What happened
On July 21, during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, held up pictures of merchandise sold in the store of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and questioned its director, Anthea Hartig. His question, asked several times: what is Latina power, and is it appropriate for the Smithsonian to sell "Latina Power" paraphernalia? Hartig's answers were simple. Latina power, she said, is the forces derived from being a Latina. And the museum strives to represent all Americans.
The merch in question comes from JZD, the Brownsville, Texas brand built by Jen and Vero Zeano, whose Latina Power products have been in that gift shop for years. In a statement the same day, the founders said they woke up to a congressman holding up pictures of their work, that they're proud so many people see themselves in their products, and that they don't understand how a pink hat could spark this much controversy. Every piece, they wrote, is "created with orgullo and meant to be worn proudly."
Two queer Latinas from the border, a brand that started with 12 screen-printed shirts, now in the gift shop of a national museum. That's the business a congressman needed explained to him.
Why it matters to us
I was outraged, but unfortunately not surprised. And my first thought wasn't a statement. It was: I really hope today is a good sales day for JZD.
Being stocked somewhere like the Smithsonian - that visibility is exactly what so many of us are building toward, and it's exactly what just got put under a microscope. Right as many of us prep for Hispanic Heritage Month, the one season when the budgets open and everyone suddenly gives a damn. We'll take it, because we need to get our bag. But this hearing is a reminder that visibility cuts two ways. It's a risk assessment and it's proof of reach.
Hartig told the committee those shelves try to represent all Americans. So when a congressman asks whether Latina Power is appropriate there, he's not really asking about merch. He's asking whether we count. And that question is not abstract to the jefas who are afraid for their families right now, or whose storefronts went quiet because customers are scared to leave the house. It's the same story.
What it actually changes
The U.S. Latino economy hit $4 trillion in GDP, the fifth largest in the world if it stood alone, with purchasing power at $4.1 trillion. Latinas specifically contribute $1.3 trillion, more than the entire economy of Florida. And Latina-owned employer businesses grew 82% in five years, the fastest rate of any group in the country, generating over $120 billion a year and employing nearly 900,000 people.
That's what Latina power means. We clearly have receipts 💅.
If they're this focused on us, it's because we're getting closer to something. We have the economic power, and they know it before some of us do. They say there's nothing more dangerous than an educated woman. I suppose now there is nothing more scary to them than Latinas with power.
What to do about it
Pam Covarrubias, host of the Cafe con Pam podcast, told me years ago when I was a guest on her show that our existence is resistance. She said it in response to something I had said about never considering my work as an author and Latina entrepreneurship advocate to be political - and let me tell you - how differently I feel now. Entrepreneurship is political. Creating art is political. I’m not sure that there are many things that cannot be considered political anymore.
We need to continue to be loud about this - in whatever way works and is safe for us. Buy from the brands being targeted. Share the work of the jefas around you. If you're a founder whose brand carries cultura, this is not the moment to sand it down for safety. It's the moment to remember that the attention, even the hostile kind, is evidence that you’re breaking barriers and creating impact for our comunidad.
This is just the beginning, jefas. So go and grab your “Latina Power Paraphernalia” if you haven’t already. I am particularly excited about my tumbler and iconic shirt that I ordered last night.
xx