Published:
Monday, September 30, 2024
Higher education is seen as a great achievement, but when Maria Fernandez earned a master’s degree in 2004, she quickly noticed it intimidated others. Prospective employers, concerned about her ambition, would ask if she was after their job. One told her there’d be no “special privileges” because of her degree.
Where she hoped her education would open doors of opportunity, she found doors closed instead.
“One person even told me, ‘Well, we have no Queen Bees around here, and we check our egos at the door’,” Fernandez said. “And that was just an interview.”
Fernandez is the executive director of Empowering Latina Leadership and Action (ELLA), an organization that helps Latinas in the Yakima Valley sharpen skills and reach their full potential in leadership, public service, and other walks of life.
The organization started in 2021 after Fernandez worked with Michigan State University on a research study that investigated the lives of domestic violence survivors in Yakima County women’s shelters.
What she saw in the shelters alarmed her: abused women further harmed by a system that was supposed to protect them, and with few means to advocate for themselves. And since she could only view their hardships for the study, and not intervene, she knew she had to do something. She gathered a group of her Chicana colleagues and formed ELLA, initially to help survivors in women’s shelters advocate for themselves.
Since its founding, ELLA has worked in the lower Yakima Valley, offering trainings and workshops for Latinas in the community. Fernandez said the organization tries to get women to question the social and cultural norms that inhibit their personal progress — issues like machismo and sexism.
The group started out, at first, providing women with training to help navigate the red flags of social services and help them connect with additional resources. Eventually, ELLA saw a need to expand the focus of the trainings to building Latina leaders in other aspects of the community, whether that be in business, education, at home, or elsewhere.
“We know that Latinas, we're at the front lines here in Yakima County. I don't care what organization or business or institution or agency you walk into, you're more than likely going to be greeted by a Latina,” she said. “But when you start to look at the hierarchy of those organizations, or institutions, businesses, agencies, you see less of us. We are running and managing so many different outfits here, and yet we don't have those executive titles. We don't have those management titles. We don't have those executive and management pay. We don't have the benefits associated with them. And so, we know that we have to be able to provide this sort of training to get women the confidence they need to go after those positions.”
Last year, the organization added a new type of training: preparing Latina candidates to run for political office. The group was contacted by community members who asked for help getting candidates on the Sunnyside School Board which, because of racially polarized voting, had never had a Latinx school board member despite Latinx residents making up more than 80 percent of the city’s population.
ELLA trained six candidates on how to run a campaign for public office. Their candidate lost the race because of the racially polarized voting. But after ELLA threatened to sue the Sunnyside School District for being in violation of the Washington State Voting Rights Act, the school district reformed its election system.
The community will now vote by-district, and with three Latinx-majority districts. With that change the Latinx community will finally have a say on school board races.
This victory is one of many examples of ELLA’s impact on the lower Yakima Valley. The organization has seen some criticism from some of what Fernandez considers the “older guard” in the community – older, conservative Latinos. The group has also experienced racist attacks, as some have referred to the group as a “cartel.” But ELLA isn’t discouraged by naysayers, as Fernandez said the group has energized so many people.
“We really do see a surge of energy here because we’re so active in the communities,” she said. “We’re constantly holding community meetings; we’re constantly doing events; we’re constantly holding conversations with residents.”
“We’re really doing the heavy lifting.”
Where she hoped her education would open doors of opportunity, she found doors closed instead.
“One person even told me, ‘Well, we have no Queen Bees around here, and we check our egos at the door’,” Fernandez said. “And that was just an interview.”
Fernandez is the executive director of Empowering Latina Leadership and Action (ELLA), an organization that helps Latinas in the Yakima Valley sharpen skills and reach their full potential in leadership, public service, and other walks of life.
The organization started in 2021 after Fernandez worked with Michigan State University on a research study that investigated the lives of domestic violence survivors in Yakima County women’s shelters.
What she saw in the shelters alarmed her: abused women further harmed by a system that was supposed to protect them, and with few means to advocate for themselves. And since she could only view their hardships for the study, and not intervene, she knew she had to do something. She gathered a group of her Chicana colleagues and formed ELLA, initially to help survivors in women’s shelters advocate for themselves.
Since its founding, ELLA has worked in the lower Yakima Valley, offering trainings and workshops for Latinas in the community. Fernandez said the organization tries to get women to question the social and cultural norms that inhibit their personal progress — issues like machismo and sexism.
The group started out, at first, providing women with training to help navigate the red flags of social services and help them connect with additional resources. Eventually, ELLA saw a need to expand the focus of the trainings to building Latina leaders in other aspects of the community, whether that be in business, education, at home, or elsewhere.
“We know that Latinas, we're at the front lines here in Yakima County. I don't care what organization or business or institution or agency you walk into, you're more than likely going to be greeted by a Latina,” she said. “But when you start to look at the hierarchy of those organizations, or institutions, businesses, agencies, you see less of us. We are running and managing so many different outfits here, and yet we don't have those executive titles. We don't have those management titles. We don't have those executive and management pay. We don't have the benefits associated with them. And so, we know that we have to be able to provide this sort of training to get women the confidence they need to go after those positions.”
Last year, the organization added a new type of training: preparing Latina candidates to run for political office. The group was contacted by community members who asked for help getting candidates on the Sunnyside School Board which, because of racially polarized voting, had never had a Latinx school board member despite Latinx residents making up more than 80 percent of the city’s population.
ELLA trained six candidates on how to run a campaign for public office. Their candidate lost the race because of the racially polarized voting. But after ELLA threatened to sue the Sunnyside School District for being in violation of the Washington State Voting Rights Act, the school district reformed its election system.
The community will now vote by-district, and with three Latinx-majority districts. With that change the Latinx community will finally have a say on school board races.
This victory is one of many examples of ELLA’s impact on the lower Yakima Valley. The organization has seen some criticism from some of what Fernandez considers the “older guard” in the community – older, conservative Latinos. The group has also experienced racist attacks, as some have referred to the group as a “cartel.” But ELLA isn’t discouraged by naysayers, as Fernandez said the group has energized so many people.
“We really do see a surge of energy here because we’re so active in the communities,” she said. “We’re constantly holding community meetings; we’re constantly doing events; we’re constantly holding conversations with residents.”
“We’re really doing the heavy lifting.”
