Words matter, and how words or phrases are used may present completely different meanings to diverse cultural demographics depending on topics like history and associated symbolic language. That’s why having a leading bilingual female strategist such as Evelyn Pérez-Verdia on the side of truth in messaging is vital to organizations seeking to break down barriers with Latino communities. She is the Founder and Chief of Strategy for We Are Más, an organization focused on advising about diversity and translating culture, focusing on research, strategy, and creative communications. As a Hispanic small business owner, Evelyn has two decades of experience as an advisor to elections offices, grassroots groups, advocacy campaigns, and governmental agencies on messaging, communications, image, digital content, and micro-engagement. Recognizing her advocacy in protecting democratic organizations, Pérez-Verdia received the Woman of Impact Award in 2022 in Civics from the non-profit organization Mujeres Latinas Impulsando a Mujeres Latinas. She is also part of the University of South Florida’s Dean’s Advisory Council and the Department of State’s U.S. Speaker’s Program, giving workshops to journalists and civil society leaders in Latin America. When speaking to culturally diverse communities, the selection of words used in messaging means a lot. We talked about words often used by large national organizations in Washington, D.C., such as “Latinx” or “Progressive”, and how they can have the unintentional side effect of alienating different sections of the Latino community. She explained, “Yes, we have the Latinx, which the younger generations use, right? Where only 1.8% of Hispanics and Latinos, no matter the age affiliation, are like, I don’t feel identified with that.” Similarly, she noted the word “progressive” may represent “progressista” as a term young Hispanics might find objectionable. “They manifested peacefully on the streets against the dictatorship of Hugo Chávez, of Nicolas Maduro, and they see this youth using exactly the symbolism, exactly the terms that the dictator in the country uses,” she said. This is hugely important for all activists to listen to this interview!

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