Photo Credit: sheownsit.com
“You have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.”-Oprah Winfrey
Over this past weekend, two women were honored for their hard work and dedication in the midst of the Nikki Minaj and Cardi B debacle at New York’s Fashion Week and the Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka showdown at the US Open. While most of the social media world was in a frenzy over these female celebrities, Omilani Alarcon and Lilah Mejia humbly celebrated their accomplishments at two separate events in New York and New Jersey.
Hailing from Miami, Florida via Brooklyn, New York Omilani Alarcon is an artist, scholar, and now a best director female film maker. Her film “LATINEGRAS: The Journey of Self-Love through an AfroLatina”, which debuted earlier this year at the Miami Film Fest just took home the Best Director award during the Newark International Film Festival this past weekend. This was Alarcon’s first East Coast directorial and film debut.
Lilah Mejia, an advocate and activist straight from Loisaida, New York aka Lower East Side is a force to be reckoned with. Her efforts in assisting with the Hurricane Maria Puerto Rican evacuees and her community work along side NYDIS (New York Disaster Interfaith Services) and Why Not Care gained honorable recognition during this past Saturday’s New York City FC game at Yankee Stadium. Mejia most recently coordinated the 2nd Annual Lower East Side Back to School Festival with Martin Medina, Founder/CEO of Why Not Care and Peter Gudaitis, Founder of NYDIS.
Alarcon and Mejia both share Puerto Rican heritage although each one is influential in their own right. Even though today’s modern wonder woman can be many things, there are several individuals who look to empower, enlighten, and encourage others who are leading the way for change. Rightfully so, Alarcon and Mejia have successfully accomplished those feats by continuously impacting the communities these two wonder women represent and serve. Defiting told notions, and demonstrating that your community can be a product of your actions.
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