Santa Marta, 30 de octubre del 2022
Señores:
THE DOROTHY I. HEIGHT
Global Leadership Academy
Yunia Cecilia Palacios Cuesta, of legal age, a resident of this city, identified with citizenship card number 32772143, of Colombian nationality, born in the city of Quibdó, Department of
Choco, resident in the city of Santa Marta. Politely and with due respect, I address you to ask you to take into account my resume to access one of the two scholarships that congratulations
you have decided to grant to strengthen the leadership of Afro-Colombian Women.
Next, I tell a little about myself and the work that I have been developing for the benefit of my community for more than 10 years.
I am a lawyer, specialist in Administrative Law, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, completing my Master’s degree in Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. In professional practice I have worked as an external lawyer for the private sector, Associate Judge of the Superior Court- Civil Chamber of Magdalena, director of the House of Justice, I was the first Secretary for Women of the District of Santa Marta, Secretary of Social Promotion, Inclusion and Equity, and at the moment I work as Secretary of Culture of the same city.
Social Leadership: Co-founder of the second level organization UnidadAfro, which brings together 4 organizations namely: Kumkumbamana, Afrosanmag Caribe, Negro Robles and
the Political Unit of Afro-Colombian Women- Puma, the latter founded by the undersigned, inspired by the Round Table of Black Women. Through these organizations, we promote
spaces for the benefit of our Afro community in educational, economic, cultural, legal, peace and post-conflict matters, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive rights.
In the Afro Unit we are constantly developing cultural spaces, such as the commemoration of the month of Afro-Colombianity, the commemoration of Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean and
Diaspora Women, etc., through which we promote spaces to promote Afro-Colombian culture and history with talks, ancestral medicine workshops, gastronomic festivals, and
many more activities.
– Through the Political Unit of Afro-Colombian Women- Puma gave talks on Gender-Based Violence with a differential focus on Afro and Sexual and Reproductive Rights with women
from the city of Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Cartagena in the Cristo Rey and La Paz neighborhoods.
I exercise the legal defense of male and female vendors, masseuses and Afro braiders of beaches in the city of Santa Marta.
– Right now, I am creating the Training School for Afro-leaders in the city of Santa Marta with a projection to develop in other regions of the country. The purpose of this school is to prepare our population in political issues, social leadership and the protection of human rights, in order to be able to have representation in political spaces that allow us to be part of State decisions, that public policies created through favor of the Afro population are actually carried out with resources and political will for the benefit of all.
Finally, I want to express that my commitment to the defense of the rights of my population, making use of the work and social spaces in which I have developed, has been permanent, I
have always sought opportunities for Afro families in my country, work that has earned social recognition, being chosen as “Exemplary Woman” in 2018 by the Mayors of the city of Santa
Marta and decorated as “Caribbean Character” by the Organization of Independent Journalists- Opicol in 2021.
To continue training myself to be able to transmit my knowledge to the leaders and to continue working hard for the rights of my population are my life purposes, I am convinced that knowing is the long-awaited dignity of rights for which we have fought so much and We continue to fight the Afro population around the world, that is why I aspire to be part of such a prestigious academy, remaining with the commitment that as its graduate I will carry the name of The Dorothy I. Height Global Leadership Academy to higher dignity.
Yours sincerely,
Yunia Cecilia Palacios Cuesta
C. C No. 32772143
