Advocacy to Action
Between 2022 and 2026, Latinas Grow supported dozens of initiatives and empowered women across industries through civic engagement, health and wellness, workforce development, and advocacy on behalf of communities impacted by local and federal policies that sought to dehumanize and divide us across the diaspora.
We hope you'll join us in supporting Latinas Grow as we expand opportunities for women across the diaspora and build a lasting advocacy arm rooted in their vision, values, and enduring impact. Together, we can ensure their legacy continues to inspire and empower generations to come.
The Legacy
Denise Oliver-Vélez
8 August, 1947 - 15 July 2026
Denise Oliver-Vélez was a pioneering activist, organizer, educator, and writer whose work spanned more than five decades of movements for racial, economic, and gender justice. A member of both the Young Lords and Black Panther Party, she became the first woman elected to the Young Lords’ Central Committee and later broke barriers as the first Black woman to serve as a program director in public radio. She continued her commitment to movement-building through teaching, writing, and political commentary, leaving behind a powerful legacy of Black and Puerto Rican solidarity and liberation.
Minerva Solla
13 February 1951 - 15 April 2026
Minerva Solla was a lifelong Puerto Rican activist, labor organizer, and advocate who dedicated more than five decades to advancing the rights of workers and marginalized communities. A pioneering member and organizer of the Young Lords Party, her commitment to organized labor began as a teenager and grew into a lifetime of fighting for economic justice, healthcare, and human rights. Her organizing connected generations of struggle and reflected an unwavering belief in the dignity and power of working people.
Dr. Johanna Fernandez
December 2, 1970 – July 30, 2026
Dr. Johanna Fernández was a Dominican American historian, educator, activist, and prison abolitionist whose scholarship helped preserve and elevate the history of Latino freedom movements in the United States. A professor at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center, she authored the award-winning The Young Lords: A Radical History and helped create the Latinx Freedom Movement Archive and Exhibition Project. Fernández brought scholarship and organizing together throughout her life, ensuring that the histories of the Young Lords and generations of Black and Latino struggle would remain accessible to those carrying the work forward.
Puerto Rico's Water Crisis
Right now, over 500,000 Puerto Ricans are enduring rotating 48-hour water shutoffs in seven of the island's largest municipalities, including San Juan, Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canóvanas, and Loíza. Imagine families trying to live without consistent water for days on end it is a situation that defies basic human rights and dignity.
The plea today is for the New York State Legislature to leverage its influence and demand instant federal involvement to rectify this dire situation. The federal government has the capacity to allocate funds, resources, and expertise needed to modernize the infrastructure, ensuring consistent water supply and addressing the drought's effects.
