#latinaherstory April 

Kelly Camacho 

NYSUT 

Buffalo, New York 

There's a difference when you RECKON something and when you know something. 

Like the difference between when you code and when you write. Coding is defined as a language used to program (= give instructions to) computers and reckoning is defined as to think or believe, basically giving instructions to neighbors. 

When a neighbor says, "I reckon," I'm full red, white, and blue ears, with stars on top. 

Teachers are responsible for teaching us to write and code. I reckon they are the most important role America has seen, second to parents and very close to soldiers.  

Buffalo Girl, Kelly Camacho, SUNY and public school grad, una proud Puerto Rican, knows teachers, she's the daughter of one. Under thirty, full of motivation and life, she currently lends her energy to NYSUT , New York State United Teachers. Per their website:

NYSUT is a federation of more than 1,200 local unions, each representing its own members. We are affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). We are also part of organized labor - the AFL-CIO - and of Education International, with more than 20 million members worldwide.

Kelly is an asset to NYSUT because her passion for helping neighbors understand the power of collective voice is connected to her deeper work of finding hers, shoes on and off, a little country, a little urbana. Her focus word is "union."

"Union" has meant a lot of things in America; at one point, it was a pseudonym for what we were fighting for. A word to remind our country during times of great dissent, we in the United States are people united by a national commitment to liberty, best spiced up by state identity. New York's spice would be something in between everything bagel, sofrito, and curry powder.

To a SUNY student "meet me in the UNION" means energizing food, fun, and friends.

This month, when we say UNION, we mean all of the above, but specifically the methodology we use as Americans: when we reckon... we might have some ideas, and we need some time to talk about them. 

Kelly's energy is what UNIONS need to keep those hearty conversations going, like meat and potatoes. 

Kelly's quote reads: "When many people have the same problem it becomes an issue. I would like to see our local and global communities move from a ‘me’ to a ‘we’ attitude. No matter what issue, if you fail to build solidarity and leaders, you have failed. The success of the movement hinges on our ability to build power in all communities. Our inclusion, protection, and solidarity with women, Black and Brown people, and LGBTQ+ is pivotal. The inclusion of groups for strategy and not solidarity is extractive."

Latinas are no stranger to "unions." Historically, we have contributed to their evolution, creation, and cupcake sales. Looking into the future, our roles will continue to evolve, but one thing will stay the same: the need to sign that card, sign it. And if you're spicy, you can join the ranks of folks like Kelly changing the world, it's like dinner, the more, the merrier," and like you girls know, there's work to do. 

Connect with Kelly on Linkedin and or a NYSUT near you!

"What is your mother's favorite song?"

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 

MRS. JANUARY 2024 

FAITH: CHRISTIAN 

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First day of my internship at the United States Supreme Court and the tour guide stops in front of the portrait of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and says “When she got here, WE (the women) were allowed to wear pants”.  

I was wearing a skirt of course, but it was the way (the tour guide, a New Yorker and Columbia grad) looked at the portrait. The look of admiration stayed with me. I decided success was having other women believe in your leadership. And then immediately spotted the cafeteria.  

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor served our nation as a jurist, as leader, and as a living example of justice, you know how hard that is when you have a bad hair day and the same hairspray as everyone else? 

If you ever WORE a full suit but FELT like a Denim Jacket, you know service is the personal commitment to transform yourself, in the interest of others.  

As a Justice, service is a commitment made forever. All-American Hero, big like her Texas heart, her impact on the law is immeasurable.  

As Latinos we are often encouraged to feel distance between ourselves and the judicial branch and the courts, but that distance is in fact proximity. You know more than you think. 

 The first Latina, a Boricua, intern to staff the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office hailed from the innovative SUNY Brockport Washington Internship program, Jody, who works at John Jay.  

The second was me, part of the same program. The first Latina Supreme Court Justice was Justice Sotomayor, and the day I mean the actual day she opened her chambers (office), I was in attendance in a thrift store sourced suit, eating a bagel, thinking “WOW-this is big stuff?”  

As a member of the Supreme Court Intern Family my privilege is to lift Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and sing the praise of a country girl who fought for us, women. 

A home-school kid, turned Stanford graduate, Presidential Medal recipient, Female senator and the first woman to serve as majority leader for the Arizona Senate, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She was somethin. 

I feel and will always feel a part of the institution that Sandra embodied. My boss told me “We are a family at the Supreme Court” so when I was exploring DC, when I felt lost or hit the wrong button on the google directions button, I knew I could call them at any time. 

The Supreme Court itself it an institution that thousands of us have invested in. Its authority is self-evident in our shared belief that the common good can be determined by a select few, who are trusted. That trust is well placed and the American servants that are today’s jurists are navigating a new world of challenges with the same dedication as the old-world traveling court justices (before we had a building the Supreme Court would travel from place to place via carriage) with the visibility of modern stars/attorney like Kim K. Humbly we pray god claims their heart for righteousness.  at the end of her life, Sandy (her country name) wrote children’s books.  

Her Amazon book review of “Finding Sandy” reads in part: “Sandra’s parents let her learn for herself that these animals are best suited to the wild, though it is often hard to let them go.”  

As Latinas and as Americans, many of our lessons are learned at home like this one and Sandys., I think of the important role many of us play in educating the future Sandy’s of America.  

Tell them her story, tell them she did it so we could wear pants, the literal and physical ones. And buy these cute books amazon and honor her journey which laid the path for our one pant suit at a time. 

#RIH #Justice #Sandra #Day #O’Conner 

You changed the world with your big Texas smile you are #Latinaherstory January 2024  

#LATINAHERSTORY 

DECEMEBER 2023 

ANNIVERSARY COLUMN! 

ESTABLISHED DEC 2019 

Narrative Column Featuring Latina Leaders in NEW YORK 

Author

Talia Rodriguez J.D. 

ALICIA GRANTO

MRS. DECEMBER 2023 

PROFESSION: EDUCATOR 

FAVORITE JOB: MOTHER 

GIFT: EMPATHY AND INSPIRATION 

THEME FOR THE MONTH: LEADERSHIP & THOSE WHO INSPIRE GREATNESS 

FAITH: CHRISTIAN 

EDUCATION: M.S.- LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, Westchester, Education/Counseling and Bilingual Education 

PAST ORGANIZATIONS: Hispanic Womens League, Los Tainos Senior Center, SUNY Buffalo State University, Bennett High School, Uncrowned Queens

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#DECEMBER #LATINAHERSTORY, Author #talia #rodriguez 

I struggled to learn to read in both languages. I always felt old fashioned red, white, and blue smart but with spelling I wasn’t a winner. After 46 months of Latinaherstory as a published “columnist”, the Doctorate etc, I still remember STARING at the page: BLANK, SAD, MAD, and tiny. Mrs. Gilbert knew I was smart and her 6:30 AM prep period was dedicated to helping us both prove it to the world, all before school breakfast at 7:30 AM....

When I didn’t feel good enough, down to my bones, I thought about god. Abuela was Pentecostal, y’all know I wasn’t ever the first one to the passage when Pastor called it, but I got the message. I tell my son who is in first grade now. God makes us all perfect, it’s the journey that shows your gumption, and that’s if you got any. 

I call myself a “folk writer” because I write to talk to people, directly, like my neighbors. That’s why “A.I’ and “Chat GPT” didn’t sit right with me, at first. Till someone pointed out, the very real fact, I would be toast, with and without cafe, but for SPELLCHECK.  He said spellcheck was “artificial intelligence” and I started hearing different cus, I know, I know, a lot of words I cannot spell.

For the “kids” (with their little backpacks) It’s a new ball game, and its faster. They don’t know what it feels like to WONDER, they don’t know the world without instant answers, or the fear of them. I remember the sound of AOL Dial up. 

We all need guidance and a living example for me, was Alicia Granto, in a skirt suit, at the Hispanic Women’s League brunch and other places. Always upright, a vision of civility, and the perfect mix of business attire and warmness, I needed, to feel like my cardigan would someday be a blazer. Undeterred, I missed the deadline for the Hispanic Women League’s scholarship that year but within the days research I found AAUW and later the confidence to apply for a grant. Dedication to a persistent call to excellence powered by empathy is what Alicia Granto embodied for me as a student.  

She reflects on the values she learned as a child.

"The values that I acquired as a child were much more modeled by my parents than taught to me per say. No one sat with me and said "this is what you do and this is what you do not!" That inculcated in me the importance of showing our youth how to empower themselves as happy, productive human beings by role modeling that behavior rather than preaching to them."

I have worn numerous hats in my life career wise and professionally. I started in the educational field and after dabbling in other areas, here I am today still pursuing my passion and what I believe I am really good at which is helping others maximize their potential. I am convinced no other endeavor would make me feel as fulfilled as being an educator and a provider of overall wellness."

When asked to define a leader she states: 

“A leader to me is someone that others tend to follow spontaneously not necessarily because they brand themselves as leaders.” 

Alicia Granto is one single person whose investment in WNY is felt globally through the work of her family and through the thousands of hands belonging to students whose hearts she shaped. This December, remember, being brave enough to believe in someone is a gift specifically when it seems unlikely.  

Oh and think of me, and give a kid some space, a calculator, and spell check (and a snack if you’ve got one handy) and see what happens next. 

Genius – is my guess.  #gloriadios for the world is better because of teachers and nourishing souls like Alicia. 

Oh, and thank you Mrs. Gilbert, I guess you were right!

#latinaherstory

#Alicia #Granto #MRS #DECEMBER #2023 

Her advice for a woman walking into a room (boardroom) full of men: 

Walking into a room where you are the only woman of course, it's unnerving and natural to feel stressed. One needs to tell herself " I am as worthy to be here if not more than any of these guys". I always caution, don't feel the urge to say something just to open your mouth, it's OK to just listen until you take time to formulate your thoughts and really contribute."