Get to Know: El Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra

*Para una versión en español, haga clic aquí.*

Philadelphia stands as a thriving hub for a multitude of diverse communities. Among them, the Latine population holds a significant presence, accounting for nearly a quarter of a million individuals and constituting 15.2% of the city’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Acknowledging the importance of providing culturally relevant education and initiatives in Spanish in order to reach the Latine community, Arianne Bracho Hernández, Executive Director of El Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra, has dedicated herself to empowering others and raising awareness about critical issues like domestic violence.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Arianne and delve into her organization’s work, the impact the WOMEN’S WAY General Operating Fund grant has had on el Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra, and their future plans. Read on to learn more about Arianne’s journey and the transformative work she is leading in Philadelphia to uplift community members, advocate for gender equity, and create a safer community for all.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself.

My name is Arianne Bracho Hernández. I am the Executive Director of El Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra (CIMMT). I am originally from Caracas, Venezuela, with a background in art therapy and women’s studies. In 2008, I started working at the National Institute for Women on what would then become my passion: empowering women by strengthening their knowledge of their rights. I worked there for 6 years, taking charge of the training process for women navigating violence related to new Venezuelan laws, as well as raising awareness about gender equity.

In 2017, I moved to Philadelphia and have become deeply connected to the community through my work. I am the producer of Madre Tierra Philly which is transmitted over radio and television through PhillyCAM and also the Executive Director of CIMMT which works for a society free of violence against women, as well as gender equity and equality in order to achieve a more just society.

How did CIMMT start?

We began by launching Madre Tierra Philly broadcasts on PhillyCAM over the radio in 2019 which helped us become one of the strongest independent Latinx outlets in Philadelphia. In this Spanish language show, we dive deep into the cultural and socially systemic experiences that Latin Americans and Latinos encounter in the U.S. and around the world. We often stress how important ancestral feminine wisdom is and the need to strengthen it in mainstream society. This project has become a benchmark in Spanish programming and has been awarded the Radio at the Cammy Innovation Award in 2019, as well as the Community Impact award from the Alliance for Community Media in 2021 at the HomeTown Awards.

In January 2022, Madre Tierra Philly evolved into el Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra (CIMMT) to provide a more holistic approach to our purpose. This now includes not only media, but also training, workshops, therapies, and legal resources. CIMMT includes initiatives that help support women, drive women’s empowerment, provide education on feminist topics such as economics, and raise awareness to prevent and eliminate domestic violence. We also aspire to provide mental health and emotional support through the lens of diversity and inclusion and promote a life free of violence.

What is CIMMT all about?

We are a community-based media project made up of individuals who work with the community on a volunteer basis. Our purpose is to promote gender equality for all women, raise awareness about the struggles of women of color, and empower immigrant women with resources and information in Spanish all in order to promote and protect their rights. Our mission is to promote and disseminate the culture of gender equity and eliminate violence for all Hispanic women.

CIMMT’s stance on gender-based violence is different than what is common in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, as we look at these actions more broadly. Instead of abuse, we see violence and want to drive awareness in our community to join our fight for a woman’s right to live a life free from all forms of violence. Society plays an important role in the creation of actions that will determine the present and the future. For this reason, our community must have a critical role in solving this issue and avoid perpetuating violence against women by speaking up and not staying silent.

This work is my passion because I am interested in women in the Hispanic community understanding that prevention begins with education. Starting from here, the community can then be enabled to take control of and improve their own lives. For example: If our community understands that normalizing violence is a social problem, and that in the long term it becomes an issue of public health and human rights, something will change and that will generate a change in our society. At CIMMT, we want more women to be informed, aware, and educated to eliminate domestic violence (and all other forms of violence). It is essential to work on prevention, and we, as a conscious society that respects human rights and equality, must bring about these changes

How else does CIMMT help promote racial and gender equity?

CIMMT is made up of a group of immigrants from Latin America who are BIPOC. After individual experiences of violence and displacement in our home countries and as we continue to experience systemic forms of violence as immigrants, we have come together to share information and resources in Spanish with Latinas in the Philadelphia area. For example, a recent campaign we worked on aimed to tackle the digital divide for Latinas in our community by raising awareness.

We also use our communications platform to create original educational content to reject the gender binary, make calls for political parity, encourage political participation, break beauty stereotypes, and prompt our girls and young people into leadership.

How is the General Operating Fund making an impact at CIMMT?

The impact of the General Operating Fund grant has been significantly positive. It has provided CIMMT with the opportunity to operate at a higher degree of financial security, facilitating mid-term planning. The expansion of specific projects, such as the “Todas las mujeres que habitan en mi,” thanks to the support of WOMEN’S WAY, has reached more people and generated an even more significant impact on our community.

Beyond the immediate benefits, the grant helps establish a foundation for the long-term sustainability of our organization, ensuring that we can continue serving our community in the years to come. It is an honor for us to be grantees, as WOMEN’S WAY’s values align perfectly with ours, enabling us to achieve our goals of working towards the equality and equity of women, addressing the issue from various perspectives. The General Operating Fund grant has been a powerful lever that has allowed us to reach new heights in terms of outreach, quality, and depth of impact in our mission to serve our community.

What’s next for CIMMT?

We want to raise awareness, inform, and educate more women in our community in Spanish so that they know their rights, and resources at their disposal, and everything they need to have well-being in their lives. We want to have a physical headquarters where we can serve our community and provide them with all the necessary services for their empowerment. We want more empowered, educated, and informed women and fewer women who have experienced violence.

Where can readers learn more about your work and stay in touch?

• Madre Tierra’s website
• Stay updated on Instagram
• Find them on YouTube
• Tune in for Madre Tierra’s weekly broadcast on Friday at 5 PM, available on PhillyCAM, WPPM 106.5 FM, Philatinos Radio, Xfinity 66 and 966, Fios TV 29 and 30, and Facebook Live
• Broadcast of Voces de Madre Tierra, which has been on Telemundo 62 for 2 years, airs on Saturdays at 11:30 AM