Chile’s New Constitution: Indigenous Woman Elected to Lead Historic Rewrite
Hey there amigxs,
Your favorite newsletter is here! This week, Nikki talks about how excited she is over the historic rewriting of Chile’s Pinochet-era constitution after the election of a Mapuche activist to take the lead on it. We’re also highlighting important news, including the suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson and what Grammy-award-winning singer Ciara is doing to make sure Black women are scheduling their annual well-woman visit for cervical cancer. Princess Party Time also shares how she spent the 4th of July with her grandpawrents.
Before we jump into this week’s issue, I want to congratulate and wish Nikki good luck, as she starts her new reporting gig next week! We’ll be taking a break next week as she gets used to her new job, but we’ll be back on 7/21.
¡Pa’lante!
Mapuche Activist Elisa Loncón Elected to Lead Chile’s Constitutional Convention 🇨🇱
By Nikki Rojas
It’s a new era in Chile. Over the weekend, my South American homeland officially began the process of rewriting its Pinochet-era constitution. It’s a historic moment for Chile and one that is doubly exciting after an indigenous Mapuche woman was chosen to lead the rewrite.
The constitutional body was elected in May to draft a new constitution to replace the one established during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. It began its work on July 4 and will have nine months, which can be extended an additional three months, to draft a new constitution.
Read Nikki’s piece on the historic nature of Chile’s constitutional assembly here.
Women In The News 📰
Sha’Carri Richardson’s Suspension Highlights the Racial Double Standards in Drug Laws: Star sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension after testing positive for marijuana sparked a social media debate on how a now widely accepted drug could disqualify an athlete from competing in the 2020 Olympics. Richardson’s suspension proves that there is a racial double standard when it comes to drug rules and laws, especially in the U.S. Olympic trials. An article from The Lily discusses her suspension and talks to experts about how these rules are based on systemic racism.
Read more about Sha'Carri’s suspension at The Lily.
California Appoints Indigenous Woman to State Commission On Women and Girls: Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed professor Joely Proudfit to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Proudfit (Luiseño/Payómkawichum), who has served as American Indian studies chair and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at California State University San Marcos since 2008, will put a spotlight on the issues impacting Indigenous women and girls in her new position.
Learn more about Joely at The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Ciara Wants to Stop Cervical Cancer in Black Women: Singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Ciara Wilson wants to help spread the word to make sure Black women are having regular cervical cancer screenings, according to Forbes. Through the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the Grammy-award-winning singer is using promotional videos to encourage Black women to schedule their annual well-women visit.
Read more about the initiative at Forbes.
Director of Nonprofit Hands on Hartford Discusses How to Help The Houseless Community: Barbara A. Shaw, the executive director of Hands on Hartford, spoke to CTLatinoNews about what the organization is doing to help people in Connecticut who are houseless. The National Alliance to End Homelessness found that over 3,900 people are houseless in Connecticut and 34 percent of those people identify as Hispanic-Latino.
Listen to the full conversation at CTLatinoNews.
Curator’s Note: Pero Make It Newsy and the Latino News Network are partners in best serving the Latinx community.
Causes That Matter 🤝
The International Indigenous Youth Council was created to empower Indigenous youth through education, civic engagement and spiritual practices. The organization, which is led by womxn and two-spirit peoples, aims to protect land, water and treaty rights, support social justice, empower Indigenous youth to become leaders in their communities and preserve all Indigenous culture and ceremonies.
You can support and donate directly to the International Indigenous Youth Council.
You Should Read This 📚
Find Michelle Obama on Goodreads | Pick up “Becoming” at Semicolon Bookstore
Princess Party Time’s Paw-nderings 🐶
Henlo my wonderful hoomans! Princess Party Time here and boy, I have had such a fun time on vacation! I’ve been spending a lot of time on Long Island with my abuelita and abuelito and it has been so much fun. I tried swimming in my pool (I did not liek it), ate lots of ice cream and spent my first 4th of July wondering what those big booms with twinkling lights in the sky were (Mama said they are called fireworks). I hope you’re all having a lovely summer so far and you’re eating lots of ice cream, like me!
Thank you so much for reading! If you’d like to send us questions, suggestions or just say hello, you can email us at peromakeitnewsy@gmail.com.
- Maria Elena and Nikki
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