Foreword

by Elizabeth Nieto

Elizabeth leads Global Head of Equity & Impact at Spotify. She was born and raised in Argentina. Elizabeth is committed to her work in non-profit organizations that support access to developmental opportunities for young underserved talent and teenagers at risk.

WHEN I was asked to write the foreword for the 2021 Most 100 Influential Latinas, I was honored and nervous. I checked the previous editions to remind me who has contributed to this before me. The authors of the last two years were, Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of the Girls Scouts of the USA and one of my favorite role models, and my friend and idola Nina Vaca, CEO of the Pinnacle Group. A burst of imposter syndrome shook my whole body, wondering why I said yes to this request. It was late into the evening, when the rest of my family submerges in their own personal screen time before bed, a bad habit that has deepened in our pandemic time, and I started to write the words below on my phone. Taking risks has been the driving force of my career, so why stop now? I am not Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Gabriela Mistral, Juana de Ibarbourou, Adela Zamudio, Rosario Castellanos, or Julia de Burgos, whose poems and writings illuminated my education in Buenos Aires. I am not Julia Alvarez, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Gloria Anzaldua, Cherrie Moraga, Claribel Alegria, Ana Castillo, Elizabeth Acevedo, Ariana Brown, Yesenia Montilla and many others with strong voices for justice and equity that threaded musical verses and stanzas to shape my love for the written word.

When I see the faces of our Latinas Leaders They represent our abuelas and our hijas, our tías and our madres Their dreams and our accomplishments Their sacrifices and our success Our achievements and their hope. Latinas are immigrants, documented and undocumented Latinas are the daughters of Spanish colonizers that arrived in Florida in 1513 Afro Latinas, Indigenous Latinas, Latinas from European ancestry, Chinese Peruvian Latinas, All of us showing off every color of the palette in our skin, our hair and our voices. When I see the faces of our Latinas Leaders They represent the long and dedicated path for that academic recognition Their commitment to amplifying the voices of our community through public service Their perseverant legacy as they advocate for others The pursuit for excellence. We birth, we seed, we plow We laugh, we cry, we wonder why We give all we have and sometimes more We listen to “the old country” stories and we imagine the new world novelas We sing tangos, bachatas and now reggaeton We dance salsa, cumbia and carnavalitos. When I see the faces of our Latinas Leaders I discover what it takes to be confident The hard work needed to find that seat at the table And when there are no chairs for us We build new tables and bring our sisters along. Latinas are leaders and philanthropists Latinas are mentors and family chefs Latinas are creators and entertainers Latinas are builders and entrepreneurs Latinas are dreamers When I see the faces of our Latina Leaders, I smile, knowing I am in good company.

To the 100 Latinas Leaders recognized this year, I am humble to be part of this cohort with you I appreciate those who have come before me, they have shown me the duty I have as a professional immigrant in the U.S. to be a positive role model. You are the bastions of health care, finance, technology, science, sports, politics, journalism and much more. You drive revenue, you architect and build culture, you create impact. ¡Felicitaciones!