Empowering Latina Youth

As a young girl, Laura Donnelly, BA’93 (M), a third-generation Irish-American from Sparta, N.J., improbably learned to speak Spanish, cook Cuban food and to dance the salsa. “I grew up with a Cuban aunt and cousins!” she laughingly explains. “My aunt, especially, left me with a positive impression of her culture.” For example, her aunt, a first-generation Cuban-American, regularly introduced Cuban cuisine to the Donnelly family menus of “potato-laden meals.”

As an adult, Donnelly has continued her interests in Hispanic culture and concretely defined them with her launch of Latinitas Magazine, a monthly nonprofit Web-based magazine (www.latinitasmagazine.org) “dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Latina youth.”

Along with her co-founder, Alicia Rascon, Donnelly “provides a bilingual forum for these young people to voice their concerns and interests, fosters positive self-images, and encourages Latina girls to accept and appreciate themselves by inspiring them to be strong and smart.”

The Austin, Texas-based production started as an assignment in a Latinos and the Media course, when Donnelly attended the University of Texas graduate journalism program. Required to complete a semester-long project addressing Latino issues in the media, Donnelly and Rascon developed the idea of producing a magazine “with a realistic and representative image of girls.” A subsequent multimedia class introduced the two to Web design with its cost efficiency and ease in publishing. It spurred them to venture into their joint partnership two years ago.

The Web magazine’s features include a section showcasing the writing and artwork of Latina girls, as well as individual profiles.

Currently a “Big Sister” in Austin, Donnelly also participated in New York City’s program before moving to Texas. Her mentoring made her “realize middle school girls deal with [tough] issues like sexual harassment, drugs, rape and pregnancy. And proportionate to their population, Hispanic girls are often most at risk for many of these issues. Alicia and I thought it was important to empower these girls by giving them a forum to address these issues before they get to high school where it’s often too late to help them.”

She is now mentoring two Little Sisters, Lowandres Kaufman, 17, and Yolanda Solis, 15. “They are a major help with Latinitas because they keep me up-to-date on the teen cool factors. Personally, they have taught me how one exacts unconditional love. Together, we have explored dance, art and sport, and tackled some serious struggles. I feel honored they have let me share their lives.”

Donnelly’s prior journalism experience has greatly enhanced her role on the Web publication. A former book publicist in a New York publicity agency, Donnelly “left the corporate environment” and landed a job in a smaller agency, Carol Fass Publicity. “The job released me from the stifling nature of corporate industry, which can be unkind and sexist toward women. Carol taught me how to be assertive without apology and that a woman can be a mentor, be successful in business and have a fruitful family and social life as well.”

Donnelly also credits FDU with providing her a solid background. A Presidential Scholar while attending the University, Donnelly played field hockey and tennis. “I learned about ethnic identity, feminism and literature from Dr. Elise Salem [professor of English and communications] and Dr. Kathryn Douglas [director of Freshman Intensive Studies]. I was privileged to play under the motivating and thoughtful leadership of coaches Hallie Cohen [field hockey] and Thomas Ramsey [tennis]. I advanced my writing with Dr. Walter Cummins [professor emeritus of English] and Prof. Bill Zander [professor of English] and learned to consider the minority opinion more diligently through Dr. Robert Francoeur [professor emeritus of biological sciences].”

As to the future, Donnelly remains focused on the continued success of Latinitas and its expansion and community outreach. “Alicia and I have dreams of hosting an afterschool program of junior ‘reporteras,’ which is based in a warehouse in a Hispanic section of Austin. We would produce the magazine there and thought of calling it ‘The Butterfly Institute,’ using the metaphor of the place being a center of growth and change for girls. The media will only portray diverse perspectives of American Latinos if those perspectives and persons exist in the newsroom, in decision-making positions. Latinitas is the first step in encouraging Latina girls to set forth into those roles.”      

— M.D.

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