damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today a group of latina professionals making waves all over the country on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ damian: and we begin with that amazing group of latinas. it's making waves all across the united states. with me is marisela garcia marquez, who's the president of latina professionals, and she brought another powerhouse with her. alejandra ruiz is on our show here on "comunidad del valle." welcome to the show, ladies. marisela garcia marquez: hi, damian. alejandra ruiz: thank you. marisela: thank you so much for hosting us. we're so excited to be here and with your honor. damian: well, this is great. you know, we need more groups like yours to highlight.

so tell us about your group, marisela, and what the premise is of this organization. marisela: absolutely. so latina professionals was founded in 2019, and we grew pretty--you know, with our digital presence we grew pretty massively very, very rapidly where we count with an audience of 86,000 followers, and we focus on uplifting, rising latina women in achieving their career ambitions. so for more than 2 years we have successfully increased public awareness about the need to open more doors of opportunity for latinas across all industries and across the us. with our newly founded--our regional council in the san francisco bay area, where alejandra and i are very proud to be from, we collectively have invested in our personal and professional growth through a series of virtual quarterly events, educational resources, and career development programs like acelera, which in a bit i will let my compañera

alejandra present. but, you know, through these casual social events we offer our members the opportunity to engage in a more intimate and authentic setting for latinas to come be themselves, to feel safe to come be themselves; and ultimately we're creating that sisterhood where we take pride in being latinas who are unstoppable across our industries to evolve the lives of our members, our families, and of course our communities. damian: you know, alejandra, a lot of us join organizations like this to get something out of it but sometimes also to offer something in return. tell us what attracted you or lured you to become a member. alejandra: what attracted me is actually marisela. i met her outside of--a long time when i was young, and she--her ambition and her passion to grow herself as a

latina and to help other latinas grow is what lured me into latina professionals, and i don't regret it because she's an amazing leader and she definitely wants all latinas to grow in their fields. damian: yeah. how much self-esteem, marisela, to convince every young latina out there that you have what it take--you have more than what it takes and we need to harvest that knowledge to benefit all of us? marisela: absolutely. damian, i think it really, you know, generates and it's rooted from my family values. my family is very close. they're very supportive in all my ambitions; and i think that is what incentivized me to go out to the world and be proud of who i am, be proud of where i come from, be proud to be latina. i think sometimes, you know, in our environments, you know, we have this tendency where we're pushed to assimilate to corporate cultures, and i think, you know, i was brought up to

be--you know, that you don't necessarily need to assimilate in order for you to stand out. what makes you different is who you are, it's your culture and you must embrace it; and when we do that, we're showcasing the talent and the value that the latina and latino community brings to diverse industries. and so i think i--my advocacy for women is felt. i'm a very passionate woman. so i think my advocacy is felt through--not just through what i say but also through my actions. damian: all right. that's wonderful. we're looking at just a generic video right now, just the latina women empowering themselves. and what--we have a couple of important events that we want to talk about in our next segment, but let me ask you this, alejandra. it's only been a couple of years of this organization. have you seen any growth within yourself maybe just in the maybe virtual reunions that you're having because of what we're going through?

but any growth that you've seen in benefit to what you want to accomplish with the group? alejandra: of course. as co-founder of our first program acelera, that definitely put me outside of my comfort zone; and just being here with everyone today is definitely an accomplishment of myself, just letting go of that fear and that impostor syndrome of not being able to do things when in reality you can. you just have to believe in yourself a little, and latina professionals has helped me step out of that comfort zone. damian: now, you mentioned acelera again. we'll talk about that program in the next segment, but that means--you know, but you pedal to the metal, you know, full speed ahead, and you're doing that. right, marisela? you're opening chapters all across the country. marisela: that is correct. so when you come to latina professionals, immediately you will, you know, understand that when we say we are ambitious we are incredibly ambitious women. and so we are targeting to expand the latina professionals

within the next 3 years to 25 of the major cities across the us. we--of course, we have our first regional presence in san francisco in the bay area, have expanded into southern california. now we are proud to say that we will open our te--next two chapters in georgia and in texas. damian: oh, that's wonderful, and it's great to see it's a network that's needed. and, boy, you've done it in such a short amount of time. if you'd like more information, they are latina professionals. they have a couple of events coming up. one is taking place at cal on september 13th at 6 o'clock. there is the web address for more information. rise up and break through. we'll be back and talk about that program there and about acelera when we continue here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us. people who get 3 of my french toast sticks always wish they got 6. but nobody ever orders 6 and wishes they only got 3.

it's called math people. french toast sticks starting at $2.00 are back at jack in the box. damian: we're back here on "comunidad del valle" with the community group latina professionals. and you talk about this program going on at cal.

tell us, marisela, what's happening with that speaker french toast sticks series that you're having at cal coming up. marisela: yes, absolutely. so on september 13th we are hosting our first in-person conference, rise up: breakthrough, in partnership with uc berkeley. this event is tailored and designed to equip, resource and empower, connecting rising latina leaders in the bay area; and we're doing this through our latinas of influence speaker series. so with this event we are honoring and celebrating two phenomenal latinas making history at uc berkeley. and our fee--two feature speakers includes dania matos, vice chancellor for equity and inclusion, also lisa garcia be graduate division at uc berkeley. i mean, you're well on your way to the professional that you are, but to be able to connect with these people or these women, these leaders and, you know, at our age, even learn

something from them. marisela: i think it goes back to the values, right, here of latina professionals. it's circling back to reconnecting, rekindling connections amongst all latinas to truly bring ourselves, like i said before, to be our authentic selves but truly wanting to see one another succeed, you know. so we're building this national network of latina leaders, latina's influence who are ready to take the next step in their career, but we need mentors like dania and like lisa to come also help and guide us, and we're building access. and one thing that--you know, i mean, there's many challenges that latina women in the us are facing, but we keep hearing it's the--you know, we keep hearing it's the lack of access to network, the lack of access to capital. but when you have two phenomenal latinas like dania and like lisa

who understand our challenges industries, it's just imperative for our community. while i keep saying it, i can't express it enough. when one latina succeeds, it gives the opportunity for all of us to succeed. damian: well, that's inspiring. that's a great job. now--so tell us, alejandra, about acelera. again, it means speed up, full speed ahead, put the pedal to the metal. what an appropriate name. you're the co-founder of that program. alejandra: yes. so like marisela said, we are ambitious women and we want everyone to have--to feel that way as well. acelera is a 4-month program designed to help women step into that next level into their careers. it's divided into four sections. each section we call--one of them is called like sí se puede, the other ones like finding your purpose. so we tackle areas that women feel like they need a bit of work. they're good in, but they need to just build that

self-confidence to move forward and, like marisela said, to also build that network for latinas to get to know one another and help one another in their fields and all--and any field. we're not specific to any particular field. damian: and so, alejandra, i'm a mitotero by trade. i like to talk. i talk for a living, and i know--but i know that not everybody is like that. and so some might be more reserved and introverted. talk about maybe how these sessions in acelera and these workshops maybe bring out the introvertness in someone, maybe help them become an extrovert and be more outgoing and do presentations like the one you're doing today. alejandra: yes. so we definitely start off by our first sessioning. it's focused on building confidence and fighting that impostor syndrome, and we then go into building a plan and how

we can be more comfortable and to being a bit more extroverted and be able to be like me today in front of a camera. so it's baby steps. so what acelera does is it breaks everything down because we are ambitious women and we do want to go and tackle everything right on. you know, we also want to remind ourselves that it's ba--it's taking baby steps that helps us grow and push one another to succeed. damian: all right. the long term, marisela. what's the vision for latina professionals long term? i mean, you're already there with 25 chapters in a near future, i guess. marisela: yes. so we definitely want to be a--you know, a national voice, right? we need all latinas. we need more collaboration from latinas across all industries to continue to build upon that access. we also need to imagine, right? we need to imagine that, you know, if all latinas went to college, if all latinas were united; to imagine if all

latinas had open doors, you know, how we will be collected, creating the future that we all envision for each other. and it really is building more advocacy, building more supporters, more mentors that will help us move ahead within our families, right? i mean, there's everything. everything originates from our families. so how do we actually set our families up for success? by creating a structure internally that does support all the family members, not just the men, right, that is helping us push. the next generation of latinas are going to come after alejandra and myself and all latina professional leaders at the moment who will, you know, take the torch and make it much bigger than where we are now. damian: that's wonderful. your words are empowering. your vision is also empowering. encouraged by everything i'm seeing. congratulations on what you're doing, and good luck with your upcoming ventures.

marisela: thank you so much, damian. we really appreciate the time. damian: thank you both so much. that's latina professionals. again, if you want to get ahold of them, they have an event coming up at cal berkeley here on september 13th 6 o'clock. and there is a web address for more information: latinaprofessionals.org. rise up and break through is the name of that session at cal. up next here on "comunidad del valle," the oakland pridefest. stay with us.

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best for yourself and those you care about most. don't miss our labor day weekend special. save 50% on the sleep number 360® limited edition smart bed, plus free home delivery when you add a base. ends labor day. damian: oakland pridefest '22 is here, and with me on "comunidad del valle" is sergio ardila, one of the organizers, and also michael barajas. they're here to share some insight on what's going to be happening this year. welcome to the show, gentlemen. sergio ardila: thank you so much, damian. damian: yeah. sergio, start with you. tell us what's happening at the oakland pridefest. sergio: well, we're going to have a big party, a big festival with three stages in downtown oakland, and this is our second year having pridefest oakland and is our first year

that we're making it this big. we're involved in a lot of the community, local artists; but we also have amazing headliners like big freedia, crystal waters, and madame gandhi. damian: all right. michael, why is it a big deal, and what took so long to bring this to oakland if it's only the second year? michael barajas: yeah. so there have actually been other organizers in place that have done prides historically. we wanted to really take pride and elevate it in a way similar to san francisco pride. a lot of people travel for san francisco pride. san francisco pride has always been the pinnacle of prides in the bay area. however, the majority of people of color are black and brown folks, gender queer folks. people that really span that diversity net are in oakland and for whatever reason we have not really elevated those voices as much as we could. therefore we've all come together to really elevate these folks' voices and give them a space and a presence in ways that we haven't done historically.

so i'm really excited to have some of those headliners and some of these performances from different communities that sergio just mentioned, and it's going to be a really exciting time. damian: yeah. and so, sergio, this is a big event that--again, that you're bringing to oakland. talk about who should attend this fest. i would imagine that it's those within the lgbt community and those who do--maybe don't identify as such as well. sergio: this is open to everybody, and it doesn't have also an age limit. we are also even going to have a kid area for families to come and hang out and is going to be entertainment for all ages and for all types of activities. we even are going to have a wellness hour during the beginning of the festival from 11a.m. until 12, and then that's where the party starts. damian: all right. and i know your group is called the--it's pridefest. but is this a once-a-year thing or do you guys do different events throughout the year with your group?

sergio: we're going to start doing different events during the year, especially because we opened in our website a place for people or artists in the local community to sign up and we received so many signups that we'll just want to give a place to those artists who have a platform. so we're going to create more events during the year to do that. some of those artists are included in this programming, but unfortunately we had so many that we couldn't give everybody a place. but we're going to work on creating those spaces for them and for the community. damian: all right. and, michael, maybe some people have not attended the sf pride or pride here in san jose or even in oakland. why should those folks maybe consider attending your event, your pridefest '22 in oakland? michael: well, obviously we don't want to say that our pride's going to be the best, but it might just. no. but honestly i think each subset of the bay area brings a very, very unique set of folks.

i think oakland is very, very diverse. if we look at the statistics at the county level, oakland is one of the most diverse areas. alameda county in specific in the bay area, it's much more diverse than san jose, it's much more diverse in san francisco. so i anticipate and hope that this leads to a diverse audience being there, and we are definitely keeping that in mind as we're planning a lot of the performances and activities our pride. so we're hoping that we can represent all of the different folks here and that you feel seen. so the only way to figure that out and if we are tailoring to your need is to come. so definitely come. show up, show out. if you're an ally, show out, right? that's--we want this to be for everyone, not just folks that identify with the community but that identify for the community as well. damian: so show up and show out. anything you want the folks to go home with at the end of the festival, sergio? what do you want folks to maybe get from it and then

take home with them? sergio: just to see the beauty of our community--of the queer community of oakland, the beauty of the artists that we have here; and yes, just their support and that they come back next year. damian: all right. any final thoughts, sergio, before we let you go? sergio: just a little bit of the specifics of the event. it's sunday, september 11. it starts at 11 a.m. until 12. we're going to have the wellness hour. after that, the party will begin. and we're going to have three stages. the main one--stage is in harrison and 20. we're going to have a party pavilion with djs from all over the bay area and a community stage where ads from oakland mainly will take place. two entrances: 20 on broadway right outside hobart, and one in 19 in harrison. damian: all right. well, thank you. michael: i would like to add a few more things, if it's okay. damian: go ahead. michael: just given--and i want to echo this. given the safety concerns recently with other prides and other lgbtq associated events across the nation, i want to

really echo that we will have security in place. there will be security measures in place to make sure that everyone stays safe and feel safe coming to the event. so definitely come out. we will have security. there will be representation. some of the acts that sergio mentioned are very exciting, but we'll--for all latino folks out there, you know, i'm latino, we will have some spanish acts as well. so very, very exciting, and i hope that we see you there. damian: all right. well, thank you so much, and congratulations on your efforts and good luck at the event. michael: gracias. thank you. sergio: thank you very much. damian: all right. well, the information will be on the screen. this is oakland pridefest '22 happening in the heart of the east bay right here in oakland. we'll be back and wrap it up on "comunidad del valle" when we continue. so stay with us.

damian: well, we thank you for sharing a part of your sunday with us. we're going to leave you now with another special interview on "comunidad del valle." we'll see you next week. damian: he's the new vice president for economic justice

at the latino community foundation. max vargas is my guest here on "comunidad del valle." max, welcome to the show. i love the title. max vargas: thank you, damian. damian: well, before we get into economic justice and whatnot, let's talk a little bit about you because you come from nothing, if you don't mind me saying, to becoming--to creating quite a name for yourself. you are formerly an unaccompanied minor. max: that's right. that's right, and it's--yeah, as you can imagine, like many folks who immigrate here, the immigration story for us and for me is such a driver; and it shaped a lot of my identity, the work and why i'm passionate about what it is i do, and-- but you're right. i arrived at 5 years old from peru; fleeing terrorism, you know, huge instability, economic and safety concerns there at the

time, and, you know, got here and i was, you know, luckily able to get reunited with family and get status, get residency, and get political asylum actually to be able to get residency and, you know, eventually became a citizen. and, you know, it was a long process and it was an opportunity, but for me it really made clear of so many things even at a very young age, that things could be so vastly different. it really made me appreciative of all the folks in my life and the work, community organizations, programs, whatever it was that was there to help us when we got here. that, you know, i know at times not everybody has that same access, and in my head it was always very clear. it's like i was in a company, but not alone, right? i knew the lessons. the family were--you know, that i was hopeful, right, and i was pretty sure that i'd see them again, i'd have this opportunity to connect with them. and throughout the years, both through that immigration story but even afterwards as new immigrants in the country being

able to strive forward because there were programs, because there were certain resources, because there were partners and our community was there, that's what--you know, for me it's been a big love of community from day one because of that, and it's also made very clear to me that all the things we see are, you know, by design; that all the programs whether it's there or not there, the access whether it's there or not there can be vastly different. i've seen a different world and i've seen it from a very young age, and i think that taught me that another world is very possible, right? we can design the world and change it into what we'd like to see, right, to have a better world, and i think that's what we're about. it's how do we shape and grow our communities and lean into our strengths. and doing it in many ways is not alone, right? having that opportunity to do it as a community, as a collective, i think, it can be very powerful. damian: reading your bio, "i don't want to hear excuses from the immigrant community as to why they're

not able to make it." you have a political science degree from ulp, university of the pacific. you have a juris doctorate from mcgeorge school of law. you work for the--then called the national council of la raza under raul yzaguirre. what haven't you done? you know, what haven't you accomplished? "so i don't want to hear an excuse from those, maybe an immigrant community saying, 'i can't be successful because i'm an unaccompanied minor. i'm a daca. i come from this background. i come from that background.' toss that excuse aside." you're living proof that with ganas you're able to make it. max: absolutely. absolutely. and i think we have--as--you know, you mentioned daca you mentioned some of our young folks. we have some of our most passionate go-getters with bastante, sometimes demasiado ganas we're striving, and i think that's a big part that invigorates me about our community too 'cause we see some of those standouts and it's definitely not easy. they're entrepreneurial, they're go-getters, but they're doing

everything and hustling to make sure, you know, they maximize opportunities here too. damian: and, you know, i--farm work is my background. i use that as my driving force just like you use immigration and your immigrant background as your driving force, i would imagine. max: yeah, absolutely. and i'm glad you share that 'cause i think that, you know, it's a perspective. we think about california; you know, how silicon valley has the tech space. it's also breadbasket of the world to grow so much ag, and so many of our community members, huge, you know, drive, hustle potential in what they're doing, all valuable, all skilled work, not always well-paid work. and so that's one of the things, you know, that also drives me to think about the systems we have in place, and are they commensurate with the level of effort and the degree of work that our community is putting in and how do we make sure that our com--

. when you see this symbol, you know you're watching television that is educational and informational. the more you know on nbc. corey: hey everyone, i'm corey robinson and this is the place to be if you want to hang out with the biggest stars in sports, and the biggest heroes in your community. welcome to "one team the power of sports". today, we hit the luge with some of team usa's biggest and bravest stars. announcer: that's a medal for team usa! corey: and later, slopestyle skier colby stevenson's journey back to competition. colby: after my accident is when i actually found what it takes to win in competition. corey: then, paralympian lex gillette has never let doubt get