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Discover and connect with these Human Rights leaders who helped make our country strive to be a fair and equal place. Nadia Murad Born in 1993 in Iraq ISIS abducted and held her in sexual slavery for three years After she escaped, she began her life as an activist fighting against sexual violence Discover more about Nadia Murad Michelle Bachelet Born in 1951 in Chile She was detained and tortured after speaking out against Chile’s military dictatorship. Chile’s first female president who focused on strengthening the rights of the country’s most vulnerable, including women and LGBTQ+ Tran Minh Nhat Born in 1988 in Vietnam In 2011, he was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison, where he dealt with harassment with three years of probation. Vietnamese journalist and activist who promotes economic, social, and cultural rights in Vietnam.

DECEMBER UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH "Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10th — the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document that proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status." Source: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Disability: ​​​Human Rights Day | United Nations Want to get involved locally to end the war in Israel and Palestine? Check out this resource: https://linktr.ee/solidaritymadison This month's blog series will be about these notable human rights leaders. Poet Fadwa Tuqan Michelle Bachelet Tran Minh Nhat Poet Fadwa Tuqan Born in Palestine (Nablus in the northern West Bank)1917- 12 December 2003 She voiced her rejection of many of these customs in her two-volume autobiography Between 1952 and 2000, she published eight collections of poetry. Selections of her poetry have been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Persian, and Hebrew. She was awarded several prizes and medals, including the annual Sulayman Arar Poetry Prize; the prize of the Union of Jordanian Writers in 1983; the Sultan Uways Prize of the United Arab Emirates in 1989; the Jerusalem Medal of the PLO in 1990; the prize of the World Festival of Contemporary Writing, Salerno, Italy, in 1992; the Tunisian cultural medal of 1996; and the PLO prize for literature in 1997.

We are very honored to have Qiana Holmes, as a guest speaker for Yo Quiero Dinero! For many years, she has quietly supported Midwest Mujeres, as a consultant to how to grow our mentoring program, to connecting with our vendors for large city wide festivals. We are very grateful for her support! Qiana Holmes is an educator, owner of Village Girl Boutique, and a speaker. She has worked in education for over 15 years. She works to empower rural northern families by bridging the gaps to access education. Qiana began her business Village Girl Boutique in 2018 after several trips to Africa. She enjoys sharing the rich beauty she experiences in African textiles. Village Girl Boutique is a global fashion brand that exudes confidence through high-quality, African-inspired, ready-to-wear fabrics and accessories for women. Qiana enjoys connecting business owners to resources and speaks on the power of getting started. She is a UW Whitewater graduate of Social Work, an UpStart graduate, and a YWCA Amplify Awardee, as well as a proud mother of two adult sons. You can connect with her here! Here is her feature video by LessWorks Media! Big Ups to LessWorks!

Dr. Sagashus Levingston will be our honored Storyteller! In her words: "Everything about my life's" journey has positioned me to show up for and assist women who are leaders, dream fulfillers, builders of authentic mothering practices, seekers of the best version of yourselves, and value creators." "People often underestimate the power of their stories, or they don't even see value in their value. But the truth is this: your story is worth way more than you believe. And it is often a gift to so many others." "The real, lived experiences have the power to inspire, to heal, and to transform the lives of others. When you withhold it, you do them and yourself a disservice. And you deny yourself opportunities that will take you places that money and credit won't." "For way too long, you've been focusing on what you lack. You have bought into the idea that you don't have the resources you need to get to where you're trying to go. And I'm here to tell you you have everything you need to be on your way. Attend this talk so that I can tell you how." Connect to her platform here!

Hello, Hola, My name is Araceli Esparza, I'm the founder of Midwest Mujeres. My work comes from the historical work of Gloria Anzaldua, bell hooks, Aurora Levins Morales, critical race theory through a Chicana lens, intersectionality, social entrepreneurism, and social justice. I created Midwest Mujeres Collective to help Latinas expand their networks and grow their businesses. We focus on networking, mentoring, and marketing/business growth education. ***In this video, I talk about the racial wealth gap and what inspires me to do this work of closing the gender pay gap using "unconventional" tools like storytelling*** On the real: I built in Midwest Mujeres, because I didn't see myself and all of these entrepreneurial workshops that I took. I didn't see the brown woman struggling between two worlds. I didn't see the brown women getting encouragement from other brown women. I also didn't see a space that celebrated our Chicana culture. I created Midwest Mujeres Mentoring to help Latinas and women expand their networks, grow their businesses, develop communication skills like storytelling, and provide a community for economic development and professional networking. I'm a writer, I'm a creator, and I love creating. So I thought this would be a great way to utilize a collaborative membership model, and we hold cohort learning opportunities with experts in the field of branding, corporate storytelling, and presentation skills. Midwest Mujeres (Midwest Women) is a mentoring collective helping to raise social capital for Latina entrepreneurs, and women of color. Bottom line: We help high-impact multicultural women expand their platforms. If no one else values a stories, we must begin valuing our own stories! ¡Yo Quiero Dinero Baby!

With a warm welcome, we present to you, Victoria Thayer. She will tell her story on becoming an entrepreneur. Victoria Thayer, CPA is the new business owner of NOVII CPA in Madison, WI, with nine years of experience in tax and business financial reporting. Victoria is originally from Venezuela and moved to the United States at the age of 19, and earned her bachelor’s in business administration from University of Rochester and later she earned a master’s in accounting from Edgewood College. She is a member of WWBIC’s advisory committee, board member of Midwest Mujeres and a speaker for the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce. She is a truly demonstrated leader and business consultant. She was also the award recipient of the 2023 young professional award by the WI CPA society. She is passionate about helping business owners demystify the numbers to better understand the health of their business and make informed decisions to achieve their financial goals. Why is this work of Midwest Mujeres, important to you? In her words: "This work is important to me because we need to pave the way for the next generations and we need to normalize salary negotiation and saying Yo Quiero Dinero!" "Midwest mujeres also allows us to believe on ourselves and our value. This organization has taught me that: we are valuable and we have something to bring to the table! We need to own it!" "It has also empowered me during this new chapter of my life where I am starting my own business. It has showed me that I also have value and I don’t need anyone else to validate me." Thank you Victoria! Learn more about Victoria here. Purchase your tickets here.

Discover and connect with these Pride leaders who helped make our country strive to be a fair and equal place Ž Sylvia Rivera Born in 1951 to Venezuelan and Puerto Rican parents Participated in the Stonewall Inn riots in 1969 Started the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) House with Marsha P Johnson in 1971 Discover more about Sylvia Rivera Frida Kahlo Born in 1907 in Mexico Disabled as a child by polio and was hit by a car at 18, leaving her with medical problems and pain for the rest of her life Used her art to explore societal questions on identity, gender, class, and race Widely regarded as an iconic figure for Chicanos, the feminist and LGBTQ+ movements Bayard Rustin In 2013 he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Rustin fought for many causes, including racial equality and workers' rights and in the gay rights movement

With a warm welcome, we present to you our guest speaker, Robbi Dominguez! Robbi Dominguez is a visionary Latina entrepreneur who is on a remarkable journey to make a meaningful impact while pursuing her passion and building a thriving business. Driven by a deep sense of purpose, Robbi embodies the spirit of empowerment, striving to uplift others while embracing her love for wellness and fitness. Her new business, "Your Gym Bestie" speaks to Robbi's inspiring path, from her humble beginnings to her current pursuit of helping women transform their commitment to fitness, all while turning her passion into a profitable venture. Connect with her  https://www.instagram.com/your_gymbestie/ Here is an excerpt from our recent radio show with Ali Muldrow, on WORT 89.9's A Public Affair, show. Catch the whole show here! Thank you Ali + WORT Radio for your continueous support of our organization!

With a warm welcome, we present to you our guest speaker Shadayra Kilroy-Flores! Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores is a seasoned speaker and civil rights organizer working with organizations grounded in social justice, like the Dane County Community Restorative Court and Midwest Mujeres. Shadayra helps clients go from being tokenized to empowering and specializes in creating equitable policies. She’s an international consultant known for her sister-city work with Tepititlan, Mexico. She frequently speaks for audiences like the United Nations Ambassador forum, National Association for Civilian Oversight for Law Enforcement, and Water protection actions. Shadayra currently sits as the Chair of the City of Madison’s Police Civilian Oversight Board. When Shadayra is not advocating for our rights, you can find her gardening at Rooted Community center, where she is a garden advocate and sits on their advisory board. You can connect with her here. Watch her in action, while she talks about how Brown and Black folks are not given the agency to question why we react to oppression.

Hello Friends and supporters, Spring has finally come to Wisconsin. The birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming. At Midwest Mujeres, we are planning our second Yo Quiero Dinero event. Unlike last year's conference, we are hosting a special interactive storytelling show for you! In talking to my community of Brown, Black, and White friends, many have asked me What does Yo Quiero Dinero mean? It means I want Money in Spanish! We have been using this term as a metaphor and a call to action to bring attention to the racial wealth gap. Now, we are using it as our prompt for our annual event Who will be there sharing their stories? Dr. Sagashus Levingston, Founder of Infamous Mothers Karen Garcia, Legal Professional Victoria Thayer, CPA Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores, Community Organizer Yazmin Lopez, Kathamira Cleaning owner, and Entrepreneur Qiana Holmes, Village Girl Boutique owner, and consultant Robbi Dominguez, Your Gym Bestie owner and fitness instructor Araceli Esparza, Midwest Mujeres founder and speaker EVENT BREAKDOWN: This is a storytelling event that is interactive and motivational. Women will come to the stage and tell stories about taking their businesses to the next level as entrepreneurs. These stories will be about their fears, failures, culture, and resiliency for creating a new "stream of income" and why they wanted more money or value for their lives. Yo Quiero Dinero is a song, a metaphor, and a movement for women of color in Wisconsin who want more. Wisconsin Women want money, more life, and more freedom. Free your mind, and the rest will follow (En Vogue). Facts: While white households make up 64% of the population, they held more than 80% of all wealth measured in assets in 2022. (Federal Reserve) According to Equal Pay Today, Latinas working full-time, year-round, and part-time earn only 54 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. Black women have the highest labor force participation rate of all women. Typically, Black women have higher labor force participation rates than other women, meaning a higher share of Black women are either employed or unemployed and looking for work. For instance, in 2019, Black women's labor force participation rate was 60.5% compared with 56.8% for white women. Even in 2020, during the pandemic, their labor force participation rate was 58.8%, compared to 56.2% for women overall. (Current Population Survey) Please join us on Friday, June 16th at 6 PM at 1055 E Mifflin Street, Madison, WI, at the MyArts Theater. Come early for networking and appetizers. We will have a raffle and a professional photo booth. Event Link: https://bit.ly/YoQuieroDinero2023

With a warm welcome, we present to you, Karen Garcia. She will tell her story of what financial freedom means and her journey to Yo Quiero Dinero! In her words👉🏼 "My name is Karen Garcia. I am passionate about family and community. I believe that to encourage and motivate those around us. We must be free to be our authentic selves. Outside of my family, I dedicate my time to a career in the legal field. In addition, I am a contract and volunteer interpreter." "Regardless of the setting I emphasize the importance of representation in our work, and communities. I immigrated from Colombia to Madison WI in 1995. Grew up on the Northside of Madison, and attended UW-Milwaukee where I graduated with a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice." "Navigating the immigration system, becoming a parent myself at 16, and foster care gave me the lived experience that has shaped me into who I am today." What does Midwest Mujeres mean to you? "Midwest Mujeres is important to me because it provides a space for all of me to show up. For many of us, our time is spent scheduling and calendaring ourselves into different categories with Midwest Mujeres; I can bring myself as a Latina/Immigrant/Mother/Professional/Community Member." Said Mrs. Garcia. "In my experience, we have been conditioned to be satisfied and not ask for more. We should be the ones to take care of our families, career, and community with a smile on our faces and not daring to ask for more resources or assistance. Because of these demands, we do not stop to think of our own needs and the pressures of life." "When we come into a Midwest Mujeres space, we ask each other questions and challenge each other. Our success depends on our ability to talk with clarity and encourage one another to do the same." Said Mrs. Karen Garcia "When I was a baby, my mother kept a candle burning when I slept for fear the rats would get at me—hearing my mother talk about the importance of that light. It reminds me of the importance of keeping a shining light on each other so that we can keep the pains of the world away and grow. Midwest Mujeres shines a light when we see someone expressing their ideas." "At Midwest Mujeres we come together to encourage others to either stay steadfast on the path they are on, or to take that step and write that next goal!" THANK YOU KAREN!

With a warm welcome, we present our Guest Speaker, Yazmin Lopez! Yazmin Lopez is the owner of Katharisma Cleaning. She is an immigrant, mom and entrepreneur. Yazmin enjoys sharing her life experiences as an entrepreneur to help other immigrants to uplift and encourage immigrants to pursue wealth as a tool to better our communities. Mrs. Lopez is also, the member coordinator for Midwest Mujeres online community! Yazmin has participated in all of our courses and has been a wonderful volunteer, developer, and member engager! In her words, What does being part of Midwest Mujeres mean to you? "Hello, my name is Yazmin Lopez. Yo quiero dinero, I want money to better my community and support the work of those who help make our world better. My journey with money was always negative. The lack of funds was a block for me. This feeling kept me down. In moments when I felt down, I turned to the internet, where I found my tribe. I had looked at money as a bad thing either not enough or too much was a problem. I'm learning to see money as a flow of positive energy bringing me joy for what I do, helping to support local resources that help our community and give more, learning to use the money how it works and how to make it work for us. "In our communities, money has rules; if we don't learn to play by those rules, we will get played." Thank you, Yazmin! Connect with Yazmin Lopez and her business here. Buy your tickets!