Jennifer Salazar Hutcheson is founder of the bilingual blog Mami2Mommy. As a pioneer in the early days of blogging, she helped create a platform for Latina Moms to connect and be heard. Let’s listen as Jennifer opens up about her son’s autism and how a Christmas tree helped each of them open their eyes to a different way of seeing the world. She also talks about living as a Latina in the South, the importance of family, and how it’s okay to take a pause when you need to.
“Even in this past year… I’ve had the opportunity to just breathe for a minute. As a Latina, family has always been everything to me and it just made me realize again that I needed to focus on my family and I wanted to spend more time with them. And it was okay...it was okay.” – Jennifer Salazar Hutcheson
Jennifer talks about her Latina identity and her Peruvian background and growing up in New York. After 9/11 she moved to Georgia where she met her husband who became aware of the racial overtones to her experiences. (1:30)
She finds herself back in North Carolina to be with family. She shares a scary experience that happened to her and her two young sons while walking in Charlotte. (8:30)
Jennifer opens up about her youngest son and the beginning of their journey with autism. She finds support with family and the blogging community. She talks about seeing things in a different way. She shares her experience with her son using the word ‘Tree’ during the holidays and her reaction of happiness that they are able to connect with the word. She talks about how it is difficult to find in-person support in her area and how it may be because parents are in different places about being open with their needs. (11.50)
Jennifer talks about starting her blog Mami2Mommy.com. With a background in public relations and communication she was able to connect with other Latina moms using this platform. She talks about the early days of blogging – attending Blogalicious and Hispanicize events and finding her people in the Latino community and helping to build it. Her son calls her a pioneer. (20:40)
She talks about her parents and family hustling and working hard and learning from them. Jennifer talks about taking a pause for now and shares her words of wisdom: to give ourselves the opportunity to take a break and just breathe. Adela thanks Jennifer for opening our eyes on so many things. (27:37)
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