‘Women always have the power to remake themselves’: Claudia Jones’ plan to end gender inequity
Claudia Jones is one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year, a recognition of women across the country who have made a significant impact. The annual program is a continuation of Women of the Century, a 2020 project that commemorated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. Meet this year’s honorees at womenoftheyear.usatoday.com.
Everyone told Claudia Jones she was crazy.
When the Mexico native, now an Alaska resident, told people she was thinking of starting an online, nonprofit program that would focus on educational trainings taught by experts in their field, her friends dismissed it. She wanted to call it MORE Latinoámerica, with MORE serving as an acronym for Mindfulness/Mindfulness, Opportunities/Oportunidades, Resilience/Resiliencia and Equity/Equidad. (Jones loves it because it works perfectly for both English and Spanish.) The program would target Spanish-speaking women, particularly in Latin America; it was Jones’ response to United Nations research that shows women in the Latin America and Caribbean regions experience some of the world's highest levels of income inequality.
Her cause was noble, friends said. But no one was going to sign up for online trainings, they warned her.
But when COVID-19 hit in March 2020 and everyone went into quarantine, “everything online exploded,” Jones recalled. When she finally launched in August 2020, there was instant high demand for all her trainings, which include courses on personal finance, how to build a LinkedIn profile, nutrition, tips for home schooling and more. Since its creation, MORE Latinoámerica has helped more than 15,000 people, according to Jones. For her dedication to helping women advance their education, Jones has been chosen as the USA TODAY’s Women of the Year honoree from Alaska.
Jones grew in Veracruz, Mexico, located about 250 miles east of Mexico City, and moved to the United State in 2013 after marrying her husband. Currently, Jones juggles teaching Spanish as a second language at Mat-Su College, part of the University of Alaska system, running MORE Latinoámerica and her family, which includes son Liam, who's 5. She hopes that soon, MORE Latinoámerica can award grants to women worldwide who want to open their own business.
Jones, 42, knows that continuing education, even if it comes through a certificate program instead of a degree, is critical to achieving gender equity around the globe. And while she appreciates that so many nonprofits focus on empowering younger women, she wants all women, regardless of age, to know someone is fighting for them to get opportunities, too.
“Women always have the power to remake themselves,” Jones said. “Who says a 50-year-old can’t change her life?”
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Your life purpose is to ‘empower women through trainings’ – why is education the way to do that?
Personally, if I had not had an education, it would have been very difficult for me to overcome the adversities in my life. But I had those opportunities because I grew up in an upper middle class family in Mexico – a lot of women don’t, and I wanted to give others the same resources I had.
The programs I’ve coordinated (through MORE Latinoamérica) have had a great impact on the lives of those who have participated. The testimonies of the final evaluations show that the people who went through the workshops and internships acquired skills that prepared them to face professional challenges, strengthened their self-esteem, understood life from a multicultural and diverse perspective, discovered an inner potential and generated friendships and contacts, helping create a professional network.
Who paved the way for you?
In 2001, at 21, I got a scholarship to participate in the Global Student Leadership program. The objective of the program is to empower young women at Manhattanville College in New York. I met Michaela Walsh, founder and first president of Women’s World Banking. She started the GSL program in 2000, and she became my mentor.
Who did you pave the way for?
I have returned several times to New York to be a role model for the GSL program. In Mexico, the program was replicated twice with the support of Michaela Walsh and two local universities. Now, with MORE Latinoamerica we have helped more than 15,000 people, including women in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, México, Spain and Venezuela.
What is your proudest moment?
I learned English when I was older, and my proudest moment is having been accepted to teach Spanish as a second language at Mat-Su College. Another proud moment is when the American Mother’s Association named me Alaska mother of the year for 2022.
What is your definition of courage?
To dare to do something despite being afraid.
Follow national correspondent Lindsay Schnell on Twitter at @Lindsay_Schnell
Women of the Century: Civil rights leader Elizabeth Peratrovich, senator Lisa Murkowski among 10 influential women from Alaska
Explore the project
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA TODAY Women of the Year: Alaska honoree helps Spanish speakers
