LOS ANGELES, June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — With a historic election on the horizon and recent headlines decrying leniency for violence against women, conversations surrounding gender equality have never been more critical. Latina blogger pioneer and CEO of Latina Bloggers Connect Ana Flores joins a powerful roster of experts, advocates, and grassroots and business leaders for the first ever United State of Women Summit taking place on June 14 at the White House. Developed by the Council on Women and Girls, together with the Department of State, the Department of Labor, the Aspen Institute and Civic Nation, the United State of Women will bring together advocates of gender equality to highlight the progress made, identify the challenges that remain, and chart the course for addressing them.
Ms. Flores, who has dedicated her career to empowering Hispanic America by providing outlets for growth in the digital space, will form part of a panel “Crosscutting-Revolutionizing Gender Norms,” moderated by Jess Weiner, CEO of Talk to Jess and taking place from 10:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. ET. She and fellow panelists Julianna Chugg, EVP, Chief Brand Officer, Mattel; Amy Poehler and Meredith Walker, founders of Smart Girls; Dr. Stacy Smith, Associate Professor of Communication and Head of the Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California; and Jamia Wilson, Executive Director, youth + tech + health (YTH) will discuss new research that brings to light disparities in media and product and brainstorm solutions for how businesses, organizations, and parents can help break down stereotypes that affect kids’ aspirations.
“As a mother, this strikes a passionate chord in me. I have spent the last ten years creating content and opportunities for Latina storytellers, who have been historically underrepresented in the media,” says Flores. “As parents, we can influence the next generation to help them learn and dream without limits and undo the long-lasting effects of machismo that still affects many Hispanic families.”
In 2009, Flores launched SpanglishBaby, the award-winning community and resource for parents raising bilingual and bicultural kids, to fill a vacuum for culturally-relevant family content. In 2010, Ana graduated from blogger to CEO by launching Latina Bloggers Connect, Inc, a boutique digital influencer marketing agency focused on creating strategic content that connects brands and social causes with Latina bloggers and creators. Today, LBC is the first and largest network of digital Latina influencers in the U.S. and features an annual conference #WeAllGrow Summit, the intimate go-to professional and experiential conference for Latinas in the digital space.
“Through the opportunities we provide, bloggers and creators in our network have empowered themselves to break their own family’s gender stereotype of la mujer en la casa (a woman’s place is at home) and calladita te ves más bonita (you look prettier with your mouth shut) by creating their own online space and community where their voice has a purpose and they can be economically empowered,” adds Flores. “I couldn’t be more honored to lend my voice to this powerful Summit.”
Cohosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, the United Summit of Women also features conversations with cultural icons and leaders on women’s issues including Meryl Streep, Shonda Rhimes, Tina Fey, Laverne Cox, Tory Burch, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh,Dr. Jen Walter, Cecile Richards, Cecilia Muñoz, and Megan Smith, among others. In cooperation with the Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, the PepsiCo Foundation, and the Tory Burch Foundation, the United State of Women Summit will be available via livestream on June 14 at www.theunitedstateofwomen.org.
About Ana Flores
Featured in Inc. Magazine, CNN en Español, PBS Parents, BabyCenter, Vme TV, NBC’s TodaysMoms, Babble and Parenting Magazine, Flores was recently named 2015 Innovator 25 by the prestigious Holmes Report as someone who is shaping what influence and engagement will look like in the future. She has presented at BlogHer, Mom 2.0 Summit, The Adelante Movement, Watermark, LATISM, Hispanicize, Digital Hollywood, BlogWorld Expo and on two occasions at the White House in 2016 speaking on breaking down gender stereotypes. Co-author of the book Bilingual is Better, Flores is a member of the United Nations Foundation’s Influence Project, serving as a Social Fellow, BlogHer 2016 Advisory Board, on NALIP‘s Diverse Women in Media Initiative Advisory Committee and Common Sense Media’s Latino Advisory Council. For a full bio, please click here.
