Honor Shakira, Celia Cruz, and All Latinas, Sen. Cortez Masto Tells Colleagues
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At this precise moment, the number one album in the country is Mañana Será Bonito by Colombian superstar Karol G, one of the most visible Latinas in the music business. Over the weekend, the Grammy Museum launched an exhibition chronicling Shakira’s three-decade career, and just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Mint announced that Afro-Cuban trailblazer Celia Cruz will be featured on the U.S. quarter, making her the first Black Latina honored on American currency.
The contributions of Latinas, particularly in culture and entertainment, are hard to ignore — and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto wants to make sure they’re being recognized with the weight they deserve. The senator from Nevada, who made history herself when she became the first Latina elected to serve in the upper chamber, has been proposing resolutions to highlight the accomplishments of Latinas since she took office in 2017. On Thursday, to coincide with Women’s History Month, she brought a resolution to the Senate floor, urging her colleagues to acknowledge the pivotal role Latinas play in sectors across society.
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“To me, it was important that we continue to support and highlight Latinas and the contributions we have made to this country in so many areas, from our business to military, to science, to education, to the arts, to culture… Not only do we need to highlight who we are and what we have done, we need to recognize it for the next generation of Latinas,” Cortez Masto tells Rolling Stone.
The resolution notes that 30 million Latinas are living in the U.S., and specifically mentions their achievements in STEM, business, public service, sports, media, and more. It also emphasizes the work and legacy of singers and songwriters, such as Linda Ronstadt, the late Tejano icon Selena Quintanilla, and Cruz (Cortez Masto teamed up with Republican Senator Deb Fisher and Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee for the legislation that created the American Women Quarters Program that is honoring Cruz.) The resolution also mentions EGOT winner Rita Moreno and Hollywood luminary Raquel Welch, who at one point in her career was advised to change her name to downplay her Bolivian roots. Were the resolution to pass, it would be the first time that some of these women would be recognized by the Senate.
For Cortez Masto, part of the resolution’s goal to create more visibility for younger Latinas today. She knows how important this is from personal experience: “[There are] these young women that have come up to me and are so excited,” she says. “They see in me a reflection of who they are. But I also know they’re thinking, ‘Oh, my God. If she can do it, I can do it, too.’ And I want them to think that.”
Still, a symbolic gesture on the floor — intended so that the Senate “celebrates and honors the successes of Latinas” — might not feel like enough when Latinas face serious disparities, including being paid 57 cents for every dollar white men make. Cortez Masto also notes that more broadly, Latino communities experience health inequities, something the pandemic exposed, and are continually affected by climate change and challenges to reproductive rights.
However, the resolution opens the floor for a dialogue to happen. “It is important for those conversations to take place together,” Cortez Masto says. “There are still barriers. There’s still things that we have to fight for, for that equality, and this is part of it, not only honoring Latinos, but showing where we still need to go.”
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