OUR STORY
2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when isolation was a threat to our natural human connectedness. Liliana Atanacio Garcia spearheaded a call to all Latino females living in the Berkshires who wanted to create a virtual networking space as a meeting point where Latinas could honor & share their immigrant stories. Latinas’ sorority fostered in this perfect moment a sense of community. Almost 200 Latinas shared their journey, success, interests, and goals. Our first action as Latinas413 was to support Latino families who were struggling due to the pandemic. In 2021, Latinas413 raised and distributed $6100. The network evolved to become a Nonprofit, by June 2021, Latinas413 was a project fiscally sponsored by the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires. By 2022, Latinas413's mission aims to empower Latino women in all their roles, as heads of households, business women, entrepreneurs, and professionals by providing them with resources, and networking opportunities.
Latinas413 currently offers a range of programs throughout the year, including webinars, workshops, book club(círculo de lectura), hikes, camping, arts, & celebrations of our heritage in different cultural events. The organization created the first bi-lingual Mentorship Program in the Berkshires, setting standards of leadership, unity and professionalism.The Mentorship Program of Latinas413 has awarded nearly $20, 000 in financial support and Scholarships.``Yo soy Arte'' (I am art) project and band have been establishing leadership and advocacy for local Latino artists in Berkshire county. Representation of the Latino community means embracing 21 countries, with thousands of different ethnicity with their own languages and culture. Going beyond our vision means advocating for language inclusion & cultural humility. In 2023, Latinas413’ team surveyed and created a new collection of 150 books in Spanish in collaboration with Berkshire Athenaeum Library in Pittsfield. Thriving for unity, fostering belonging and leading with dignity.
2024 - Latinas413, Inc.
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Founders & Former members: America Lopez, Catheryn Chacon, Tannya Romero, Laura Cabrera, Carmen Villalobos, Liliana Atanacio, Marina Dominguez, & Alejandra del Sol.
2020, Read the Berkshire Eagle Article: “Para que sufrir si no hace falta”, February 2021, Latinas 413 are, from left, Liliana Atanacio, Catheryn Chacon, Tannya Romero, America Lopez, Carmen Villalobos Guevara, Marina Dominguez, and Laura Cabrera.
Latinas413 strives to serve our Latino community and maintain a reputation for honesty, fairness, respect, responsibility, integrity, trust. Expecting our board members, directors, staff and volunteers to adhere to high standards of personal and professional integrity as a representation of our organizational practices, at all times in accordance with their duty of loyalty to Latinas413.
THE BOARD
LAURA CABRERA
COORDINATOR OF ARTS & CULTURE
TANNYA ROMERO
TREASURER
CATHERYN CHACON
FORMER CO-CHAIR & COORDINATOR OF FINANCE COMMITTEE
CARMEN GUEVARA
CO-CHAIR & MENTORSHIP PROGRAM COORDINATOR
LILIANA ATANACIO
CHAIR
AMERICA LOPEZ
SECRETARY, COORDINATOR OF OUTDOORS & COMMUNITY
“Latinas413 is a sisterhood for the Latina women of Berkshire County. It’s a support network where people support each other, where the cycle of give and take is constant and flows freely because its members want to be part of something bigger than themselves. It is the fact of contributing to the benefit of not just one but all women.”
LAURA CABRERA (left) & CATHERYN CHACON (right)
Recipients of the Recognition, Berkshire 25 in 2022.
Photo: Berkshire Magazine