For decades, governments existing in countries across the United States and Latin America have used federal holidays in October to celebrate the Italian colonist Christopher Colombus. In recent years, however, as more people and governments come to understand and come to terms with the grave atrocities suffered by the Indigenous peoples that made up the lands in which Colombus pillaged more of us are refusing to recognize and honor him as the founder of the Americas, hero, and paragon of exploration that our earliest history books declared him to be.
As states across the U.S. and countries across Latin America continue to forgo dropping the early days of the second weeks of October as federal holidays, many have opted to rebrand and instead celebrate the Indigenous peoples who came before us. This Indigenous Peoples’ Day FIERCE is continuing to share our love for our Indigenous Latinas by highlighting women of today who make an impact and encourage the people around them to grow.
Here’s a look at 5 Indigenous Latinas to stalk and love.
Patricia Velasquez
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Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress and model who caught the world’s attention in a role as a villain the 1999 film The Mummy. Velásquez grew up with a mestizo father and a mother who was a member of the indigenous Wayuu people. Her Instagram account is marked by her work with UNESCO, OAS and her efforts as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Follow her here.
Ysanet Batista
Ysanet Batista is the Dominican founder and chef of WokeFoods and brings a face and awareness to those who are unaware of the Afro-Indigenous Latinidad. Her Instagram page primarily focuses on her strife for food sovereignty and racial equality.
Follow her here.
amanax_ri
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Amanax is the Taíno Instagrammer who uses her platform and voice to highlight the lives, language, and culture of the Taino people of Puerto Rico. Her Instagram page consists largely of the ancestral practices of the Taino people and emphatically highlights that even despite what you’re history books might have told you, they still exist.
Follow her here.
Daniella De Jesús
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Fans of Orange Is The New Black will easily recognize De Jesús for her work as Zirconia on the show. The Taíno actress of Puerto Rican descent often uses her Instagram page to raise up her followers and fight for her feminist beliefs.
Follow her here.
Ashley Jacklyn
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Ashley Jacklyn is the Taíno Latina mental health advocate and Instagrammer you’ve got to follow. Her posts are all about self-love and care, lifting the spirit and of course Latina Power.
Follow her here.
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Read: A Latina Scientist And A Queer Latina Poet Won Two Of The 2018 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grants
