live with her grandmother in Chile. Paula reflects on this experience- understanding as a mother now herself how this decision was driven by love and how this has guided the way she parents her own children.

For Women's History Month, we talk to Judge Rosa Figarola. Judge Figarola is a graduate from the University of Miami School of Law and currently serves as a circuit court judge assigned to the Unified Family Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Previously, Judge Figarola served in the Dependency, Family, Domestic Violence and Criminal Divisions in Miami-Dade County and a former Assistant Public Defender, serving in the Office of the Public Defender from 1982 until her appointment as circuit court judge in 2011. Beyond her judicial duties, Judge Figarola was an adjunct professor in Family Law and Trial Advocacy at St. Thomas School of Law in Miami and serves in community service boards addressing domestic violence. Judge Figarola has presented on gender bias, trauma informed courts and adjudication of domestic violence across the US and internationally at symposiums such as the Caribbean Dialogue on Rule of Law and Gender-Based Violence held in Miami in 2012 and in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March 2016.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, we talk to Tina Figueroa Rodriguez, Program Manager at Community Action Partnerships of Madero County in Fresno, California. As a strong Latina leader, speaker, and inspiration, Tina talks to us about what it means to be in the minority on powerful boards, what differences she saw in the way Latin@s were treated in various arenas, and what strength and empowerment in the community means to her.

Luz Márquez-Benbow es una sobreviviente adulta de abuso sexual infantil, incesto y la violación sexual. Como financiado por la Fundación Just Beginings Collaborative, se centra en la construcción de una red de sobrevivientes de AfroLatinx para avanzar la construcción del movimiento hacia el fin del abuso sexual infantil a través de la Diáspora. Su proyecto Black Latinidad: Construyendo Hermandad Contra el Abuso Sexual Infantil, celebró la primera reunión nacional de sobrevivientes adultos afrodescendientes durante El Día Internacional de las Mujeres y Niñas Afrolatinx, Afrocaribeña y de la Diáspora el 25 de julio de 2017. Luz ha sido defensora de la violación desde 1997, donde trabajó en la Coalición Contra Abuso Sexual en Nueva York. En 2003, Luz Cofundó la organización Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA) y en su puesto trabajo para desarrollar el Culturally Specific Program en VAWA. Luz es Afro-puertorriqueña, se crió en East Harlem, Nueva York. Ella le da las gracias a Martha Hernandez Martinez por brindar su experiencia y habilidades como investigadora, por su apoyo en la organización Just Beginnings Collaborative project: Black Latinidad Building to end Child Sexual Abuse de los datos de los círculos de escucha, y por su participación como líder en las presentaciones sobre la mujer Negra.

This podcast was published on July 25th because this day is celebrated in Latin American and El Caribe as the International Day of AfroLatin American, AfroCaribbean and Diaspora Women’s Day. The theme for this year’s El Dia is Finding Home in Each Other. We invite you to engage with us and share practices that help you find the sacredness within you using the hashtag #VirtualAltar and #IamNegrx on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @IamNegrx. www.IamNegrx.org

To kick off season two of Conversations Over a Cafecito, we talk to Casa de Esperanza's CEO, Patti Tototzintle for a special recognition of Women's History Month. Patti talks about her history with Casa de Esperanza, what she's learned over her time working in the movement to end violence, and who she looks to as an inspiring woman.