Female Role Models of Color.
2018 has been a year plagued by gender and racial discrimination. From the numerous cases of sexual assault, to the racial injustices across America, it is becoming increasingly important for young women of color to stand strong in the face of adversity.
Deborah Santana is empowering young women and encouraging them to embrace their heritage despite the racial injustices happening every day.
Her new book, All the Women in My Family Sing, highlights stories of cultural strength by 69 women of color from ages 16 to 77. The book celebrates diversity and promotes female empowerment at a time when young girls need it the most.
“Young women of color need role models to inspire success. There are so many strong, heroic, and inspirational women of color…but their voices are largely underrepresented. We need to change this…”
…says Santana who hopes to broaden cross-cultural understanding by showing people how very alike we are no matter our skin color, ethnic heritage, or place we live.
Our intention is to celebrate women as divine expressions of possibility, power, and important to the harmony of our world.
Deborah Santana is on a mission to empower underrepresented voices and to impact the world of publishing in America — particularly important in a time when 80% of people who work in publishing self-identify as white (as found recently in a study by Lee & Low Books, and reported on NPR). The book is a watershed title, not only written, but produced entirely by women of color, including the publishing, editing, process management, book cover design, and promotions.
“These brilliant and moving essays show the astonishing, brave, and passionate lives of women of color as they fight for autonomy, equality and love.”
– Isabel Allende
About The Book.
This new book from Nothing But The Truth Publishing, LLC is an anthology documenting the experiences of women of color at the dawn of the twenty-first century. It is a vital collection of prose and poetry whose topics range from the pressures of being the vice-president of a Fortune 500 Company to escaping the killing fields of Cambodia, to the struggles inside immigration, identity, romance, and self-worth.
Contributors include America Ferrera, Samina Ali, Natalie Baszile (Queen Sugar), Porochista Khakpour (Sons and Other Flammable Objects), Lalita Tademy (Cane River), Mila Jam, Marian Wright Edelman (Children’s Defense Fund), and many more.
“In their common pursuits of acceptance, friendship, and social justice, these writers demonstrate that there are truths and desires that transcend lines of color, sexuality, and class. In sounding common chords of humanity, their voices, together, create a mighty chorus.”
– USA Today
In An Interview/Article, Santana Can Share:
- Why it is so important for young women to embrace their heritage
- The realities joys and challenges of being a woman of color in the 21st century
- What people can do to empower and support the underrepresented voices
- Equality in publishing as a movement
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Santana
Deborah Santana is an author, business manager, and activist for peace and social justice. Her non-profit, Do A Little, serves women and girls in the areas of health, education, and happiness. With a passion to provide educational opportunities for girls and women, Ms. Santana collaborates with organizations that work to prevent and heal relationship and sexual violence, improve the lives of America’s abused and neglected children, and a worldwide community of artists and allies who work for empowerment, opportunity, and visibility for women artists.
In 2005, she published her memoir: Space Between the Stars that told of her experiences growing up as a bi-racial child, and her coming of age.
Ms. Santana has produced five short documentary films, four with Emmy-award winning director Barbara Rick: Road to Ingwavuma, Girls of Daraja, School of My Dreams, and Powerful Beyond Measure. These films highlight the work of non-profit partners in South Africa, and the Daraja Academy, a free secondary boarding school for girls in Kenya.
She has served as a trustee for ANSA (Artists for a New South Africa), the Smithsonian Institution, and is a supporter of Marian Wright Edelman’s Children’s Defense Fund. She is a mother to three beloved adult children: Salvador, a songwriter and instrumental artist, Stella, a singer/songwriter, and Angelica, an archivist and film producer.
Ms. Santana holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion with a Concentration in Women’s Spirituality.
A leadership donor of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, she works for the rights and advancement of people of color.