Fearless Chicana’s Dream Come True~

We’ve known each other for a long time. I would say since 2006… that’s when we became good friends and not just women who met at a networking event. We both wanted the same things out of New York a sense of community lasting connections. The day we really connected she wasn’t sure if New York City was even for her. New York seemed to be too hard. She was getting ready to throw in the towel. She was looking for a sign. She was searching for a sign that would confirm that her decision of moving from the West Coast leaving everyone and everything she loved was the right decision.

Fear does that. Fear of success or fear of failure can paralyze us and make us question if our decisions are the right ones. We become afraid that doors will close on our faces or that opportunities will disappear if we don’t jump at them. And sometimes this fear keeps us from having what we really want. And if you’re a woman of color… women in general… we know what this fear looks like and how it has appeared in our lives. A West Coast Chicana in New York City… it takes a lot of courage to move across the country alone. It’s a completely different experience and pace. I remember looking at her from across the room at a Las Comadres Networking event as we went around sharing a little bit about our dreams… who we are and what we do.




Aurora Anaya-Cerda shared with the group her story of opening a bookstore. I just looked at her and shared with her my dream of writing and how I was going to be attending a huge book conference in DC so that I could meet Barack Obama. It was scheduled for that following weekend. It was just the sign that she needed. It was just the push she needed towards continuing in pursuit of realizing her dreams and not give up. Here we are five years later and I have watched her attend conference after conference, take business class after business class, create a solid business plan, support author after author and travel all over the United States meeting book sellers and store owners all in preparation for this moment. A moment she deserves. A moment this community deserves.

Her dream of opening La Casa Azul Bookstore in East Harlem is close to coming true. She has worked tirelessly for so many years to get to this point. Aurora is a few hours away from meeting her 40K goal. This incredible campaign of raising 40K in 40 days ends today and EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!!!! Please spread the word and support this Fearless Chicana~

About the campaign: CLICK LINK

Visit La Casa Azul Bookstore Website: CLICK LINK

About Las Comadres Para Las Americas: CLICK LINK