Araceli Esparza (Wisconsin’s Most Influential Latino Leaders, 2018) is a poet and teacher who explores art, writing, and healing. She was born and raised in Madison and her parents were migrant workers from Guanajuato, Mexico, from where she still gathers her strength. Araceli is very active in the domestic violence movement and has also volunteered her time teaching English as a Second Language and works to connect poetry to everyday people through presentations and readings. She is the founder and owner of Midwest Mujeres, an outreach and engagement company. Araceli was named Women to Watch for 2015 by Brava Magazine. She is a member of the City of Madison’s Equal Opportunities Commission and has served as Madison College’s entrepreneur-in-residence where she is helping first-generation college students access their entrepreneurial potential.
Midwest Mujeres (Midwest Women) is a mentorship collective for multicultural women entrepreneurs. We educate Latinas and Black women on storytelling, networking, mentoring, and marketing. We empower women to build their businesses to close the wage gap for all women.
Our members gain exclusive coaching calls and mentoring to help them reach their dreams. In our community cohorts, we work with organizations to empower Latinas to free their voice in community event planning and invite them to participate in our annual event, “Yo Quiero Dinero!”
We create a culture of belonging for everyone who wants to celebrate equity, unity, and empowerment for women.