Casarez was an American civil rights leader and LGBT activist in Philadelphia. She served as Philadelphia’s first director of Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) affairs. During her tenure as director, Philadelphia ranked as the number one city nationwide for LGBT equality. Gloria Casarez served as the executive director of Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative (GALAEI) from 1999–2008.

The painted white wall has many feeling angered near 12th Street in Center City. “I was really surprised and enraged,” said artist Michelle Angela-Ortiz, who created the mural.

The image of the Gloria Casarez mural was projected Wednesday night on the blank wall with the banner that says, “You can’t erase our history.”

NO MORE MURAL: Outrage in Center City tonight after mural of beloved LGBTQ activist and Latinx community icon, Gloria Casarez was suddenly painted over by a developer set to demolish the building.

Plans for new mural have now stalled after this “unexpected development”@6abc pic.twitter.com/2RZT4ccZiu

— George Solis (@GeorgeSolis) December 24, 2020

“That’s all I’ve known since I moved to the city and I look at it now and it’s just sad,” said resident Hayley Roberts.

Past fall, once it was known that the site had been sold to New York City developer Midwood Investment and Development, many residents wondered about the mural’s fate. Some even protested to ensure the mural would be preserved before the site was torn down.

Planning involving multiple parties including Mural Arts Philadelphia led to the decision of a new tribute that would feature Gloria Casarez and Henry Minton, a leading Black abolitionist who once lived in the same location.

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In an initial joint statement, Midwood and Mural Arts announced their partnership to commission the new installation. However, out of nowhere, the mural was painted over Wednesday.

Unexpected development

“After this unexpected development, we cannot in good conscience move forward,” said Jane Golden, the executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Golden said though it was understood the building and mural were going away, how it was done is really a major problem.

“When they go away, they have to go away with sensitivity and respect and we have to have time to mourn and acknowledge it,” she explained.

Angela-Ortiz is standing with others in the community expressing outrage. Ortiz said she still has no plans to work with Midwood in the future. Her priority now is honoring Gloria and Minton and all that they stood for.

“Even though this mural has been whitewashed, her history is not gone,” Ortiz said.

The post Mural of LGBTQ and Latin X activist Gloria Casarez was painted over appeared first on El Sol News Media.

La presentadora digital de El Sol Latino, Lissy G, moderó esta interesante conferencia por Zoom sobre la identidad y la cultura hispana, organizada por Hispanic Media y apoyada por Independence Blue Cross.

Yvette Peña nació en la ciudad de Nueva York. Es una hija de primera generación de inmigrantes de la República Dominicana, quien heredó de su familia trabajadora el espíritu emprendedor que demuestra.

Su madre, una mujer soltera con dos hijos que vino a los Estados Unidos, superó las dificultades de la migración e inició un negocio de panadería en Nueva York, ha desempeñado un papel muy relevante en este sentido. Ella le enseñó el lema “¡Puedes hacerlo!”

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La educación ha sido muy importante en su formación. Sus valores personales de perseverancia y superación se los adjudica a su familia. Yvette Peña recuerda que su madre le decía: “No puedes llegar a donde quieres sin contar con una educación”, de modo que crió a Yvette y a su hermano asegurándose de que iban camino a la universidad.

Acerca de Latin X

La líder multicultural cree que las personas deben identificarse con lo que sienten que son. “Me identifico como afro-latina. Conozco a mis antepasados, los he rastreado. Sé quién soy y dónde están mis raíces”.

Sin embargo, la identidad exhibe variaciones y Peña se basa en una investigación para demostrarlo. Según un estudio del Pew Research Center, el 61% de las personas de habla hispana en los Estados Unidos se identifican como hispanos y el 21% como latinos.

Estas variaciones se producen de acuerdo los países y culturas que estos grupos humanos sienten como su origen cultural. Pueden ser países de América del Sur, América Central, Europa o el Caribe.

En comparación con estos grupos, la identificación cultural bajo el término Latin X es reducida y todavía bastante desconocida. Sin embargo, para Yvette Peña, el término es muy interesante porque plantea preguntas sobre quiénes somos. “Es un término que ha hecho que la gente nos mire y piense en los hispanos. Me encanta que la gente pueda cuestionar su identidad.”

Y agrega: “Mucha gente ni siquiera sabe de que se trata, pero para aquellos que lo usan y lo abrazan, especialmente la comunidad LGBTQ, siento que está bien. Necesitamos unirnos, sin importar cómo nos identifiquemos. Es necesario que nos mantengamos unidos para emprender lo que se requiera construir. Mientras tanto, mantengamos el diálogo activo, la puerta está abierta”.

Cuando se le preguntó sobre el camino que la llevó a su actual cargo de vicepresidenta y líder multicultural de AARP, Yvette Peña declaró con entusiasmo y convicción que sus logros son el resultado de personas claves como su madre y sus tías, que fueron sus mentores y su principal inspiración. “Tenía metas, tenía pasión por crecer, pero estos mentores me impulsaron a donde quería llegar”.

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The post Yvette Peña: “Necesitamos unirnos, no importa cómo te identifiques” appeared first on El Sol News Media.

Popular host Lizzie G, moderated this interesting Zoom conference on Hispanic identity and culture, organized by Hispanic Media and supported by Independence Blue Cross.

Yvette Peña was born in New York City. She is a first-generation daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic who inherited from her hard-working family the entrepreneurial spirit she exhibits.

Her mother, a single mother of two who came to the U.S. and overcame the difficulties of migration and started a bakery business in New York has played a very relevant role in this sense. She taught her the motto “You can do it!”

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Education has been very important in her formation. Her personal values of perseverance and self-improvement are due to her family. Yvette Peña remembers her mother telling her: “You can´t get to where you want without getting an education”, so she raised Yvette and her brother making sure they were on the path to college.

On Latin X

The multicultural leader believes that people should identify with what they feel they are. “I identify myself as an Afro-Latina. I know my ancestors, I traced them. I know who I am and where my roots are.”

However, identity exhibits variations and Peña relies on research to demonstrate it. According to a Pew Research Center study, 61% of Spanish-speaking people in the United States identify themselves as Hispanic and 21% as Latinos.

These variations are produced according to the countries and cultures that these human groups feel as cultural origin. They can be countries from South America, Central America, Europe or the Caribbean.

In comparison with these groups, the cultural identification under the term Latin X is reduced and still quite unknown. However, for Yvette Peña, the term is very interesting because it raises questions about who we are. “It is a term that has made people to look at us, and think about Hispanics. I love that people may question their identity.”

And she adds: “A lot of people don´t even know what it is, but for those who use it and embrace it, especially the LGBTQ community, I feel it is fine. We need to come together, no matter how you identify. We need to come together to do whatever it is that we need to do. Let´s keep the conversation going, the door is open.”

When asked about the path that led her to her current position as Vice President and multicultural leader at AARP, Yvette Peña stated with enthusiasm and conviction that her achievements are the result of key people like her mother and aunts who were her mentors and main inspiration. “I had goals, I had a passion to grow but these mentors kept pushing me where I wanted to go.”

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