Milka's Story: “It runs here, it runs in my blood.”
Adelante grew out of the need for education within the Latinx community, specifically for Latinas. Latina women, in their home country and in this country, have faced multiple barriers including poverty, misogyny, racism, and lack of resources creating a landslide of need. Education holds the power to empower people and can change the trajectory of Latina leadership and who gets there. For many Latina women, empowerment is something you work on internally. In a place where it feels like we are surviving versus thriving, education can be the catapult that aids in reaching empowerment.
Milka’s roots run deep within Adelante Mujeres. She gradated as an Immigrant Solidarity Promotora and she is also an alumni of the Civic Leaders Training. She’s also been a part of several other initiatives:
The Oregon Worker Relief Fund as a Community Navigator
Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity Campaign/Action Team
Community Navigator during the implementation period of the Oregon Driver's Licenses
When asked why the work within her community is so important, filled with emotion, Milka reflects on the values her parents instilled in her at a young age. She credits her will to fight for what she believes in to her father, a local community advocate and leader in her hometown. Her sense of compassion is evident, and a memory she holds close to her heart is the amount of giving her mother did, despite their humble upbringing. Compassion, the spirit to give, and the drive to lead inspired her to participate in the Leadership & Advocacy Programs at Adelante Mujeres. Yet, Milka puts it much simpler, pointing to her arm, she says “It runs here, it runs in my blood.”
Milka, like many other women who come through the Leadership & Advocacy Programs, understands the value that these programs have within their communities. The accessibility to resources can play a major role in the quality of life Latinx communities have, something Milka is more than familiar with. Milka lost her father recently after a battle with COVID-19. “He passed because in my country, they’re lacking in healthcare access and resources. And not just there — this country also, regardless of being wealthy. There’s still a lot of work to be done. That motivates me to say, ‘okay, where are we lacking?’ because the pain that I have felt, I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience”.
Regarding Immigration Reform:“I feel like it’s worth it to dream big. This is a dream worth
fighting for.”
For Milka, fighting for her education as a young girl in Guatemala is where her journey towards empowerment started. Out of her large family, only her eldest brother and she were able to get their education. She has hopes of continuing her studies in Early Childhood Education with the intent to become a teacher. She envisions herself being the type of educator that leaves an impact on her students, like planting seeds and watching them sprout. However, her ultimate dream? Immigration reform. She acknowledges the small victories and how they move the needle forward to something bigger. “I feel like it’s worth it to dream big. This is a dream worth fighting for. It’s worth going into your community and saying, ‘You know, we can do this. We’re already here, and we’re going to give our best’,” she says.
When on the topic of female empowerment, Milka wanted to make one thing clear: Women can. “Yes, yes, we can. It’s just a matter of taking that first step and continue moving forward”. She describes Adelante Mujeres as the complete package. “They have the tools to allow people to reach their goals. It’s like, ‘Okay, I feel empowered now, I can reach my goals’”.
So, yes, Adelante Mujeres started as a way for Latina women to pursue their education. But as Milka puts it, it’s become so much more than that, because an underlying theme within participants has been empowerment. When we feel empowered, we feel secure, we feel confident.
“It’s so important for us, as Latinas, to feel empowered because we need to lead.”
Milka jokes that she talks a lot, but she truly has a way with words that is simply inspiring. So, what better way to inspire than with her own words: “When I feel empowered, I feel secure in fighting for my rights. When I feel empowered, I don’t feel scared to speak up. It’s so important for us, as Latinas, to feel empowered because we need to lead. I see an empowered Latina as a leader. They’re not going to be scared to say ‘I, too, can do that. I, too, can do that work and make a change’. [Adelante Mujeres] has helped empower me. I feel empowered. I feel powerful.”