On Power and Community
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Hosted by VCFamilia and Partners
By: Cheryl Campos
One of the great lessons I’ve learned in life is that there is power in numbers to amplify impact. For most of my life, understandably so, I only focused on letting in those that I felt could understand who I was rather than make me feel other.
My high school experience was defined by the close-knit bonds of the “minority circle” in a predominantly white independent school. In college, I sought to extend myself and build my tribe by holding board positions in several different Latinx (or at the time Latino/Latin@) groups. By both working with the institution as well as going rogue in times of need, I saw the outsized impact of working together, both in the Latinx community as well as with other minority groups. However, I did, learn, especially through my professional career that not all skinfolk are kinfolk, and many of the same trends I see in finance happen elsewhere.
My investment banking class at a global institution consisted of 150 people. Sadly but unsurprisingly, only sixty were women, and I was the only Latina. I found solace and strength among the people of color in my cohort, and that got me through the ups and downs of investment banking life. After several years in traditional finance, I’m grateful that I found a place where finance can be used to mold the future through technology. Republic proves that in fact drops fill the bucket, to support diverse entrepreneurs that get the capital they need to accelerate their startups. It’s tapping into the global village that supports a great idea. Community and democratizing access have become the central driving force in everything I do.
When you’re in scenarios where you’re the only one, it can be easy to assimilate and forget your duty to hold the door open so that others can get their shot. But we’re not here to gatekeep, to flounce around titles just because you made it. We help others, champion folks in rooms they’re not in, and make sure no one feels alone like I once did.
Those in power write the rules of the game to preserve power structures. And Latinx folks, for the most part, have not been in this game enough to garner attention or visibility. It’s demoralizing to see how in 2021, we’ve been erased from the narrative, but I’m fortunately part of the new vanguard that starts an inclusive chapter of community and action in VC to change the status quo. With VCFamilia, The Community Fund, Republic, Lightspeed, and more.
La unión hace la fuerza. Let’s thrive together.