by Kelcey Coffin
Phyllis Gutiérrez Kennney
Individually, Hispanics and women have made immense progress in getting involved in public office in soarsrecent years. However, the rate at which Hispanic women are gaining the power of office is slower than the rate of the leader who is only one or the other.
Of the 75 women serving the statewide elective executive offices, only three are Latinas; and of the 88 serving in the 110th Congress, a mere seven are Latina. Nationwide, only 74 Latinas serve out of 1,748 female state legislators.
Various Latinas holding office shared their challenges and suggestions on how to improve these statistics with Hispanic Link News Service.
One great commonality among Latina officeholders is the struggle to be noticed, says Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, a Mexican American member of the Washington House of Representatives. Even after gaining election with 76 percent of the vote, she still found herself treated as “invisible me.”
“In a room full of men, I would make a brilliant suggestion’ but would be ignored,’’ Kenney says. “Then a man would say the exact same thing and would be praised for it.”
As a Puerto Rican in Syracuse, N Y., where less than three percent of the population is Hispanic, 54-year-old Common Council President Bethsaida González describes herself as “the brown negotiator in a black and white community.”
Starting as an activist parent because her son was failing first grade (he liked to read the newspaper instead of copying letters off the board, she says), Gonzalez’s involvement in politics was launched. “The reality is that as a woman, I have to work twice as hard and as a Hispanic woman, I have to work four times as hard in order to achieve any success,” Gonzalez said.
Jackie Col6n, Commissioner of District 5 in Florida’s Brevard County at age 42, reasons, “People are not ready for Hispanics.”
The Ecuadorian had no intention to go into politics, she says, but after being ignored by city council members when she asked why taxes were so high, she had to be heard. Running against four opponents in the Palm Bay City council race in ‘95, she received 41 percent of the vote. Colón says she still had to earn the trust of her constituency.
“Being a Latina on the city council hasn’t been an easy task,” says Avondale, Texas, Mayor Marie López Rogers, 59. As a Mexican American, Rogers continues to fight the discrimination there because, as she puts it, she wants everyone to enjoy all that America has to offer. Her mom convinced her that she could do “anything and everything’” Rogers says.
Washington’s Kenneyagrees. “Women bring different perspectives and thoughts that are needed to make balance and good decisions.”
Syracuse’s Conzález adds, “l live by the four C’s: challenges, choices, confidence and control… When I ran for council president, there were people who assumed they were next in line and deserved the job, but I jumped ahead.” While many Latinas in public office feel a sense of urgency to increase their numbers, Rosario Marin, a Mexican immigrant who was appointed 41st U.S. Treasurer by President Bush, responds, “I don’t see these race and gender issues. I’ve been the first of many things, but I never say elect me because I’m Latina or elect me because I’m a woman. I want to be elected strictly based on my track record.” Marin says she nevertook notice of being a victim of racism or sexism. Hispanic Link.
