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On Sept. 8, 2004,
LATINA Style hosted the National
LATINA Symposium, its first-ever
conference of Latina leaders, in Washington,
D.C. There could not have been a more
fitting culmination to our celebration of 10
years of publication.
When Anna Maria Arias created LATINA
Style, she knew the magazine needed to
exemplify the strength, determination and
commitment to succeed that her Latina
audience would identify with. LATINA
Style had to represent the significant
achievement and empowerment of Latinas.
The National LATINA Symposium did
just that. Not only did it bring together
the Latinas who have been leading this
country since long before the first issue of
LATINA Style, but it celebrated the
young women who will carry on that legacy in
the next 10 years and beyond.
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Anna Escobedo
Cabral |
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As we get ready
for the holidays and assess the past year, I ask
myself the question that I ask of my office every
day: Are we better off today than we were yesterday?
For us at LATINA Style it has been a year of
non-stop work. Celebrating our 10th anniversary of
publication has been reenergizing and motivating,
though tinged with the sadness that the person most
responsible for us being here, Anna Maria Arias, is
no longer with us. We believe, though, that we have
been faithful in following the mission that she
created for us.
We began the year with our celebration of the LATINA
Style 50 Awards, which we expanded to include our
first diversity conference, bringing together the
most accomplished Latinas in corporate America to
share their views and experiences and deliver a
powerful message.
The LATINA Style Business Series for 2004 kicked off
in San Francisco, and we never looked back. Events
followed in New York City, Miami, Charlotte,
Atlanta, and, to finish off the year, in Anaheim.
Wherever we went we found that Latina entrepreneurs
are more motivated than ever, succeeding in all
kinds of fields, and generating jobs and increasing
revenues. Latino business organizations and many
women’s organizations are starting to give our
Latina constituents the respect and attention they
deserve.
In September we hosted our first National LATINA
Symposium. This gathering of Latina leaders from all
over the country provided the opportunity to assess
the status of the Latina professional. We were also
able to bring together the four military academies
to recognize four incredible Latina cadets. You can
learn more about these events and our 2005 schedule
at our website, www.latinastyle.com.
Of course, we will never forget this election year.
It has marked the arrival of the Hispanic community
on the political stage for the whole country to see.
For the first time in the history of our country we
have two Latinos, one from each party, serving in
the U.S. Senate. Congratulations to Senator Mel
Martinez of Florida and Senator Ken Salazar from
Colorado. And the return of our seven Latina members
of Congress should tell us something about the work
that these Latinas are doing!
The nomination of Alberto Gonzalez to the position
of Attorney General ensures that we have Latinos
serving in president Bush’s Administration at the
highest level. We are wish great success to Anna
Escobedo Cabral as the new Treasurer of the United
States. She follows in the footsteps of some
incredible Latinas. Take a look at your dollar bills
in the near future to see her signature!
Finally, as we sit around the table to celebrate the
holidays with our families, let’s take a minute to
bow our heads and say a prayer for our soldiers,
wherever they may be, for risking their lives at the
service of our country.
Happy holidays, everyone. Thank you for your
continued and unwavering support, and we’ll see you
in 2005!
Robert E. Bard |
