[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 102 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2045-S2046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING MUJERES LATINAS EN ACCION

  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

[[Page S2046]]

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.

                          ____________________