In September 2020, a demographic survey ignited the flame of inspiration that led a group of Yale Psychiatry faculty to form a new group with the goal of creating a community of Latinas in academia.
The survey, the group’s co-founders recalled, asked respondents to identify their race using one of three categories: white, Black, or “prefer not to answer.”
“We reflected on our identity, its intersectionality and how being Latina impacted our day to day at Yale,” said Gabriela García Vasallo, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and one of the group’s co-founders.
Dr. García Vasallo, along with fellow Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz, PhD, and Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, PhD, director of the Yale Ciencia Program, found themselves again in conversation in March 2021, at which time they saw the need to formalize and grow their group. LaRA – which stands for Latinas Revolutionizing Academia – was born.
“There is value and comfort in having members in your community with shared experiences. It provides us with that feeling of ‘being seen’,” said Dr. García Vasallo. “As we processed these feelings, we recognized how our experiences of growing up with a different culture and speaking a different language bring unique perspectives which can benefit our institution. However, to increase our overall feeling of being affirmed and understood, we need to find other Latinas in academia.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 3% of all full-time faculty members in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States identify as Latina, and 2.4% of all scientists and engineers identify as Latina.
As with other intersectional identities, the founders said, their dual status as women and as members of an underrepresented group means they are more likely to encounter racism, stereotyping, lack of mentoring, tokenism, disparities in opportunities, and inequitable salaries. All of this can lead to feelings of isolation, burnout, and ultimately to lack of retention in academia.
“We needed a space to be able to talk about our shared and unique identities – understanding that Latinxs are not a homogeneous group – and to explore how to support each other and seek allies to make sure that more of us continue to pursue careers in academia and advance professionally so we can bring others along with us,” said Dr. Guerrero-Medina.
In choosing the name for what would become LaRA, the co-founders said they wanted a name that would express our desire for change and our intent for action. While there was some initial concern that “revolutionizing” might be too strong a word, the founders said it was important for them to “express our disinterest in the status quo.”
They also liked that the “R” could stand for other aspirations, such as “reimagining” or “reclaiming,” but ultimately decided to keep the acronym as the main name since it “allows us to incorporate all these meanings into our spirit,” mentioned Dr. Guerrero-Medina.
LaRA’s main purpose has been to establish a community of support and advice around a shared goal of improving inclusion at Yale while promoting intimacy and connection. During meetings, the group discusses books and documentaries with the aim of facilitating deeper discussion. Past discussions have included “The Undocumented Americans” by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, and the movie “Picture a Scientist.” The book “Yale Needs Women” by Anne Gardiner Perkins is up next.
“The meetings turn to our own experiences as educators, scientists, and clinicians at Yale and in our professions,” explained Dr. Montalvo-Ortiz. “We all share insights and advice on how to counter micro- and macro-aggressions or systems that prevent change, or we may talk about ways in which we can help other minority women and underrepresented intersectional identities be better represented and supported in academia.”
Dr. García Vasallo sees academia as an interdependent ecosystem, as inspired by a recent article from Richard Grant: “For trees to reach their full height, they depend on a complicated web of relationships, alliances, and kinship networks. They share the sunlight, and their root systems are closely connected. Older trees care for saplings and when a tree is harmed, others are affected. They are communal, form alliances, and have a collective intelligence and wisdom. By growing our network of Latinas in academia, we increase the chances of weathering the storms and standing tall in the glory of the sunlight.”
The group hopes to create a database of Latina women in academic careers, as well as create and provide resources to support recruitment and retention of Latina women in academia. They also hope to provide networking opportunities via seminar series, conferences, round tables, and town halls that can help amplify Latina voices both within Yale and across the country.
For more information about LaRA, contact Drs. Garcia Vassallo at maria.garcia@yale.edu; Montalvo-Ortiz at janitza.montalvo-ortiz@yale.edu; or Guererro-Medina at giovanna.guerrero-medina@yale.edu.