Sex

Poderosa Profile: Dian Alarcón

With my Director Maria Azuri, I’ve been able to better understand women and our needs. I understand my job more, and why despite the difficulties we face we must continue to strengthen education and leadership among women.

Written by Dian Alarcón and cross-posted in partnership with the National Latina Institute of Reproductive Health as part of the 2012 Latina Week of Action.

This profile of Dian Alarcón is one of several of powerful Latina women advocates throughout the United States.

I consider myself a powerful woman every time I give sexual and reproductive health education to women in a parking lot, or in a Laundromat, and see the expression on their faces – like they’ve never spoken about their own bodies before. When I, or one of the promotoras of the Lifting Latina Voices initiative, help women to discover their potential for leadership, women realize that over the years that others have had more say in their life decisions than they have had themselves – how many children to have, when and where to have them – regardless of their individual future. They then discover their power, or realize they’ve been in abusive relationships where their own pleasure has been put on hold and their partner has never cared about what they feel and want. When we’re able to work with women as they come to these conclusions for themselves, I feel powerful. I feel powerful when I see women demand Health to be able to protect themselves, Dignity to be respected for who they are and their decisions, and Justiceto condemn anything they consider a personal attack. 

With my Director Maria Azuri, I’ve been able to better understand women and our needs. I understand my job more, and why despite the difficulties we face we must continue to strengthen education and leadership among women. Mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, LGBT or straight, it doesn’t matter, we just have to discover our potential and put it in service to others.

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Me considero una mujer Poderosa cada vez que le doy educación sexual y reproductiva a alguna mujer en un parqueadero o en una lavandería pública y veo en sus caras la expresión de que jamás habían oído hablar de su propio cuerpo. A medida que yo o alguna de las promotoras de la iniciativa Levantando las Voces Latinas ayudamos que descubran todo su potencial de liderazgo, las mujeres se dan cuenta que en todos estos años ha sido otra persona la que ha tomado las decisiones respecto a cuantos hijos tener, cuando y donde tenerlos, sin importarles su futuro individual. Entonces descubren su poder, y que además han tenido relaciones abusivas donde su propio placer ha pasado a un segundo plano y realmente a su pareja jamás le ha importado lo que sienten y quieren. Cuando logramos que las mujeres lleguen por si solas a estas conclusiones me hace sentir poderosa. Me siento poderosa cuando logro que cada mujer exija Salud para poder protegerse, Dignidad para que las respeten por lo que son y decidan para su futuro y Justicia para poder condenar lo que consideren un atropello para cada una de ellas.

Con mi Directora María Azuri cada vez logro entender mejor como somos las mujeres y que necesidades tenemos, entiendo más mi trabajo y por qué a pesar de las dificultades debemos seguir fortaleciendo la educación y el liderazgo entre las mujeres. Madres, hermanas, hijas, amigas, LGBT o no, no importa, solo tenemos que descubrir nuestro potencial y ponerlo al servicio de otros.

– Dian Alarcón