Last week it was announced that I would be taking the helm as Mamiverse Editor-in-Chief. I could not be more proud to be a part of this site, its mission, and to work with the brilliant team that makes the site what it is.
Anyone who knows me, or has read my work, understands the total transparency I place between my life and my writing. Whether discussing my having once been a single mom using food stamps to feed my kids, to the many lessons I’ve learned in life through my experience with failure and disappointment—some tragic, some funny, all very human—no one can say I don’t put myself out there. Getting to Life’s truths can be a very personal journey. One I stopped shying away from a long, long time ago.
Although certainly unique to my life, my issues are those women relate to. We’re females, after all, and communicating with one another in order to learn and grow is what we do. It’s what I do best, and I’ve learned to surround myself with women who do the same; support, empower and enjoy one another.
The series of events that led to my editing this groundbreaking site is exactly the kind of thing that needs more attention. The absolute opposite of the ‘envidia/jealousy’ that many Latinas often talk about, my story is one of Latinas supporting Latinas. I’m grateful to be able to say that.
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Having realized I was not suited for the breakneck instant-news speed of my last position, I knew I needed to find a role that perfectly encompassed all of who I am; woman, mother, writer, editor. After wonderful words of encouragement from the outgoing Mamiverse V.P. of content, Sylvia Martinez, and Isidra Mencos, Editorial Director of Americas & Spain at BabyCenter, I decided that Mamiverse and I might have a future together. A call with CEO Rene Alegria, and a meeting with him in Miami a week later, and BAM, here I am. Probably the happiest I’ve been professionally in years.
The work will be challenging, but I believe in what Alegria is doing. He is not a woman or a mami, but he has a mami, and the result of his respect for her and for women and Latinas in general is Mamiverse: our voice, our home. I thank him for building it. He and I are going to have fun making a difference. In just these first few days, we’ve already been having a blast.
As I walked on the beach near my Florida home over the weekend, I played the whole sequence of events out in my head. Some things in life unfold the way they’re supposed to. Even my 8-year-old said to me on Sunday: “You are a mami and now you work for Mamiverse. Isn´t that great?” Yes it is, hija. It´s exactly where I belong.
As the new Editor-in-Chief of Mamiverse, I am here to serve you, the readers, and to offer women and moms, Latina or not, a voice they can relate to.
I know that with the content we publish on this site, we’re making a difference in the lives of Hispanic families. The site’s very existence is a symbol of great change yet to come. As Latinas, we have a responsibility to engage with and share with one another how we can live life to its fullest. We owe it to our sons and daughters, to our husbands and partners, and to the parents who for many of us sacrificed so much just so we could be Americanas. There are few things as fierce and empowering as being Latina in America today. Sometimes I wish we all understood this a bit better. Now is our time. Our American journey is just beginning.
But we need to participate. To form bonds with one another. To laugh and live, dance and cry on each other’s shoulders. This is what I promise to do with Mamiverse. I want this to be the place we meet up, crack jokes, trade information and inspire one another. Mamiverse, and by extension every Latina in America, must connect in order to build up our community and personally thrive.
So let´s make our voices heard, as one.
Together, we’re unstoppable.
