MEET OUR EDITORIAL MANAGER!
Hey Girl MOB, I’m Jomari Perez, your new Editorial Manager! I’m so excited to get to you know all and work with a team of vibrant and gorgeous people. Before we get into this romance, let me share a few things about myself with you.
I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in Miami, Florida. My parents always sought out to immerse my siblings and I in our Hispanic culture. Growing up at the intersection of being in a country that dilutes culture and a family that played music on pots and pans has brought me to be the woman I am today. I’m a strong salsa dancer (guess my favorite song!) and have a love for cooking because I understand the safe & brave space a kitchen creates to share stories and share advice with your family and friends.
I always felt a desire growing up in the states to create the same environment I was exposed to when visiting family each summer in Venezuela. Fond memories of my grandmother making arepas in her apartment and running around the chaotic and colorful streets of Caracas with my cousins. Everyone knew who everyone was and I never felt uncomfortable when asking neighbors to borrow some eggs or sugar.
However, often I felt growing up that my nationality was questioned anytime I veered north of Miami. My mother began sharing stories about her childhood in America, being callled “Spick” and being spat on. It was bewildering until my perspectived shifted when I started being asked the origin of my accent and was a complete novice to experiencing discrimination.The privilidge of being a white LatinX meant hiding behind the Lebanese ancestry of my mother but feeling conflicted in wanting to know more about the indegenios roots from my father's side.
I know many who struggle with this division and growing up in a country that wants us to forget the culture of our family unless it’s to exploit its shiny details when it’s deemed interesting and “exotic”. Seeking refuge in writing, reading, and painting was the way to capture all the different parts of the past and carve out a space of identity.
As the Editorial Manager at theGIRLMOB, I hope to bring content that will generate a sense of familiarity, make you laugh as hard as your best friend and continue to create a space for all of us to grow in. Community is important because of its power to strengthen individual purposes and bolster powerful energy. I will work tirelessly to make sure all topics of discussion are explored respectfully while offering new perspectives. Cheers to making this year a year of progress and materialization of all our dreams!
If you have any pitches feel free to send my way at jomari@thegirlmob.com
Talk soon,
Jomari
