Juliana Morello
When Brenda Garcia attended the PA Latina Women Conference in Lancaster, PA, she had no idea it would inspire her to start her own group for Latina women. Now, a few short months later, LatinasPGH has almost a thousand followers on Instagram, and Garcia is busy planning events for women to meet, hangout, and get to know each other.
Born in Mexico City but raised in Pittsburgh, Garcia works full-time for Casa San Jose as a communications specialist. In March she attended the Latina Women Conference, which is part of the Pennsylvania Latino Convention, and which aims to advance the status of women by addressing critical issues, amplifying Latina voices, developing leadership, and more.
Garcia says it was a valuable experience getting to hear powerful Latina women talk about their experiences, and it got her thinking about how she could improve the community of Latina women back home.
“I was thinking, you know, ‘Why don’t we have it in Pittsburgh, if they have it in Lancaster?’” says Garcia.
And thus, LatinasPGH was born. Founded and organized by Garcia, with help from a few volunteers, LatinasPGH offers activities for Latina women in Pittsburgh to expand their friendships and grow their community.
To get the word out when it was first founded, Garcia ran an ad for LatinasPGH which helped them gain 500 new Instagram followers. Their first meet-up attracted around 15 people, and the numbers have only gone up. Today, the turnout at each event is pretty consistent, with around 80 people in attendance. At this point, the outreach is limited to word-of-mouth and posting to Instagram and Facebook.
“I was nervous at first,” says Garcia, laughing. “It was going to hurt my feelings if no one showed up.”
Despite Garcia’s worries, LatinasPGH has established itself as a safe and inclusive place for Latina women to mingle, relax, and enjoy all that Pittsburgh has to offer. While LatinasPGH is open to women of all ages, Garcia says the most common range is between 21 and 50 years old, with some kids and teenagers attending the events as well.
Some recent events have included a walking tour in Frick Park, a picnic in Schenley Park, a night out at Cavo nightclub, and more. Garcia says the popularity of the walking events have inspired her to plan more outdoor activities and take advantage of the nice summer weather.
She says planning events and finding volunteers to collaborate with has been easier than expected, with everyone excited to help out. Though she works full-time and is a single mother of a six-year-old, Garcia says managing LatinasPGH has helped her keep busy, without being overwhelming.
“I like to keep busy. I feel like that’s kind of a cultural thing, you know? At least, in my household growing up, it was like, you always have to be working. My mom was always working, and now I’m like ‘I have to be doing something,’” says Garcia. “But it’s been really easy so far! We’ve had zero issues.”
So, what’s next for LatinasPGH? Future events include a tour of Latino-owned coffee shops in Pittsburgh and a painting class with muralist Alison Zapata.
As for Garcia, she sees herself continuing to manage the events and activities, as she’s passionate about the cause. She says one of the main reasons she founded LatinasPGH was to connect the growing Latina population in Pittsburgh, and let them know that there is a community here — despite any negative stereotypes.
“The best part has been seeing people make friends, because I started this because I wanted to make friends,” says Garcia. “It’s about building community, and getting people together. There’s a stereotype that we’re chismes, that we’re chismosas (gossipers), and I wanted to show that we can be a community that supports each other.”
Follow @LatinasPGH on Instagram to stay up-to-date with their events.
