Recognizing Mujeres Latinas En Accion

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, I would like to honor an organization that generations of Illinois families have relied on: Mujeres Latinas en Accion--or Latina Women in Action.

Mujeres is the longest standing Latina-led organization in the entire country. And this year, they are celebrating 50 years of empowering and emboldening Latinas across our State--as well as their families.

Founded in 1973 by the late Maria Mangual, Mujeres was first established as a shelter for young women escaping violence in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, IL. Back then, some wrote off Mujeres' work as radical and unnecessary, but these critics didn't deter Maria or the dedicated women who supported her cause from building an enduring and indispensable organization. In the five decades since, Mujeres' mission, services, and footprint have only expanded to help uplift women from all walks of life.

And today, Mujeres does it all. They host support groups to help young families with parenting skills. They operate a 24-hour crisis line--and referral service--to assist survivors of domestic and sexual violence, both of which, tragically, increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have developed an education training program for women hoping to launch or expand their small businesses, as well as a community engagement and mobilization program, to amplify the voices of Latina immigrants and survivors of trauma. And, importantly, Mujeres is now a leading advocate in the effort to ensure pay equity for Latinas in the workplace. What is more, as Mujeres' mission has evolved over the years, so, too, has size of their operation. They have opened new sites beyond Pilsen, in Brighton Park and North Riverside--so they can reach even more women and families.

The Brighton Park facility, which opened in 2019, was the product of a partnership between Mujeres and Esperanza Health Centers. This facility offers everything from adult medicine and women's health services, to pediatrics and psychiatry, and even behavioral health care services to residents, regardless of their economic or immigration status. Over the years, Mujeres has established itself as a vital resource for thousands of Illinois families. Every year, they provide critical care and services to more than 8,000 clients, in both English and Spanish.

I am forever grateful to Mujeres for their commitment to improving, and even saving, the lives of women in Illinois. I would like to thank Amalia Rioja, who introduced me to Mujeres 25 years ago, as well as all of the trailblazers who have carried Maria Mangual's legacy forward, including Liz Prieto, Linda Coronado, Virginia Martinez, Norma Seledon, Maria Pesqueira, and Linda Xochtil Tortolero.

I cannot wait to see what Mujeres accomplishes over the next 50 years.

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