Hermanas Unidas panel will take place on March 27

Hermanas Unidas will be coming to Cal Poly Humboldt to perform and host a panel featuring Indigenous migrant women sharing their experiences working in the cleaning industry and building community during the pandemic. 

The panel will take place on March 27, from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum. Additionally, Hermana Flor will be performing a dance on the university quad.

Brenda Perez, coordinator of El Centro Académico Cultural at Cal Poly Humboldt, shared what attendees can look forward to at this event. 

“It is highly important to acknowledge the labor of these women in a political context, like the one we are living right now. I think amongst the most vulnerable jobs and positions that immigrant women can perform, this is one of them,” Perez said. 

Hermana Flor is a program that supports immigrant women by creating safe spaces for healing, cultural preservation and empowerment. Through workshops and activities, it promotes well-being, identity and community connection.

After the panel, Hermana Flor will be performing traditional dances from Oaxaca and Puebla Mexico. The dances themselves are connected with ancestral knowledge and touch on the harvest times, from fruit and flowers and the harvest of effort. 

“They’ve been presenting in different spaces, they’ve been also kind of rooting their traditions in the county through those dances,” Perez said. “I think for them to be able to overcome one more border, which is don’t be in the shadows but to be in public sharing their knowledge, their tradition and their dances is very important.” 

Perez hopes attendees will connect with the testimonies shared and relate them to their personal experiences. 

“I hope they remember how important it is to actively listen and empathize with other community members, and how honoring women or indigenous women that have migrated is right now essential to protect our rights,” Perez said. “I really hope for the students to find in this group of women inspiration for them to organize themselves and for them to find family far from home.” 

Hermanas Unidas is an event open to all community members on and off campus. The event is for those wanting to learn more about Indigenous migrant women. 

“They have been here in Humboldt County for more than two decades and have been opening pathways for other women to come. And I believe it’s important to be in the space with them to listen to testimonies of a community,” Perez said. “They flourish through culture, through dances and traditions.” 

Hermanas Unidas continues to host events throughout cities across the country. For more details, visit the CdP website or follow CdP on Instagram and Facebook @centrodelpueblo.