Putting The United Back Into The United States: Iza Montalvo On The 5 Things That Each Of Us Can Do To Help Unite Our Polarized Society
Become a world citizen: Learn about other people’s traditions, cultures, histories and languages. Interacting with communities unlike your own will expand your knowledge and vision of the world and lessen stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination.
As part of our series about 5 Things That Each Of Us Can Do To Help Unite Our Polarized Society, I had the pleasure of interviewing Iza Montalvo.
Iza Montalvo is an entrepreneur with a background in journalism, multimedia news production and politics. She creates and supports projects at the intersection of media innovation, gender equity inclusion and impact. Montalvo is a radio host and former news reporter, newspaper editor and television producer. She also served as a political advisor to members of Congress from Florida. A lover of sports, she’s a Los Angeles Lakers fan and a former professional volleyball player.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I’m from a small town in the southwest coast of beautiful Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. The proud daughter of public-school teachers, I excelled in my academics thanks to their unconditional support. My parents divorced when I was in first grade, and the truth is that it crushed me emotionally. I started writing poetry and playing sports very young. My dream as a little girl was to become a journalist. At the age of 13, I co-founded my middle school’s newspaper. I continued to be active in sports throughout my childhood and adolescent years, playing professional volleyball in Puerto Rico and earning a full athletic scholarship in college.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
My maternal great-grandmother lost her mom during childbirth. Her father died shortly after. She was raised by her oldest sister and an adoptive family during the Great Depression. As a result of those traumatic experiences, she did not have the opportunity to obtain a formal education. I grew up hearing this story and then watching my mother, my great-grandmother’s progeny, dedicate her life to teaching first-graders how to read. These women, my family’s matriarchs, inspired me to pursue a higher education degree and to start a professional career.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I’m creating projects and coaching industry leaders at the intersection of media innovation, gender equity, inclusion and impact. The diversification of America is accelerating and the political sands are shifting beneath our feet. It can be very difficult for businesses, leaders, organizations and institutions to navigate in this changing landscape. Experts who can speak the language, talk the talk and walk the walk can help make sense of the world and that’s what I‘ve been doing for the past few years. Turning my passions and professional experiences into a business that fulfills me has been an epic journey.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
I’m always grateful for the pathbreakers before me. Rossana Rosado, the current Secretary of State of New York, gave me my first break in journalism. When she was the publisher of El Diario La Prensa, the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in the country, and I was just a college student, she opened those doors for me as a budding writer and reporter.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
When I landed my first job in a mainstream newspaper, I was the only Latina in the newsroom. While it was an exciting career opportunity for me at the time, for someone who moved to the U.S. as an adult and wasn’t yet fully fluent in English, it felt lonely and intimidating. Every time I had to speak publicly, I struggled with feelings of shame because of my accent. I now embrace my accent as part of my cultural identity. Why hide it? I’m grateful for everyone who has opened doors for me. I’m also grateful for those who have closed them because it fueled me to keep going.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
There are so many! During the pandemic, I came to the realization that I needed to work more on my mindset, especially now that I’m an entrepreneur. I recommend this book: “I Thought It Was Just Me (But it Isn’t): Making the Journey from ‘What Will People Think?’ to ‘I Am Enough’” by Brené Brown. If you have struggled with feelings of insecurity in your life, and if that mental state has held you back from pursuing your dreams, you have to read this book. Dr. Brown shares tools and strategies that will help you embrace your true self and to live more authentically.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
One of my favorite quotes is: “Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.” When you volunteer your talents, time or resources to make someone else’s life better, you are doing big work with influence that is far wider than you’ll ever know.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I believe in servant leadership, which places people at the top of the business model. It’s a serve-first mindset. The point is to lead by uplifting others. Many industries maintain a culture that produces abusive leadership, and this serve-first model cultivates an atmosphere of teamwork, creativity and productivity.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. The polarization in our country has become so extreme that families have been torn apart. Erstwhile close friends have not spoken to each other because of strong partisan differences. This is likely a huge topic, but briefly, can you share your view on how this evolved to the boiling point that it’s at now?
I’m going to speak from the perspective of a Latina who was born and raised outside of the contiguous U.S. When the discussion is centered on Latinos, we have to start that conversation with the understanding that Latinos encompass an extremely diverse group of 60 million people from more than 20 different countries and territories with distinct cultures and even languages. However, we are often targeted similarly. For decades, but increasingly under today’s political climate, Latinos and communities of color have been hit with disinformation and misinformation based on conspiracy theories that aim to divide us. Through platforms like WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram and Facebook, false narratives on key policy issues have deepened tensions and hurt the most vulnerable populations among us. For example, there’s a lot of content online that has been created to antagonize Latinos against Black Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement.
I have no pretensions about bridging the divide between politicians, or between partisan media outlets. But I’d love to discuss the divide that is occurring between families, co-workers, and friends. Do you feel comfortable sharing a story from your experience about how family or friends have become a bit alienated because of the partisan atmosphere?
People I know have made comments online about their refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine and most of the time support their decision with claims rooted in conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation. There’s a targeted effort in Florida to spread lies in Spanish-language media, churches and social media about the widely disputed side effects of the vaccine. We’ve also heard the stories of relatives unfollowing each other on social media during the past election cycle.
In your opinion, what can be done to bridge the divide that has occurred in families? Can you please share a story or example?
Traditionally, many Latino families have made time to meet and talk at the dinner table. This is the perfect time to vent, laugh and also have these uncomfortable conversations or look for reconciliation. As a family, we can respectfully disagree and move on. While this might not always work, it is always worth the shot.
When it comes to the Latino experience in the U.S., we have to keep in mind that even though we do share similarities in our cultures and histories, we are not a monolith. But despite our differences, we can still come together. A great example of this was after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Communities with very differing beliefs about Puerto Rico’s colonial status, for instance, put politics aside and worked together to address the needs of the people. We need to be able to stand up together for one another like this all the time.
How about the workplace, what can be done to bridge the partisan divide that has fractured relationships there? Can you please share a story or example?
In my opinion, unless it’s a requirement of your job or career, partisan discussions or debates should be limited in the workplace. There is an increased number of violent incidents occurring among co-workers because of partisan politics, particularly around mask usage, and employers should take notice and implement measures to prevent a hostile work environment.
I think one of the causes of our divide comes from the fact that many of us see a political affiliation as the primary way to self-identify. But of course, there are many other ways to self-identify. What do you think can be done to address this?
You’re right! In fact, new research suggests that what divides us might not be our policy preferences or the issues but rather how we label ourselves in terms of our political ideologies: liberals, moderates, conservatives, progressives, left or right. There is a deep and open wound in our communities of color that’s not going away overnight. Putting politics aside, if there’s one thing we learned (again) during the pandemic, it’s that we’re all human.
Much ink has been spilled about how social media companies and partisan media companies continue to make money off creating a split in our society. Sadly, the cat is out of the bag and at least in the near term there is no turning back. Social media and partisan media have a vested interest in maintaining the divide, but as individuals none of us benefit by continuing this conflict. What can we do move forward to not let social media divide us?
Divisive language, offensive rhetoric and the proliferation of partisan media outlets posing as legitimate news companies are in our face every day; it’s growing and it’s well-financed. This is the time to support local and community news, as well as independent media projects led by trained journalists and media experts with paid subscriptions, donations, media ads and buys. We also need to boost their content on social media with shares, mentions and comments.
What can we do to move forward to not let partisan media pundits divide us?
Let’s take the oxygen away from those who use their platforms to fabricate information or spread hate and division by not consuming their content. Certainly, this type of material has a strong appeal, and I’m not suggesting we should cancel everything we disagree with. This is not about freedom of speech rights or the public’s lack of trust in tech companies to do what’s right and not financially convenient. This is about our role in society and how we can, as members of this society, push back against false and manipulative content that promotes hate, discrimination and violence.
Sadly, we have reached a fevered pitch where it seems that the greatest existential catastrophe that can happen to our country is that “the other side” seizes power. We tend to lose sight of the fact that as a society and as a planet we face more immediate dangers. What can we do to lower the ante a bit and not make every small election cycle a battle for the “very existence of our country”?
Our country is more diverse today than ever before. But keep in mind that diversity is not the same as inclusiveness. Diversity can be measured but being inclusive is an attitude, it’s the language you use, the way you think and act toward others who are different from you. This multiracial, multicultural and multilingual reality has frightened those who view equality as an attack to their power and privilege. It’s human nature to resist change. We all share the same responsibility to get educated and to reject our own biases.
Ok wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share your “5 Steps That Each of Us Can Take to Proactively Help Heal Our Country”. Kindly share a story or example for each.
1) Become a world citizen: Learn about other people’s traditions, cultures, histories and languages. Interacting with communities unlike your own will expand your knowledge and vision of the world and lessen stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination.
2) Stop spreading divisive information on social media. Verify the source of the information of the content you are sharing before you hit publish. Talk to your friends, family members and associates. Teach them about how to spot fake content and why it’s important to push back against false narratives online.
3) Support real news and independent voices. If local media outlets covering our communities shut down, democracy dies. Make sure the content you are consuming is free of personal biases and prejudice or manipulated to incite or cause harm.
4) If you are a parent, teach your children about cultural sensitivity. Explain to them that our differences make us beautiful and should be celebrated, especially when those differences center on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, socioeconomics, ability or culture.
5) Speak the language of kindness. Make a habit to help one person every chance you get that does not look, speak or think like you do. The more you interact, communicate and learn about other people’s struggles and values, the more you’ll learn about tolerance and acceptance.
Simply put, is there anything else we can do to ‘just be nicer to each other’?
Awareness is not the same as taking action. Oftentimes, we’re aware that we can and should do better but fail to take action. Let’s start taking action by having an honest conversation with those we love. Radical change takes courage.
We are going through a rough period now. Are you optimistic that this issue can eventually be resolved? Can you explain?
Experts are warning us that we haven’t yet experienced the full emotional impact from the pandemic and all the violence we witnessed this past election. Many households are dealing with the stress of lost income, many couples are filing for divorce, kids are not fully back in school and people in general are exhausted. Getting over those layers of trauma is going to take time and lots of patience.
If you could tell young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our society, like you, what would you tell them?
You don’t have to be a celebrity or an influencer with a massive following to use your voice and make an impact. There are so many ways to give back. Get involved in your community or school, and find out where you can best use your time and talents to make a difference.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would like to meet Malala Yousafzai. She turned her tragedy into her life’s mission. At only 15, she survived being shot three times inside a school bus by the Taliban. I remember the news of her recovery and all the courage it took from her, not only to survive, but to face her enemies publicly. And when you think about the fact that she was just a girl when this horrifying incident happened, it is simply hard to conceive that this kind of violence still exists in the world. She now fights for every little girl’s right to a free and quality education.
How can our readers follow you online?
They can follow me on Twitter at @izamontalvonews or on Instagram at @izamontalvo.
This was very meaningful and thank you so much for the time you spent on this interview. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Putting The United Back Into The United States: Iza Montalvo On The 5 Things That Each Of Us Can Do… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.