Amplifying Voices and Impacting Communities with Dr. Damary Bonilla Rodriguez

Deneen L. Garrett: 00:06 01:00 Welcome to an intimate conversation with women of color. This podcast provides women of color, LGBTQ plus, and allies a platform to use their voices. Join us as we share our personal journeys. I am your host, Deneen L. Garrett. Hello, Dr. Damari. How are you? Hello. How are you? Happy Monday. Yes, same to you. Happy Monday. So I want to welcome you to an intimate conversation with women of color. And to our audience, to those listening, I want to introduce you to Dr. Damari Bonilla Rodriguez. She is the Director of Leaders of Color at Education Reform Now. Dr. Damari, tell us a little bit more about yourself.
Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 01:01 02:20 Sure, I want to start by thanking you for the opportunity and thanking you for creating this platform for women of color to be able to share their voices and their experiences in hopes of inspiring somebody else to find their voice and be able to share that. So, I was born and raised in Spanish Harlem in New York City, known as El Barrio. I grew up in the Wilson projects, which is labeled as the ghetto. I was born to a 19 year old single mother. And my mother died when she was just 27, left 3 young daughters behind. She was a victim of homicide. And so I say that I was born into negative statistics raised by my maternal grandparents who only went to the first and the third grade Which if you think about it those statistics and those odds were against me But then I always say God's grace was with me Yeah, I give people the space right to have their own spiritual beliefs or to not and to me that's okay And I don't judge either way, but I am a person of faith and I know that it would Influence in my life that allowed me to be now 1 of less than 4% of Latinas in the United States that hold a doctoral degree. So that's my life in a small nutshell.

Deneen L. Garrett: 02:20 02:53 Wow, that is that is awesome. Congratulations to you on being in that less than 4%. That's amazing. So I wanted to also share how we met. So we met last year. at ASAE's annual event. I'm not sure what drew us to one another, but I remember, you know, talking to you in the lobby area, having a conversation, and we've been connected ever since. So I so appreciate you for staying connected with me.

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 02:53 03:13 Thank you. I appreciate it as well. And I think there was just a mutual synergy and energy. I remember your smile. I remember that you were just lit up. And, you know, people like that attract me because there's work to be done. And when you have that energy, it means that you can work together. And here we are.

Deneen L. Garrett: 03:13 03:35 Absolutely. Yes, we are. We are here. And, you know, you already are using your voice, right? You learned early on. the importance of using a voice and having a platform for your voice. So why is it important for women of color leaders, women of color leaders to have a platform?

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 03:35 04:40 So the answer to that is yes. And I will say that I've found my voice at a young age, being the daughter of a mother who died so young, as I said, being the eldest of three sisters, And translating for my grandparents and seeing them not have a voice, seeing those around me not have a voice put me in that position. I think some of us have these qualities that in times of crisis. Propel us to leadership like the crisis that we're experiencing right now and so it's important that women of color and particularly leaders of color have a voice to Represent those that look like us and talk like us who are not in visible roles in the community or society who aren't represented in those top corporate positions who aren't on boards and in one way or another are missing, but have something to contribute. And when we show up and we do have a voice, we change the dynamics. And so we need to, we need to create that opportunity for ourselves and for others.

Deneen L. Garrett: 04:40 04:45 Yeah. So, you know, leading into that, how are you using your voice for women of colors?

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 04:48 08:20 So I'm blessed to have the opportunity, as I said, to at a young age, have found my voice because I was in a position to kind of have to, right. But, but since a young age, I've been volunteering. I've been active in my local church. I've worked on political campaigns translated, not just for my grandparents, but for those in my community. When I went away to college, there was an African-American female financial aid counselor, Robin Jordan at the time. Now she's married and she's Robin Marshall and we're connected on LinkedIn and stay in touch. And she taught me how to complete my FAFSA. And the only thing she asked me to do was to help others. And that's been one way that I've helped others. So, you know, I share that because I want people to know that you can be a voice for others and empower others in small ways or big ways. And you just have to find your space and for me, I feel like I'm doing that on bigger platforms and in bigger spaces right now through the capacities that I have the opportunity to sit in as the director of the New York chapter of the leaders of color training program. I have the opportunity to. use my own experience, my expertise, and my background to prepare Black and Brown leaders to run for political office, to be connected to bigger networks and resources, to launch nonprofit organizations and other efforts that will ensure they're helping improve the lives of those that are underserved and disenfranchised, which often is their own family and their own community. I have the opportunity through As being a commissioner for the Poconos region on the Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's commission on Latino affairs, as well as served on his redistricting reform commission on that commission. I was the only Hispanic. I was the youngest and 1 of 2 that had a doctoral degree. And so all of those spaces, several boards that I sit on at the local and national level, and also being the 1st Hispanic elected as school board director in the East Charlesburg area school district. in just November, a couple of months ago, which was a personal reflection and realization for me that if I had not run, we would have closed out another election and another decade without a Latino voice on the school board. And that's an important table to be at. It's an unpaid position, so it's a volunteer position, but we're making critical decisions for our young people, for our community, That has an impact on society more broadly as those young people go out into the world into the workforce. So, I think my opportunity to serve in these various capacities is an opportunity to not only use my voice and talk about the areas that impact my home. My sons, I have 10 year old twin boys that are. you know, the light of my life that I work hard for every day, right? But also to speak up for people like my grandparents who are no longer with me, but I have a special place for the elderly and for so many that are disenfranchised to immigrant populations. I'm Puerto Rican and some people still don't know that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, but that doesn't disconnect me from the realization that there is a population of immigrants from different racial and ethnic backgrounds who live in fear and who need a voice. So just across the board, I see the need and that propels me to speak up and to step into spaces that I can step into because of access to higher education, because of professional and personal experiences and expertise.

Deneen L. Garrett: 08:21 08:52 Yeah, all of that is, is absolutely amazing that you were led to impact so many people and that you took away from, um, your financial aid, um, person from Robin to pay it forward. And you've been doing that ever since. So that is so much appreciated out of everything that you've done. What would you say has been the most impactful? how you have impacted others the most.

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 08:54 11:32 So I will say each thing that I've done, I've had the opportunity to speak, whether using my actual verbal voice or by writing. But it's an opportunity to build awareness. So my husband, who's my greatest supporter, we've been together since we were 18 and has been through everything with me, always says, your mouth is your greatest asset, but it drives me crazy when you use it against me. In an argument of some sort, right? And so I think the common thread is that everything that I've been able to do has provided me the opportunity to speak up about something that I see that is not right about injustice and inequity and oppression in a way that propels me to fight for social justice. I think right now the, the school board is unique in that I have an opportunity to bring a different lens that has never been at that table before. And I see the opportunity each time. There's a discussion each time we're emailing and talking to bring a lens that has not been. At that table ever before but but each opportunity is unique and present something and that's a piece of advice that I that I give to everybody who listens to this conversation is to find in every opportunity the space to be a voice the space to make a difference the space to positively impact. On a smaller, big scale, it might impact your immediate family home decisions. It might impact your community. It might impact society broadly, or even globally. I mean, my academic contributions, my dissertation was about Latina leadership in the United States. And I received calls and emails from around the world where professors are using it in their class and using it for conferences and other opportunities around Latina leadership. Because although it was published in 2011, it's still relevant. And interestingly enough, you mentioned the conference where we met and when I sat in on that diversity. session for chief diversity officers, I realized at that moment that it's still relevant. And that's great for me personally, but it also tells a story about how much we have not made strides. The strides have been minimal. How much work still has to be done in the space of Latina leadership, in the space of women of color, and just leaders of color in general. We're still missing.

Deneen L. Garrett: 11:32 11:39 Yeah. So, what would you tell the voice? What would you like to the voice?

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 11:39 13:11 I love that question because so many people feel powerless and voiceless and especially in times of crisis. in hard moments like what we're facing right now globally, you see that. You see despair and you see struggle. And I've been getting so many calls and working so many hours and I say, I'm not on the front line right now in a medical capacity of the sort, but I am behind the scenes working really hard using my voice, ensuring that people are receiving accurate information, that Spanish speakers receive direct transmissions and know the information and what's going on for their own safety. And so I would say that we're voiceless about others to keep us quiet through fear to injustice through unfair practices. But there is a need for you. There is room for you. To join this fight for social justice for equity for people like you, whether it's your immediate family, or those in your community, or somebody who might be worse off than you, because I always say somebody is worse off than you. So, when you think that your life is so hard and difficult, just look around you and there'll be an awareness that will propel you. to a different space to be able to step up to the plate. And so I would say you're only voiceless if you allow yourself to be labeled as voiceless or to have your voice taken away. Again, we don't all have to be on the same platforms or at the same level, but there's room for all of us.

Deneen L. Garrett: 13:11 13:41 You know, and I absolutely love that. I remember having a conversation with someone and what he said is, you know, you and I can say the same thing to the same people. but they would only hear it from you. So you are absolutely right. It doesn't matter where you are, what you're doing, what level, et cetera. There is someone who needs to hear your voice in order to propel forward in their life. So Dr. Damari, I so appreciate you taking this time. And before we wrap, is there anything else that you wanted to share?

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 13:42 14:48 Well, again, thank you for the opportunity, but I do want to share that we all matter, right? And so I shared in the beginning that I was born into negative statistics, but I don't want that to be anybody's story. The reality is that you have an opportunity to write it the way you want it to be told. And so I encourage each individual that listens to our conversation not to let anybody keep them down, not to let anything keep them from living their purpose. And the realization that serving in public capacities and being a public leader brings a lot of challenges and scrutiny. So be prepared for that. Once you do take our advice and find your voice and use it for others. But also don't let that stop you because there is a need and there is a space to represent others to be a voice for others. to juggle all of those different priorities that you have, work, life, and community opportunities to be able to represent and be a voice. So thank you again, Denine, for creating this opportunity and this platform.

Deneen L. Garrett: 14:48 15:00 Absolutely. And I want to just thank you again for everything that you're doing and also for you taking the time to be a guest on an intimate conversation with women of color. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez: 15:00 15:03 Thank you so much. You as well. Goodbye.