The Latina Legacy Conference took place on November 7, 2024, from 10:00 am to 1:40 pm in the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center. The Latina Legacy Conference was founded three years ago by Dr. Sofia Grant-Dewitt to empower Latina women and give them the representation, resources, and acknowledgment that Dr. Grant-Dewitt didn’t have growing up by presenting incredibly strong and accomplished Latinas.
What does it mean to be Latina? Aside from being the founder of the Latina Legacy Conference, Dr. Grant-Dewitt is also the principal of Gaithersburg Middle School and a proud Latina. Dr. Grant-Dewitt immigrated from Peru to the U.S., where she found being Latina wasn’t celebrated; she didn’t see successful people who looked like her growing up, she found this lack of representation challenging as she tried to advance in her career. Not only that, but fellow Latinos would tell her to quit, saying things like she would never be able to achieve her goals. All of this, however, fueled her even more to fulfill her dreams and start the Latina Legacy Conference. Dr. Grant-Dewitt wanted to give young Latina women the representation she didn’t have, and thanks to her, “[we see] a lot more of [Latinas] now” Dewitt reflects.
What does it mean to be Latina? The Latina Legacy Conference was composed of many workshops and speakers, but one stood out most; Maria Salmeron Melendez. Salmeron immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras in 2010 where, similar to Dr. Grant-Dewitt, she faced hardship. Salmeron has worked incredibly hard to get to where she is now as she faced many obstacles, including the deaths of her father and brother. What Salmeron most focused on, however, was the 2016 election. She recalls watching the election live and seeing the poll updates, but she was devastated once the election was over. Salmeron felt her future, something she worked so hard for, slipping away; a feeling that occurred in her again during this last election. However, that didn’t stop Salmeron, and although she was fearful, she continued with her career because “in us, [she sees] a generation that refuses to be silenced or sidelined”(Salmeron).
Salmeron received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Government & Law from Lafayette College, she also received her Master of Education in Education Policy and Analysis. Salmeron now works with civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Maria Salmeron Melendez is more than a happy tale of an immigrant girl who accomplished the American Dream; she is an inspiration to Latinas, letting us know “we already are the Latina leaders of today, not tomorrow”(Salmeron).
What does it mean to be Latina? The Latina Legacy Conference was beautiful, being located in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring, the city atmosphere was amazing and the interior of the building was just as incredible with tall ceilings and glass-like walls. The Conference went from many small groups of shy girls to a place where so many Latinas, despite being so different, unite together; a place where smiles and laughter filled the room, where one felt special and important. But being Latina is more than that — our voice, our actions, and our history all give us power. As Maria Salmeron Melendez said, “I don’t come alone, no [Latina] is alone”. Latinas don’t only have their power but have every ancestor’s power with them as they pursue a better life than the ones before them. What does it mean to be Latina? To be Latina is to be brave, to be strong, to be persistent. Most of all, to be Latina is to be powerful.
