What My Mother Taught Me About Latina Power

Growing up, my mother told me I would have to work three times as hard to achieve my dreams because I was a woman and because I was Latina. At the time, I thought she meant I just needed to be a hard worker. Only years later did I understand where that wisdom came from.

In the 90s, my mother embodied what Latina Power looked like long before anyone gave it a name. She was one of four college-educated sisters, an international sales representative closing business deals in Mexico, and a single mother raising four children. While I didn't fully understand her message as a child, I now realize she lived it and modeled what true Latina Power looks like.

Last week, during a congressional hearing, Representative Brandon Gill of Texas questioned Dr. Anthea Hartig, Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, about merchandise sold in the museum's gift shop, leading with the now-viral question,

"What is Latina Power?"

The exchange sparked debate across social media. Thousands of Latinas responded with stories of pride, resilience, entrepreneurship, and community. The hat at the center of the conversation was designed by Shop JZD, a Latina and queer-owned lifestyle brand founded by Jen Zeano and Veronica Garcia in Brownsville, Texas. For nearly a decade, JZD has created products that celebrate cultura, community, and belonging. Their work earned a place in one of the nation's most respected museums because it reflects an authentic piece of the American story through a Latina lens.

Latina Power Drives America Forward

Latina Power is rooted in generations of women whose resilience, sacrifice, entrepreneurship, and leadership have shaped their families and communities. Our mothers, tías, and grandmothers worked three times as hard to provide for their families and create opportunities for the next generation.

Over the last three decades, Latinas have quietly become one of America's greatest growth stories.

Rising educational attainment, record-setting entrepreneurship, expanding economic influence, and leadership across science, media, the arts, business, and politics are just some of the ways Latinas continue to shape America's future, despite remaining one of the country's most underrecognized and often misunderstood demographic groups. Brands that recognize this influence have an opportunity to build authentic relationships with one of America's most influential consumer segments.

Latinas Shape Household Decisions

According to the 2025 LDC U.S. Latinas Overview™, 86% of Latinas are the primary shoppers in their households. Their influence extends far beyond the grocery aisle, shaping purchasing decisions across healthcare, financial services, technology, education, travel, and everyday household spending. Consumer trust begins at home, and Latinas help determine which brands earn a place there.

Latinas Build Businesses

The 2026 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses Report found that Latina-owned employer businesses grew 37.2% between 2022 and 2025, nearly five times faster than women-owned employer businesses overall. Today, Hispanic and Latina women own approximately 2.9 million businesses, creating jobs, generating wealth, and expanding economic opportunity in communities across the country.

Latinas Power the Economy

According to Latina Wealth in America: Breaking Barriers, Building Wealth (2025), U.S. Latinas generate approximately $1.3 trillion in annual economic output. Few economic stories carry this level of momentum, yet few receive the attention they deserve.

Latinas Are Transforming Education

The number of Latinas earning bachelor's degrees has nearly quadrupled since 2000. Today, 3.5 million Latinas age 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, entering every sector of the economy and redefining leadership for the next generation.

Somos el futuro

The conversation sparked by a Latina Power hat simply made visible what many of us have witnessed our entire lives. Our power is rooted in generations of hardworking women whose contributions often went unrecognized. They built businesses, raised families, strengthened their communities, and created opportunities for those who came after them without expecting recognition. Today, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to build on their legacy by pursuing our ambitions unapologetically and ensuring their stories, and ours, are seen, valued, and celebrated.

The numbers tell the same story. Latinas are driving household purchasing decisions, launching businesses at record rates, contributing more than $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy, and expanding educational attainment at an extraordinary pace.

By 2050, nearly one in three Americans is projected to be Latino. America's next era of growth will be increasingly multicultural, bilingual, entrepreneurial, and community-driven.

As a Latina and founder of a multicultural marketing agency, I've spent my career helping brands understand the cultural and economic influence of Hispanic consumers. The numbers simply validate what generations of Latina women have always known.

Brands that recognize this shift today will shape tomorrow's market. Cultural relevance has become a business advantage because authentic representation builds trust, trust builds loyalty, and loyalty drives long-term growth.

When I think back to that conversation with my mother, I realize she wasn't asking me to prove my worth. She was preparing me to recognize my own power before the world did.

Today, the data affirm what she already knew. Latina Power can be seen in the women building businesses after putting their children to bed, the executives leading boardrooms where few people look like them, and the teachers, artists, engineers, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for the next generation.

So when someone asks, "What is Latina Power?" my mind doesn't go to a pink hat in a museum gift shop.

It goes back to my mother.

She never called it Latina Power. She simply lived it.

And millions of women like her continue to do the same, quietly shaping America's economy, culture, and future every single day.

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