Karen Florez, an active researcher in the field of diabetic and obesity related focuses, is known for her ambitions in her research and overall success despite presented obstacles in her life.

Karen Florez grew up in an environment around Venezuela/Columbian culture in which she says to have taken part in her perspective on how she views the world. In addition to this influence, her move to one of the most diverse boroughs in New York, Queens, has also contributed to her view for it reinforced the importance of culture for her.

Aside from growing up in a diverse community, before she reached her success, Ms.Florez experienced various obstacles, one of which is heavily highlighted. This obstacle being financial and economic obstacles, this did not stop her ambitions from growing nor her envisions for her desire to receive an education. Still, it was not until it was time for her college applications that she understood just how much economic needs played a factor in her future regarding her education.

“…what was challenging was [because] there was a lot of enthusiasm but not materialistic support, I remember seeing a stack of college applications and they were color coded…I had to ask all the colleges to waive the fee in order for me to apply, I didn’t have the money but it didn’t stop me from applying and trying.”

-Karen Florez (May 10, 2021)

Despite her economic obstacles, her passion for her research was not necessarily planned at first. The idea of Medical Anthropology was introduced to her during her time at undergrad by one of her professors. From there, Ms.Florez continued through her education as she was able to further her education and attended Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health for her interest in sociocultural determinants of health behaviors.

Reflected in her work, she emphasizes on the importance behind her research. Not only does her work hold a personal signifance but it also fufills her desire in making an impact in her community alongside the chronic disease and multicultural factor aspect in health.

“…there’s so many layers to that [research] but it’s always been a passion of mine so its been a pleasure to transition that into work. Definitely, this current work that’s specifically looking at the role of social network and how it can be impacting the diabetes…this is a perfect combination of my personal interest and how I can make peace and just how it contributes to Latinos because there’s a lot of assumptions with Latino families in social networks but we don’t know how the networks necessarily contribute as of yet, we haven’t done our best with vigorous research on how network can hinder health outcomes, I’m really proud that I can help bring that to the table.”

-Karen Florez (May 10, 2021)

In terms of her current research, this research is focused on diabetic and obese issues and it’s connection to social factors. There’s the academic aspect of it in a sense that as described by her, where Latinos and vulnerable populations tend to be disproportionately be affected by obesity and diseases. It was a main driver for the particular outcome as the community spoke about more on how important it is. She was primarily focused on the chronic aspect of this as well, expressing her interest for chronic diseases. During her training even, those around her were speaking on STD and HIV focused issues, focusing a lot on the chronic aspects as they link together.

Currently, Karen Florez, in addition to her active research in studying and understanding how Hispanic communities social factors plays a part in diabetic and obesity, she also is an Assistant Professor at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

“Best advice I think is about trusting yourself, that even when the path looks really lonely and you feel like ‘oh my god this is so hard no one else has done this,’ just trust that you have the strength to achieve what you set up to achieve and do this for the woman behind you.”

-Karen Florez (May 10, 2021)

Created by Denisse Medina Flores

Additional Resources

https://www.jhsph.edu/academics/training-programs/mixed-methods-training-program-for-the-health-sciences/scholars/2020%20Scholars/karen-florez.html

Dr. Melissa Castillo Planas is a writer, editor and professor at Lehman College. She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Mexican parents and grew up in Ithaca, New York. Both of her parents are professors and taught in schools like University of Oklahoma and Cornell University. She has published her own poems and a range of books. She has also edited poetry, a novel and books.

Dr. Castillo attended college at the New York University and finished her masters at Fordham University and her PhD at Yale University. She has been teaching at Lehman College for three years and prior she worked as a postdoc at Harvard University. She was also a teaching assistant at Yale for two years.

She has expressed she is her greatest obstacle when it comes to publishing her material. Her most recent book A Mexican State of Mind: New York City and the New Borderlands of Culture, took her about 10 years to research and became her baby. She was proud of her work because she was able to return to the people she researched and provide them a book based on them and their stories. A Mexican State of Mind: New York City and the New Borderlands of Culture is based on Mexican undocumented immigrants living in New York City. It touches on the hardships between Mexicans and Black discrimination. Coatlicue Eats the Apple is a book of poems also based on the Mexican American experience in New York City. It is filled with poems that are relatable to everyone in the culture. ¡MANTECA!: AN ANTHOLOGY OF AFRO-LATINO POETRY is a book of poems written with 40 poets and it filled with representation and experience for Afro-Latinos.

One of her greatest influence is Gloria Anzaldúa who is a Chicana female theorist. She first read her text in college and it was something she could relate to because Anzaldúa spoke about not feeling good enough about her Spanish. Until this day her text still resonates with her as a young Mexican woman.

She teaches in the English department at Lehman college and is the faculty advisor of the Latinx Student Alliance.The lack of women representation in literature influenced her in the career path she has taken. Much of the curriculum taught in schools are taught from the lens of white men. As a member of the English department, she and her students demanded Lehman College to change the curriculum. They wanted to see more Black and Latinx work being taught because it is a representation of the demographic on campus. She is famous among the student body for her Latinx literature course.

In Mexico I am neither brown nor white

I am gringa (querida)

La Meli Gabacha

And here

I wonder how many times

l’ll have to slice the tongue

from my mouth.

COATLICUE EATS THE APPLE. (2016). Dr. Melissa Castillo Planas. http://www.melissacastilloplanas.com/coatlicue-eats-the-apple.html

Natalia Mendez is a chef and owner of La Morada which is an Oaxacan restaurant in the Bronx. She was born in San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán, Oaxaca, Mexico then migrated to the United States with her husband Antonio in 1992. They left their young children behind with her parents at the time in hopes of finding a better life for her family in America.

When Natalia and her husband came to America, they lived in Washington Heights. Natalia recalled working many small jobs such as selling tamales and flowers as well as cleaning houses. Her main goal was to make a living in America and grant her children with a life full of opportunity along with a better education. Being away from her children was difficult but knowing that she was going to give them a better life in New York City, made everything worthwhile.

In 2009, her restaurant La Morada opened after the 2008 financial crisis. Her restaurant sold authentic Oaxacan food such as homemade sauces, tortillas, chiles, grilled meats, and beans.

With the current ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, La Morada now serves as a soup kitchen to feed those who are struggling whether it is financially or physically. La Morada makes about 650 meals a day to those who are unemployed and who live without gas, those can’t cook, older adults and the disabled. The soup kitchen opened in April of 2020 and within an hour of opening, 200 soups were gone. Natalia wanted to give back to her community in tough times and does so to this day.

Not only does Natalia give back to her community, she speaks as an advocate for them as well. As an immigrant herself, Natalia knows the hardships of how it was when she first came to America with her husband back in the early 90s. She had felt out of place but over time became accustomed to her new life. On the door of her restaurant is a sign that states, “No Deportations” to speak up in defense of immigrants without authorization to live in the United States. Even though times were tough, Natalia knew that her goal to seek a better future in America had to become a reality, and it did. She opened up a successful restaurant and her children all received a good education. Natalia did struggle at first but she did it for a purpose, for her children. If she had to do it all again, she would.

Presented By: Miah Correa

Sources:

“Antonio and I decided we weren’t going to die in Oaxaca.”. The Counter. (2020, January 14). https://thecounter.org/hands-that-feed-us-natalia-mendez-la-morada-bronx-immigration-food/.

Torrens, C. (2020, November 16). South Bronx restaurant turns into soup kitchen to help poor. The Columbian. https://www.columbian.com/news/2020/nov/16/south-bronx-restaurant-turns-into-soup-kitchen-to-help-poor/.

Dolores Huerta is an actor, activist, and labor leader, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association. She is part of the first victorious collective bargaining agreement, the National Farm Workers Association with leader Cesar Chavez, which guaranteed basic rights to agriculture, helping to form the first worker’s unions. Growing up Dolores Huerta noticed how unfortunate life was for farmworkers in California earning only 50 cents an hour. Dolores Huerta was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico. When Huerta found out about this she knew her mission would be to help fight to improve the lives of farmworkers by joining a community service organization and fulfilling her role, as her mother said a women’s role is, as a leader. 

She helped organize the Delano grape strike in 1965, California, and became the lead negotiator in the workers’ contract. She is very well known for her phrase “Si, Se Puede” which could be seen through her way of living since Huerta did not give up when it came to fighting for others, she continuously advocated for farm workers whilst knowing that it would take time for change to occur, nevertheless, she kept up the fight. Dolores Huerta is the first Latina to be admitted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, in 1993. In 2012 President Obama granted Dolores Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the highest civilian award in the United States.  

“The freedom of association means that people can come together in an organization to fight for solutions to the problems they confront in their communities. The great social justice changes in our country have happened when people came together, organized, and took direct action. It is this right that sustains and nurtures our democracy today. The civil rights movement, the labor movement, the women’s movement, and the equality movement for our LGBT brothers and sisters are all manifestations of these rights. I thank President Obama for raising the importance of organizing to the highest level of merit and honor.”

Dolores Huerta Foundation

As an activist, she encountered numerous challenges including arrests throughout many protests, in one particular case, she experienced violence from police brutality that resulted in broken ribs and other injuries during a protest for agriculture policies. This resulted in Huerta taking a break and spending time with her eleven children, however, she did not stop working and stayed with the union for nine years after Cesar Chavez passed away. This endurance proves how strong Dolores Huerta is since she not only dealt with challenges in advocating but deals with the challenge of being a woman in a male-dominated society, which is why she went on to start the Dolores Huerta Foundation. 

After her parent’s divorce, she and her brother moved in with her mother whose independence was one of the major reasons Dolores Huerta became a feminist. In most of her interviews, Dolores Huerta spoke out about feminism, from what it means to be a feminist to the hardships not only all women face in society but specifically women farmworkers. Dolores Huerta knows that any woman who stands up for something will get attacked and therefore women must be prepared to not just fight back but to keep moving forward as much as possible. Through her Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continued to work with agricultural communities.

“I never felt overlooked because I didn’t expect any kind of recognition. I think that’s very typical of women. I had been acculturated to be supportive, to be accommodating, to support men in the work they do. We never think of getting credit or recognition or even taking the power. We didn’t think in those terms. Of course, I think that’s changing now and there’s a surge of women who are not only running for office but getting elected. That could make an incredible amount of difference in our world. We will never have peace in the world until feminists take power.”

Rothman 2018,1

To this day Dolores Huerta still works to make a difference, we can see this from her recent advocacy from just two years ago when she was arrested at a protest, in California, protesting over pay for workers who look after people with disabilities and older adults. She told reporters these workers have gone without a wage increase for more than a decade while supervisors make over $100,000 a year and that it was time. Overall, Dolores Huerta to this day continues to reach for change, making her one of the many women who’ve made a significant impact on our country and our lives.

Work Cited

Delano grape Strike begins. (2019, September 25). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/delano-grape-strike-begins-ufw 

Dolores huerta. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://doloreshuerta.org/dolores-huerta/ 

Rothman, L. (2018, March 27). Dolores Huerta on metoo, new documentary and Feminist Power. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://time.com/5211356/dolores-huerta-pbs-documentary/ 

Carroll, N. (2020, August 27). At 90, labor LEADER Dolores Huerta still works to make a DIFFERENCE. ‘you can’t do it all by yourself.’ Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/women-of-the-century/2020/08/24/dolores-huerta-labor-leader-still-working-civil-labor-rights/5535992002/ 

Yeager, J., & Ward, J. (2019, August 21). 89-Year-Old civil rights LEADER Dolores huerta arrested at California labor protest. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/20/dolores-huerta-civil-rights-leader-arrested-fresno-labor-protest/2068197001/ 

Prepared by Michelle Lazaro

Lolita Lebrón was a leader of a Puerto Rican Nationalist group who fought against the United States for the independence of Puerto Rico. She was born on November 19th, 1919 in Lares Puerto Rico and passed away on August 1st, 2010.

In 1954, Lebrón and others stormed the Captiol Building for a protest because two years prior, the United States labeled Puerto Rico as a commonwealth. This went against her beliefs because she wanted an end to Puerto Rico’s colonial status. During this protest, Lebrón shot 5 congressmen of the 240 who were present discussing immigration laws.

Lebrón was sentenced to 54 years in prison for her actions at the Capitol. She did not regret her actions because she made it known she was willing die for Puerto Rico and the independence for the island.

Lebrón is remembered as a hero to those who are favor of independence of Puerto Rico. To others, she will be remembered as a terrorist because of her attack on the United States government. President Jimmy Carter however, granted her clemency and she did not serve her entire 54 year sentence. She was also named Person of the Year by Time Magazine in 2010.

“Before God and the world, my blood claims for the independence of Puerto Rico. My life I give for the freedom of my country. This is a cry for victory in our struggle for independence . . . The United States of America are betraying the sacred principles of mankind in their continuous subjugation of my country . . . I take responsible for all.”

Lebrón, 1954

Work Cited

Martin, D. (2010, August 03). Lolita Lebrón, Puerto Rican Nationalist, dies at 90. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03lebron.html

Lolita Lebron. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.freedomarchives.org/audio_samples/Lolita_Lebron.html

Lolita Lebrón. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/chicano-graphics/online/changemakers/lolita-lebron

Person of the year 2010. (2010, December 15). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2036477_2036974,00.html

Michelle Bachelet born 29 September 1951 in Santiago, Chile. She is a politician who was elected as president of Chile for two periods (2006-2010) and (2010-2018), thus being the first woman to hold the Chilean presidency. Also, she was a Chile’s Minister of Health in 2000, and was the Minister of Defence under president Ricardo Lagos, being the first woman in Chile or Latin America to hold this political position.https://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/HighCommissioner.aspx

Michelle Bachelet was distinguished by her campaign based on meeting the needs of the country’s poor, reforming the pension system, promoting the rights of women and recognizing constitucionally the rights of indigenous Mapuche people. Also, she founded social programs and impoveearly childhood education. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michelle-Bachelet

“Chile need to unite behind the goals of reducing poverty and creating more iqual oportunities so everyone can benefit from what the country has to offer.” Bachelet Quotes Category: Goals Quotes

Bachelet throught this quote confirms its commintment to the Chilean people to reduce the poverty and have better opportunities for the nation, and in turn contribute to the well- being of the economy.https://www.successories.com/iquote/author/35739/michelle-bachelet-quotes/1

Michelle Bachelet is a woman of outstanding power in our times. She is a woman who despite going through so many dificultiesin life, such as,the torture of her father, Vicente Bachelet, leading him to his death for demostraring his opposition to the Augusto Pinoche regimen. As well as, the imprisonment of she and her mother in a torture center.Despite these and her ideals,thus finishing her pediatric studies in exile. When she was able to Chile, she held several important political positions, among these , being president of the country.

Word Cite

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Michelle Bachelet”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Sep. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michelle-Bachelet. Accessed 17 February 2021.

Beatriz González was born on November 16, 1938 in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia (Andean Region). A Colombian painter, sculptor, critic, curator and art historian.

González is a remarkable painter, critic and art historian who has had her Life’s work featured all over the world. As a young student who loved to learn, on her last year at university, unsure of her career path, she had an interest in architecture, interior design and veterinarian work. That is until she met Juan Antonio Rodas who was a Spanish painter, her professor and also a student of Argentine art critic, writer and historian Marta Traba. Both of who influenced her work and were main supporters in the transition to become an artist. González graduated from their fine arts department in 1962 and in this, where she began her career as an artist.

She grew up in Colombia in the 1940’s and 50’s where the country was plagued with violence and warfare due to social and political injustice known as “La Violencia.” This nurtured its way into her understanding of Colombia society that led to her artistic style.

Gonzalez’s most well known works are “The Sisga Suicides I, II and III, 1965.” González appropriated a photo shown in a local newspaper where it displayed it the smiling faces of a deeply religious couple who committed joint suicide in order to acquit the woman’s sin. There are three different versions of her envision. This was the piece which marked her transition from traditional painting to what we known call ‘Pop Art’ and in later years “Interior Decoration (Decoración de Interiores) 1981” which was one of her more political pieces. At the time, González recreated this portrait of the president Julio César Turbay at a private cocktail party. The figures are seen having a good time with their champagne at hand, smiles all around their faces and the color scheme of green, orange and brown. She chose this private matter to show the people of Colombia the worries of the president during a time of “violence perpetrated by his government, which included arbitrary detentions and torture.” It was to mock and show people the reality of Colombia does not affect all and government has the power to keep things censored.

“I wanted the public to call into question the presidents and what Colombia represented, how presidents used power.”

(The Museum of Modern Art, New York)

She is often associated with the “Pop Art Movement” which has presented a challenge to the traditions of fine art including the use of imagery in popular and mass culture. Some examples used today are seen in comic books and advertisements.

In an interview conducted by Tate a British and international modern and contemporary art website, asked González about the “pop art” seen in other parts of the world, she stated:

During the 1960s I wasn’t aware of it. In the art history classes taught by Marta Traba the furthest we got was abstract expressionism. In 1961 we went with her on a trip to New York. There we visited MoMA and we saw mostly abstract expressionist works, with Jackson Pollock above all. Pop was mentioned at the time but with little enthusiasm. Thinking about it perhaps I knew pop, but I didn’t like it. I remember seeing in the Latin American edition of Life magazine a critique of Claes Oldenburg’s kitchens, but this didn’t catch my attention. Again, in 1966 in Amsterdam I visited the Stedelijk Museum where I came across Robert Indiana’s numbers and some works by Tom Wesselmann but they were unrelated and extraneous to my painting. I considered them very distant from what I was doing in painting.

(Tate 2015)

Work cited:

“Artist Interview: Beatriz González.” Https://Www.Tate.Org.Uk/, Sept. 2015, www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/ey-exhibition-world-goes-pop/artist-interview/beatriz-gonzalez.

Banrepcultural. “Tour Guiado Por La Exposición Beatriz Gonzalez: Una Retrospectiva.” YouTube, 14 Nov. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3x6ukGGkkg&ab_channel=Banrepcultural.

“Beatriz Gonzalez.” Google Arts & Culture, artsandculture.google.com/entity/g1237_rwt. Accessed 15 Feb. 2021.

“Beatriz González | MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/artists/36415. Accessed 16 Feb. 2021.

Wikipedia contributors. “Beatriz Gonzalez.” Wikipedia, 9 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatriz_Gonzalez.

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