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"I never really understood what it meant to be Peruvian as a child," says Connie Chavez.

Chavez is a self-taught videographer who works at Latina magazine in New York. Growing up in New York, she didn't really have an opportunity to be around other Peruvian people. Her friends dismissed her background, assuming it was the same as any other Latino culture.

"Nobody understood what Peru was," she says. "It made me really feel bad."


Now that she's older, Chavez has had the opportunity to learn about the rich, unique culture that she is a part of. "I'm Peruvian, and I'm proud," she says. Her parents taught her about the history and culture of their Incan ancestors, and that’s what led her to eventually embrace her heritage. "Because of that knowledge, I feel powerful," she says.

Learning about her background boosted Chavez's confidence in who she is — and it made her want to get others involved. Watch her story below:

She wanted to do something about the xenophobia she was seeing in the world, so she started with herself.

Posted by Upworthy on Tuesday, June 13, 2017

It wasn't just as a kid that Chavez faced misunderstandings and mischaracterizations of her culture.

During the 2016 election season, Chavez found herself on the receiving end of xenophobic and racist comments.

"It was last August, and I was feeling really low because I was hearing a lot of xenophobic things, racialized remarks towards me," says Chavez.  

She found herself wondering what she could do to start a more productive dialogue around race and culture. Inspired by activist Carmen Perez and her goal of starting "courageous conversations," Chavez wanted to start some courageous conversations of her own.

"It is really hard to talk about race. It's really difficult," she says. "People feel uneasy, but that feeling is what creates progress."

Chavez decided to take an AncestryDNA test as a starting point for these conversations.

As she puts it: "Are you 100% everything? No, you're not, and there's no such thing as a superior race because, essentially, we all have DNA from the entire world."

Chavez's test revealed that she's 59% Native American, 27% European, 2% African, and 3% West Asian.

"After seeing my Ancestry results, I got to admit, I felt really powerful," she says. "I truly felt like a global citizen. It just affirmed what I always believed in, and it really gave me the confidence to reclaim certain parts of myself."

Chavez wanted to share the empowerment she felt with others, so she persuaded her coworkers at Latina to take AncestryDNA tests too.

Chavez worked with AncestryDNA to procure tests for her coworkers, and then the women got together at work to discuss their results. They broadcast the conversation in a Facebook Live video.

Many of Chavez's coworkers felt empowered by their results too.

"I would definitely say I feel a lot more confident in who I am, knowing where I come from," says Barbara Gonzalez, a former staff writer at Latina.

It's not always an easy process; sometimes seeing the results can be emotional and even scary. Chavez says, "It is a deeply profound, sentimental issue for some people, and I understand it. This is a big thing."

But, she says, it's worth it. "It's a beautiful thing to find out who you are."

[rebelmouse-image 19528787 dam="1" original_size="810x544" caption="Latina staffers discussed their results in a Facebook Live video." expand=1]Latina staffers discussed their results in a Facebook Live video.

Chavez's project demonstrates how learning about your ancestry isn't just about the past — it can also help shape the future.

With the help of her coworkers, Chavez used her AncestryDNA results to spark important conversations about race and culture. And she's inspiring others to do the same.

After the Facebook Live broadcast, she says she received numerous emails from people thanking her.

"When I started seeing the responses and the happiness behind every response," says Chavez, "I felt compelled to just continue the work that I'm doing."

"I never really thought of myself as a pioneer for  anything, but really, starting this project really made me feel like I had a purpose here."

More

79 years in the making, Disney introduces its first Latina princess.

She's adventurous. She's independent. She's a new type of princess.

Meet Elena of Avalor. She's the newest Disney princess, but that's not what makes her special. She's also making history as their first-ever Latina princess, and audiences couldn't be happier.

It's been almost 80 years since Walt Disney released his first full-length animated film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," in 1937, but not a single princess of Latin descent has taken center stage until now.

Latinos are the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. with 55 million people, and that number is growing. Elena is already making a difference by highlighting just some of the things Latino culture has to offer.


Princess Elena of Avalor. ©Disney Channel.

Elena is no damsel in distress or the type to sit around waiting for Prince Charming, either. In fact, her storyline does not include a love interest.

The story follows 16-year-old Elena, who's been trapped in an amulet but has returned to rule her kingdom of Avalor and restore it to greatness. Because she's still so young, she needs advice from the Grand Council: grandfather Francisco, grandmother Luisa, and adviser Chancellor Esteban.

©Disney Channel.

We're so used to seeing princesses like Aurora lying lifeless on a bed waiting for her prince to bring her back to life with a kiss. Or Cinderella being whisked away to the ball with a beautiful gown on loan to impress the man who will ultimately save her from a life of servitude.

Don't get me wrong. We all love a good Disney movie, and their past films are truly classics — there's no denying that. But it's a new era.

Aimee Carrero, who voices the character of Elena, told ABC News, "I think that as women, whatever ethnicity, we want a balance of everything. But I think this message when it goes out to a young audience, it’s like, find yourself first, before trying to find a partner. Find your passion. Find out where your place in the world is.”

Here are some tweets celebrating the arrival of Elena of Avalor in her new Disney TV series.




Actress Roselyn Sánchez is also a fan.


Another voice actor in the series, Christian Lanz, also weighed in on the new and exciting angle of "Elena de Avalor":


And he has a little fun with the character he voices:


Even the show's creator and executive producer, Craig Gerber, is getting in on all the social media hype by tweeting out teasers for what's to come.


And have I mentioned the music? It plays a huge role in the series, as well. Each episode introduces a new original song, and audiences are loving them.


This tweet really sums it all up.


"Elena de Avalor" premiered on the Disney Channel on July 22, and 2.2 million viewers tuned it to watch.

It's not just kids excited about this new animated series, either. Adults are digging it, too. They're excited to see Latino culture celebrated, and Latino parents are overjoyed to see their children finally represented on such a massive platform like Disney.

©Disney Channel.

"It is important for children to see empowered, positive role models on television, and that's why we wanted to introduce Elena," show creator Gerber told Upworthy.

He said it's been amazing to see how Elena and her adventures are inspiring young girls and boys of all backgrounds.

Gerber also created "Sofia the First," who was initially thought to be the first Latina princess, but she wasn't. The backlash from that confusion gave Gerber the idea to create Elena's story because he saw the demand for a Latina princess.

It's a cause for celebration that Disney finally took note that Latino children also want and need to see themselves represented in movies and television — and did something about it.

Kudos to Disney for green-lighting this series and giving kids who didn't see themselves represented in their movies and shows in the past — like yours truly — a reason to keep tuning in.