Acclaimed author to give Latinx Heritage Month keynote
Writer and activist Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez will speak at an Oct. 7 event hosted by the Carolina Latinx Center.
The Carolina Latinx Center is celebrating Latinx Heritage Month by hosting acclaimed activist and author Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez for its official keynote address.
Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez will speak at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Kerr Hall on Oct. 7. The event, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m., was organized by the CLC, the Carolina Union Activities Board and the Office of Student Life and Leadership.
Born in Managua, Nicaragua, and now living in Nashville, Tennessee, Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez is a feminist, storyteller and advocate who works to uphold the stories of Latinx communities.
Last month, she released her second book, “Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us,” which was selected by Apple Books as one of the best books of September. The book holds a mirror up to the way Latine women are seen and see one another, as Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez examines the female archetypes that are applied to the Latinx culture in which she was raised.
The book is a follow up to Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez’ debut, “For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love Letter to Women of Color,” which aims to empower women of color to find success in a historically white-dominated world.
A first-generation student and the oldest immigrant daughter in her family, Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez got her Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt in 2015 and has since traveled the country as a speaker, storyteller and activist, while also establishing the social media platform “Latina Rebels” with more than 200,000 followers.
As she explains on her official website, Dorca Mojica Rodríguez’s passion is in “merging storytelling with pedagogy to help folks understand the larger forces at play, also known as systemic oppression.”
She has been featured in outlets like Telemundo, Univision, Mitú, Huffington Post Latino Voices, Guerrilla Feminism, Latina Mag, NBC, MTV, Cosmopolitan, Everyday Feminism and PopSugar. Mojica Rodríguez has also worked with the United Methodist Church, National Endowment of the Arts, Smithsonian, NALAC, Planned Parenthood and was invited to the Barack Obama White House in 2016.
Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez’ fiery passion and activism perfectly encapsulate CLC’s Latinx Heritage Month theme of “Llama de Orgullo,” which directly translates to the “flame of pride” and the planning committee describes as a call to acknowledge the pressures and stressors the Latinx community faces and transform them into sources of strength and creativity. The committee invites everyone to embrace their unique passions, ideas, and identities without fear. They want to celebrate the courage to be unapologetically themselves, to share Latinx stories, and to ignite positive change in the community.
The keynote address is one of several events planned for the month, including multiple community-gathering events called “Fuego Fridays.”
Visit the Carolina Latinx Center website and CLC’s social media accounts for more information on Latinx Heritage Month and beyond.
