These five kickass Mexican-American women are changing the game.

We decided to do things a bit differently at the Hive this year: We're tossing the #CincoDeDrinko hashtag and taking today to celebrate Mexican culture and our Mexican-American identifying Bumble Honeys.

Before we highlight these cinco (see what we did there?) inspiring women, here's how Cinco de Mayo came to be.

Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is not Mexican Independence Day (September 16th). It is, however, the date a small group of Mexican soldiers in the city of Puebla managed to win against the French army.
Cinco de Mayo is not a holiday traditionally celebrated across Mexico. It's typically isolated to the state of Puebla. (You can see Puebla in relation to the rest of country on the map to the right.)
Beer companies started celebrating Cinco de Mayo in the late 1980s. They advertised the date as an occasion to drink with friends with the intention of boosting business between the holidays.

While we’re not saying you shouldn’t kick back with a margarita later, we would first like to take a moment to throw some major ✋ to these game-changing Mexican-American women.

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto

Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina senator in U.S. history in January 2017.

Masto is the granddaughter of a Mexican immigrant. She has served two terms as Nevada’s Attorney General. Her campaign focused on comprehensive immigration reform, equal pay for equal work, an increased minimum wage, and paid family leave.

Sandra Cisneros

“I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her own skin.”

Sandra Cisneros is a Mexican-American writer best known for her first novel, The House on Mango Street. Cisneros’ involvement in the San Antonio, Texas art community and in the chicano literary movement is definitely worth reading about.

Sadie Hernandez

In 2015, Sadie Hernandez led a daily vigil for three weeks in front of the Texas governor’s mansion in support of women’s health. At the time, the budget being proposed would ban Planned Parenthood from the state's Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program. This program gives vital cancer screenings to low-income and uninsured women. Because of her leadership of the protest, Sadie's name became the hashtag #StandWithSadie. Now she's a youth organizer for Planned Parenthood Texas and advocates for equitable women’s health access in her hometown in South Texas.

Cecilia Balli

A journalist, writer, and cultural anthropologist, Cecilia Balli contributes long-form narrative nonfiction to magazines such as Texas Monthly and Harper’s. Balli’s research focuses on the borderlands of Texas: “Borders are powerful symbols, and to live on the edge of anything—culturally, geographically—is to know and understand yourself in relation to the other side.”

Rebecca Soto-Vasquez

Rebecca Soto-Vasquez is in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD program at Harvard University. She currently works on developmental stem cell biology, where she seeks to understand the mechanisms of blood development using zebrafish. She is also a member of the task force for diversity and inclusion, which has been spearheaded by the dean of Harvard Medical school.

We hope you enjoyed reading about these amazing women as much as we enjoyed learning about them. Make sure to raise a glass to the inspiring women in your life this Cinco de Mayo!

Xo,
The Bumble Hive

Happy Cinco de Mayo!