Latinas are not achievers

I’m sorry, but it appears that this is the message that the New York Women in Communications (NYWIC) is sending with their 2009 Matrix Awards luncheon on April 27 in New York City.  There are no Latinas being honored.  Oh yeah, and while I’m at it, there apparently are no Asian women worthy of recognition either.  Look, I’m not suggesting that every awards program has to reflect a United Nations summit but puh-leeze, this is New York!  Have the folks at NYWIC ever heard of Rosanna Rosado or Chiqui Cartagena or Soledad O’Brien?

To their credit, and a small credit to be sure, the NYWIC honored Hispanic marketing pioneer Daisy Exposito-Ulla in 2003.  Daisy certainly deserved the honor but it appears that she has been the only Latina ever recognized in the history of the NYWIC Awards.  Hello!  Is there anyone at home at NYWIC?  Is your office really located in the US?

According to the NYWIC, the Matrix Award “recognizes exceptional women who have established themselves in communications fields such as advertising, arts and entertainment, broadcasting, digital media, magazines, marketing, newspapers and public relations.”  One can only conclude that such Latina icons like Rita Moreno are not worthy of recognition by the NYWIC.  This is 2009!  Moreno appeared in the 1960s film adaptation of the celebrated Broadway play “West Side Story.”  How touching, and certainly well-deserving, it would be to have had the NYWIC honor Moreno in the year in which that musical has been revived, bilingually.

Earlier this week, the marketing trade announced that Cartagena’s company, Meredith Hispanic Ventures, had collaborated with Telemundo on a serious of research ethnographies of Latinas.  This study revealed, among other things, how today’s Latinas are internet-savvy and finance-savvy consumers .  It appears that NYWIC has nary a clue about such things.

Am I being a bit too sensitive?  Let the NYWIC know what you think at CLICK HERE