Why Are YOU a Voice of the Movement?

I'm not the only one who has a voice. You do too. Every. Single. One of you.

If you have something to say and I can help your voice be heard, let me know! I've let that be known on multiple platforms and will continue to let that be known. Do you want to talk to a reporter? Do you want us to help you promote your awesome group for women that you've started? Do you want to be part of the women in comedy organization? A lot of people have been doing a lot of great work for the women of our community for a long time such as Kelsie Huff with "The Kates" and "Feminine Comique", the Diversity Jam at iO, Chicago Ladies in Comedy, FLOW, BanterGIrl, WeRFunny girls, and more. There are so many of us who have the opportunity to make change. It's not just me or this organization and we are here to focus on empowering, connecting, and advocating.

Here at Women In Comedy, we've been meeting every Sunday to volunteer before this media blowup. We planned and had a successful event in December for speed networking to uplift women. We are doing this work whether we get media attention or not. You are welcome to join us in any way and the organization exists to be "by us, for us". I hope you'll read our mission statement to have a clear picture of what we aim to do.

Do you want to start your own special group to empower women or help make change? Go for it! Can we help you with it in any way? Let me know! I launched the women in comedy website with a mission to help connect the women of our community last year in March (2015). It needs to be clarified that I've happily been volunteering an average of 30 hours each week to work on empowering, connecting, and advocating for women in our community since last year.

The inspiration to launch this started when I saw how hungry women were to connect with one another. I saw that maybe we could use help facilitating professional ways to come together. To be clear, the organization does not specialize in harassment/assault but we do hope to connect women in our community to resources that can foster that.

I attended the New York City Bad Assery Women and Comedy Conference in March 2015 to speak to women about how we need a community, a strong network, and resources - about coming together - well before all this media attention came into play around these heavy topics that affect women in our community. I have volunteered my time, money, resources, and energy to make free and low cost resources available to women well before the google form about anonymous stories was posted and the media frenzy took over.

The question I have for those seeing me as a leader in making change is - why not me? What is it about me, or you, or anyone else's experience that makes another person's less valid? I'm a woman. I'm a comedian. I've experienced sexism and harassment in the institutions. I have walked the dual identity of marginalized "other" as a Latina - and enjoyed passing as white privileged. I've experienced everything between knowing what it means to have a seat at the table and knowing what it's like to be unjustly accused of shoplifting. It's confusing as a 7th grader growing up in white, middle-class Utah - to be told I stole a dress I tried on (which was still hanging in the dressing room) just because the retail employee saw me as hispanic.

I know what it's like to have my last named pronounced wrong every.single. time. I know what it's like to have my Abuela give me lifelong body image issues as she would criticize my child sized self - telling me to eat only salad when was just 8 years old and reciting "Ayy, Gorda!".

My father's family owned a sugar cane farm in Venezuela and he was a first generation immigrant who moved to the U.S. to study. I've known what it's like to be poor. To be sexually abused. To be ashamed of who I am and where I come from. My mother was homeless at the age of 14 and after my father died she worked hard to raise us as a single parent. I know what it's like to grow up with next to nothing. I know what it's like to experience microaggresion, sexism, harassment, discrimination, and more.

Pictured Below is my Abuela when she was young. Her name is Victoria Elena Nones. I was named after her and I'm proud to honor her legacy as an entrepreneur and leader.

I have the leadership skills needed and the genuine heart and interest in women's rights to help lead this organization to become a resource for women in the industry. From being student body president in high school, where I created and implemented a free two week workshop in the arts for elementary students called S.H.I.N.E. -- to being selected as the Student Advisory Council president and scholarship recipient of my gender studies program in college. I was selected as the University of Utah's Student Government speakers vice chair, then Special events chair - where people believed in me to select and book talent with a budget of $80,000 (This is where I first learned of The Second City by booking a Tourco). I've stage managed for Sundance Theater Lab. I've produced, directed, and performed in musical theater and comedy for the past 19 years. I've raised tens of thousands of dollars for Planned Parenthood by directing,producing, and performing in The Vagina Monologues. I got tap shoes donated and taught tap dance classes to YWCA youth in the women's shelter for free. I was the assistant entertainment director for the Utah Pride Festival for 2 years where I selected talent and handled the logistics of all stages at a festival with over 30,000 attendees annually. I've owned and operated a successful 5 star rated pet care company in Chicago with 5 employees for the past 3 years that grosses 6 figures. I inherited the non profit status from Chicago Ladies in Comedy under the leadership of Rebecca Grossman in November. I'm a member of the Latina co-hort of the women's business development center in Chicago. I teach youth in CPS schools how to become entrepreneurs through the Future Founders Foundation.

My intentions are 100% pure. I would LOVE for myself and this organization to be all things to all people. But the reality is, no one can do that, as much as they intend to. People believe in my leadership skills for a reason. People have been volunteering under my leadership for Women In Comedy and doing really hard work leading up to all this explosion - and I believe in them too. So, to those of you who are questioning and pointing fingers at me, at the organization, and telling me that I don't "speak for all women". You're right - I don't. The organization doesn't. And no one ever said that I did or that we do.

But, I do speak for myself, and I believe in myself and my ablilities. And I believe in the women who are passionate about empowering, connecting, and advocating for women in the industry. I have the right to have my voice heard just as much as you do. And to those of you who are letting your ego get in the way, to those of you who are feeling unheard, and then asking "why her?" I ask you - why NOT me?

And if you want your voice heard, make it heard! Everyone deserves to be heard, including me.

I have a rich history in performing. I went to a performing arts high school and have been experiencing the casual sexism of the arts world for over 19 years. From my start in musical theater up to my past 5 years here in comedy. I'm a graduate of the Second City Music Improv Conservatory Chicago, iO training center Chicago, and hold a BFA in stage management with a minor in Gender Studies. I am obsessed with performing musical improv/music improv and musical comedy which stems from a long standing career as an Equity actress in musical theater. I have graced the stages of The Second City TC Musical House Ensemble, Sundance Theater Lab, Music Comedy Live, iO (Formerly Improv Olympic), The Chicago Women's Funny Festival, The Utah Pride Festival Mainstage, The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, The Scruggs Works By Women Festival at Second City, Salt Lake Acting Company, The Annoyance Theater, BadAssery : The NYC Women and Comedy Conference, One Group Mind, UCB Inner Sanctum Los Angeles, Stage 773, and Sketchcast Writing Ensembles at Second City TC amongst others.

There have been a lot of emotions circulating and I'm sad that egoes, miscommunications, and high emotions got in the way for everyone, including me.

The division, anger, and the shaming from multiple sources that have come up within the community from fellow women in the community have been deflecting from the issues that we are all trying to focus on right now- women's experiences with harassment, sexism, and assault in our community. The deflection hurt me personally and it's been a rough start to this year. I know that we are all having a hard time right now and I know everything will calm down soon. I just want to take time to apologize if any of the decisions that I made have personally hurt anyone. That would never be my intention so please accept my apology if you felt hurt by any actions I took.

A lot of people are criticizing me for selecting a date for a blackout. I am one person, this is one organization, and I made a decision to answer the call of a member in our community who experienced assault. I am very sorry if this hurt anyone. I took action rapidly and I made choices. Everyone was entitlted to do so. I, and Women In Comedy, do not have ownership on creating events to challenge the issues. ANYONE is allowed to create ANY type of protest, committee, group, sit-in -- that they see fit.

What I will ask is to keep in mind that everyone's voices matter. And I'm sorry if anyone felt unheard as this has all unfolded amidst high emotions and social media.

Everyone wants the perfect time, date, and solution. I'm here to tell you, there's no perfect time to make a systemic change, cultural shift, and community revolution.

I'd like to talk honestly and openly about what it's like to be on the receiving end of backlash. I need you to remember that I'm a human being. And that the other people behind those computers are too. What I've been going through since everything exploded has been, to say the least, intense. In the midst of having to oversee the day to day operations of my business, I've been sleeping about 4 hours each night (if lucky), planning a community discussion, teaching youth in the mornings, and trying to make honest, good decisions to help people feel supported and connected during this hard time. To see women backlashing against me has been so hurtful and I'm sorry if I've come off as defensive. I'm only human and I hope you can forgive me. This has been stressful, painful, and caused a lot of sleepless nights for me this week. Blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this.

The organization has a mission statement. But I also have my own personal mission statement. It is the thing I choose to make all my life decisions based off of. My personal mission statement is to empower and inspire women through my voice in the media. Whether that is through laughter, this organization, or one on one conversations, I will continue to do everything in my power to achieve this. I am trying my best to make this a successful organization that can empower, connect, and advocate for women who want a professional career in the comedy industry. I am listening. I hear you. I want to help you in any way I can. Please know my intentions are honest and true.

At the end of the day - we are all striving for the same things. This is a time to come together - not apart. This is a time to support your fellow woman. Including me. This is a time to respect each other regardless of whether you agree with each other's feelings, thoughts, opinions, and choices. It's okay to disagree. Everyone is entitled to their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. But the next time you think about pointing fingers, backlashing, and hurting someone whose intentions are pure - I hope all of us, myself included, can stop to have a conversation first. To communicate. To understand. Don't jump to conclusions, and remember that there's a human being on the receiving end. Would you say those things if you weren't behind a keyboard?

Let's come together. Not apart. Together we stand. Alone - we fall.