Forty years ago, a group of women determined to make a difference in San Antonio gathered for the first Hispanas Unidas conference at Our Lady of the Lake University. Over a thousand Latinas from all walks of life convened to talk about a wide range of issues that impacted their day-to-day lives.
Hispanas Unidas grew into an organization that empowers Latinas in the community through education, advocacy, and engagement.
It now marks its 40th anniversary with a conference that honors the trailblazers who launched the initial effort and the leaders who are carrying on the mission.
San Antonio activist María Antonietta Berriozábal founded Hispanas Unidas back in 1984.
Berriozábal, the first Latina to serve on the San Antonio City Council in 1981, reflected on the impetus behind creating the conference.
“The concept of Hispanas Unidas that we had in the beginning was that those Latinas who have resources — whether in education, financial resources, some kind of position, or even just time — give to the ones that are still working on it,” she said. “Then we gather from GED to PhD.”
Attorney Alejandra Villarreal, the co-chair of the Hispanas Unidas 2024 conference, was a speaker at the original 1984 conference.
She said the experience opened her eyes to the struggles many women face.
“I had never really thought about how others don't have the same kind of ... didn't have the same kind of luxury that I had,” she said. “My father would tell me when I was young, ‘You're going to be a lawyer.’ That was a decision that I had already made. So, I see a lot of people who never even considered it.”
The 2024 Hispanas Unidas Reunion and Conference is Sept. 13 and 14 at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.
The conference opens with a reception, an art exhibit, a showcase by Latina authors, and an ofrenda to honor Latinas no longer with us. It continues Sept. 14 with a plenary session that looks back at the issues of 1984 and the path forward.
Susana López-Krulevitch, the first executive director of Hispanas Unidas, encouraged people to attend panel discussions on mental health, voting equality, and more.
“Bring abuelita, bring your daughter, bring your nieces. They need to see this,” she said. “It's a great opportunity for young women, especially high school, late middle school girls to see what all they can be.”
Click here to register.
