Episode #63: "I Have SOMETHING To Say" with special guest, Jesi Hanley Vega

<p><span data-ogsc="black">“WTF! You’re pretending like you value my voice, but I’m totally tokenized here,” says Jesi Hanley Vega, </span><span data-ogsc="black">Founder of Represent! Editorial who believes everyone should know how to tell their </span><span data-ogsc="rgb(11, 14, 16)">Origin Story</span><span data-ogsc="black">. She shares with I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY why she supports writers of color and underrepresented communities harness the power of storytelling to raise their voices. After almost a decade working in Hollywood, this Bronx-born Latina realized that she had to</span><span data-ogsc="rgb(11, 14, 16)"> conceal her perspective as a woman of color in order to fit in. </span><span data-ogsc="black">“They want to tell you how to tell your story and it chips away at your soul,” she states. </span><span data-ogsc="rgb(11, 14, 16)">The untold rules of engagement were: 1) assimilate or fail and 2) don’t bring up race and ethnicity in ways that would make white people uncomfortable. Today, she’s a writing coach, editor, teacher, performer, and a passionate advocate for new voices and new stories to be told by providing spaces where writers of color can be free from the pressures of white-centered environments and discover their voices undisturbed.  </span></p>