The Black Latina movement and Afro-Latino experience has gained awareness with the efforts of Entrepreneurs and Naturalista educating Black Latinas on how to embrace their beauty. The millennial generation of Latinos has embraced this effort with such enthusiasm that they have accepted terminology such as Black Latinos and Afro-Latinos to identify themselves.
Black Latinas uniting and supporting one another is a powerful phenomenon. Strength in numbers has always been a catalyst for change. In order for Black Latinas/Afro Latinas to effectuate an expansion of the narrow perceptions of Latinos in main stream media we must echo our missions in order to reinforce our goal to bring awareness!
We want to recognize two trailblazing Black Latinas Entrepanuers who are bringing awareness to the diversity in the Latino community with their own businesses. We interviewed Janel Martinez and Sandy DeAza.
Who is the founder of Ain’t I Latina?
“My name is Janel Martinez and I’m a multimedia journalist. By day I’m a technology journalist reporting on African American and Latino tech entrepreneurs and by night, or in-between time I’m working on content for my site, Ain’t I Latina? Previously, I served as Technology Editor at Black Enterprise, the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans, where I oversaw the editorial strategy for technology across the company’s platforms. My work and insights have appeared on various media sites including TheGrio, Madame Noire and The Root, as well as Arise News, Cosmopolitan for Latinas and NPR's Latino USA.”
“I’ve contributed to Latina Magazine, Latina.com, Honeymag.com, Syracuse Record and The Post-Standard, to name a few online and print publications.”
“I’m a Bronx, NY native. My family is from Honduras---we’re Garifuna.”
Tell us about your brand?
“My brand is AintILatina.com, an online destination celebrating diversity among millennial Latinas. It’s a site created for Afro-Latinas, by an Afro-Latina. I founded Ain’t I Latina? to fill a void in the representation of Afro-Latinas in both mainstream as well as Spanish-language media. AintILatina.com offers profiles of Afro-Latinas across the globe, celebrity news, career advice, lifestyle coverage and exclusive interviews.”
How can people find you?
“You can follow my daily musings on Twitter at @janelmwrites. But, more importantly, you can find Ain’t I Latina? on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as the site, AintILatina.com. “
What is it about Black Latina Negra Bella that you support?
“As a young woman who identifies as Afro-Latina, a Black Latina, Blatina and the like, I’m invested in celebrating, highlighting and uplifting my fellow Afro-Latinas, or however you choose to identify. Black Latina Negra Bella was created to empower Latinas from diverse backgrounds, namely Black Latinas, and as the founder of Ain’t I Latina?, which was developed for similar purposes, I feel that the work BLNB is doing is extremely important for our generation and, most importantly, the generations after us. I’m a supporter of Black Latina Negra Bella."
Sandy DeAza
Who is the Founder behind The Prov Experience? "My name is Sandy DeAza and I’m a trained culinary chief. I attended Johnson and Wales University a leading University in the culinary industry. Since then I have been building my resume by working my way up the culinary world, Today I am a Chef San. I can summarize who I am in Five words... Passionate, Giving, Caring, Loyal, and Hardworking."
Tell us about your business The Prov Experience? "The Prov Experience is a Private Chef Services company. My mission as the Chef is to create fusion cuisine combining widely differing ethnic ingredients and styles of cooking, with the outcome being...delectable dishes that inspire your taste buds! Our mission is to help you create great atmosphere, and those special moments you will always remember by taking care of the cuisine."
How can people contact you? "You can visit out website www.TheProvExperience.com / Facebook: The Prov Experience / and Instagram @Chef_San or @The_Prov_Experience."
What is it about Black Latina Negra Bella that you support? "I absolutely LOVE and I am so proud to be part of this movement that is taking the stance of educating our Latinos and other cultures of our Afro-Latino heritage and how multifaceted we all are! We are NOT one dimensional, we are beautiful and diverse."
By, Dania Peguero, LMSW, EdS.
Janel Martinez