San Jose summit aims to empower immigrant women

Event included panels, workshops, training from local experts

SAN JOSE — Dozens of immigrant women embarked on a path to selfimprovement Saturday, discussing issues such as domestic violence and financial stability at an empowerment summit for women.

The daylong event, hosted by the San Josebased Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, or SIREN, included workshops, panels and training from local experts.

It was the first time the organization led an event of this kind. It was created using feedback from community members, who expressed interest in discussing topics impacting immigrant women locally, according to organizers. About 50 people attended.

Maria Rico, of San Jose, said the summit was a motivating factor for her.

“There are people looking out for us, and that’s admirable. They’re fighting for us, so we can’t just sit with our arms crossed, because we’re the ones primarily affected by these issues,” Rico said in Spanish.

“It’s very inspiring to see organizations such as SIREN helping us and enabling us, training us and giving us the confidence to fight for the things we wish to achieve.”

Rico said one of the largest struggles that immigrants face is the inability to pursue professional careers that some launched in their home countries, often because they’re living in the United States without legal documentation.

Rico said she was an accountant in her native Mexico.

A group of Aztec dancers kicked off the summit with a medley of traditional dances. The event came one day after the U.S. celebrated Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. SIREN marked the occasion on Saturday.

“We wanted to create a space where we can teach immigrant women, give them resources and more information about subjects that are not necessarily talked about in homes,” said Jeremy Barousse, a community organizer for SIREN.

“We’re all about empowerment, giving Latinas, and immigrants in general, tools to help them go out into the community and be ever bigger warriors for justice.”

Conny Cortes, of San Jose, said events such as these have renewed her passion for community activism, a passion that started decades ago when she was a young woman in Mexico.

Cortes, now in her late 60s, was an activist in Mexico City in the late 1960s, where she advocated for the rights of farm workers and day laborers.

“A lot of us held onto that leadership,” Cortes said. “Working with organizations like SIREN and fighting for immigrant rights, that sort of thing doesn’t leave you. You fall in love with (the activism), and you find a sense of purpose.”

Mayela Razo, of San Jose, said she hopes to use her knowledge to help other Latina immigrants.

“We need to inform ourselves and be a voice for other people who are in similar situations,” said Razo, 54.

“That’s the importance of an event like this.”