LOS ANGELES, CA — March 24, 2023 — (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) — Nearly 3,000 people attended the 5th annual LATINAFest®: Mind, Body & Soul at La Plaza de Cultura Y Artes this past Sunday March 19th. Despite the rain, and LA Marathon street closures, Angelenos came together to support over 100 Latina-owned small businesses who participated in this year’s event. LATINAFest®, sponsored by Chase, is the largest outdoor festival that celebrates Latinas in Los Angeles. This year’s event was celebrated in unity with Women’s History Month.
The theme of this year’s celebration was “Super Latina”, paying homage to Latina heroes, past and present, who planted the seeds and inspired generations of women to follow in their footsteps. Donning superhero custom-made capes and shields with empowering messages, LATINAFest® co-founders, Bel Hernandez and Naibe Reynoso led a parade of women accompanied by the Garfield High School Marching Band to launch the festival with the message, “Our Voice is Our Superpower.”
In addition to civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, other powerful Latinas who spoke at the festival included: Hilda Solis, LA County Supervisor, Silvana Montenegro, Global Head of Advancing Hispanics & Latinos at JPMorgan Chase, Sonia Smith-Kang, Founder and Designer of Mixed Up Clothing, Leticia Buckley, Executive Director of La Plaza de Cultura Y Artes, Maria Garcia, Regional Director of Banking for the North Los Angeles Region at JPMorgan Chase and Flor Martinez, Founder and CEO of Celebration Nation.
LATINAFest® and Chase awarded the annual Hero Women Rising Entrepreneur grant at the festival. This annual $5,000 grant is awarded to a Latina entrepreneur who has shown growth, leadership, innovation and commitment to the community. Lina Muñoz, Los Angeles Central Market Manager for Business Banking at JPMorgan Chase, presented a $5,000 check to this year’s grant recipient Maggie Solorzano-Muneton of Semillitas Learning Community in Long Beach. Semillitas Learning Community provides a learning space for children to reclaim their Spanish language and preserve their culture.
Also onstage included a conversation on Latina empowerment that featured civil rights pioneer Dolores Huerta and farmworker activist Flor Martinez moderated by Telemundo 52 Acceso Total Host Elva Saray.
LATINAFest® also included food trucks, a Sip and Paint corner, a photo booth and more. Diana Diaz, CEO of Goddess Mercado, displayed a variety of apparel designs during an onstage Super Latina Fashion Show. Other highlights included a Barbie You Can Be Anything photo booth and Barbie® doll giveaway, a morning yoga session sponsored by AARP, and mommy and me paintings by the Kids Zone.
LATINAFest® is grateful to all its sponsors for their commitment to championing the Latina entrepreneur community. Supporters include Chase, a title sponsor for the third consecutive year, Barbie®, LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Telemundo 52, Kia, Dream Team Hierarchy, AARP, Estrella Jalisco, the Hispanic Coalition of Small Businesses, Red Bull, MVA Academy, The Thirsty Horse, BoHo Paradise Events, Mexican American Vintners Association and Gouda Charcuterie Boards.
LATINAFest® also thanks its community partners and ambassadors, including: Tree Yoga Cooperative, School on Wheels, Celebration Nation, Fernanda Kelly, host of K-LOVE morning show, Brenda Gonzalez, host of Tamarindo podcast, Carolina Trejos, host of LATV’s PINKafe , Darlene Rodriguez, producer of KOST 103.5, actress Julie Carmen, Patricia Perez, Owner of VPE Communications and Oralia Michel, Founder and owner of Omágen Inc.
Next year’s 6th annual LATINAFest® is scheduled in 2024 to coincide with Women’s History Month. For more information about LATINAFest® and 2024 event updates email latinafestevents@gmail.com or visit: www.latinafest.net
Follow LATINAFest® on social media at:
Facebook: @LATINAFest
Instagram: @LATINAFest
Twitter: @LATINAFest
Official hashtags: #latinafest2023 #SuperLatinas
ABOUT LATINAFest®, LLC:
LATINAFest® founded by award-winning journalists Bel Hernandez and Naibe Reynoso in 2018, is a community-based organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote unity, diversity, and economic inclusion, and to amplify the Latina voice while championing Latina entrepreneurs, activists, and artists who are committed to uplifting and empowering the Latina community. Its annual outdoor festival brings together thousands of Latina entrepreneurs, community leaders, and decision makers, from all walks of life who are bilingual, bicultural, and armed with buying power, ready to engage, build networks, and take their businesses to the next level. LATINAFest® also provides strategic business incentives and resources that help accelerate their growth.
ABOUT CHASE
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading financial services firm based in the United States with assets of $3.8 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves more than 66 million American households and 5 million small businesses with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: More than 4,700 branches in 48 states and the District of Columbia, 16,000 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to chase.com.
To download approved images: 2023 LATINAFest Approved Images