Austin, Texas – Twenty years old in 2022, Latinitas has served over 40,000 girls, providing hundreds of thousands of hours of free STEM education at over 142 schools, libraries, community and cultural centers in and outside of Austin. BIPOC founded and executive and board led with mentors and lessons steeped in culture and identity, Latinitas comes with a “cultural IQ” other nonprofits are just beginning to explore as diversity becomes a priority in program delivery and also funding.
Tapping into that “cultural IQ”, Latinitas is hosting its annual: Purple Party for Chica Power – Rock the Block event on June 19 from 7 PM to 10 PM at 2400 East Cesar Chavez Street Austin, TX 78702. The block party will provide food, drinks, deejays, lowriders and a public art reveal that hints to Latinitas’ origins—founded on the East Side with its first clubs at Martin Middle School, Zavala Elementary and first workshops using a lab at the Oswaldo Cantu Pan American Recreation center.
The Purple Party will reveal 7 portraits of Austin’s most courageous female leaders of color, including:
- Ana Sisnett, known as “Technomama” Sisnett pioneered free internet at Austin schools, libraries and city spaces
- Dr. Teresa Lozano-Long, philanthropist and UT’s first Latina kinesiology doctoral graduate,
- Marta Cotera, Founding member Chicana Caucus
- Cathy Vasquez Revilla, founder of La Prensa, Austin’s oldest Spanish language paper,
- Peggy Vasquez, One of first Latinas to run for City Council, activist, 1st female President of Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Bertha Sadler Means, esteemed educator who desegregated UT Athletics and Barton Springs
- Sylvia Orozco, executive director of Mexic-Arte Museum
Latinitas will continue to follow the guidelines provided by local officials related to COVID-19. Any changes in the allowance for attendees will be communicated to all attendees prior to the event. We also encourage social distancing when possible and attendees to use a mask if desired.
Learn more about the Purple Party for Chica Power – Rock the Block event here
Find photos, videos, stats about Latinitas here:
About Latinitas
For nearly 20 years, Latinitas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been empowering all girls to innovate through media and technology by providing direct digital media and technology training and esteem-boosting services to nearly 3,000 girls and teens across Texas annually, 2000 in Central Texas and 1000 more in West and South Texas and recently Northern California. Latinitas has partnered widely and strategically in 10 school districts, at 142 schools, exclusively providing programs in underfunded schools with 50,000 hours+ of free STEAM education to girls, teens, and their families.
###