00;00;00;21 - 00;00;38;01
Coach Dora Mendez
Welcome back, Amazing leaders to season three of Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Dora Mendez, and this episode is very special. It is the season three premiere. We are honored to welcome back a very special guest. The leader I most admire who has become a part of the DNA of this podcast. She's been here once, twice, and now a third time because her voice is so essential, that transformative.
00;00;38;03 - 00;01;11;23
Coach Dora Mendez
And that's needed in this moment. Our season three premiere guest is none other than the activist, advocate and new author. My mother, Zenaida Mendez. By the end of this conversation, you will walk away with a renewed sense of purpose, a deeper courage to stand in with your truth, and a powerful reminder that your voice, your story, and your presence matter more than you realize.
00;01;11;26 - 00;01;27;14
Coach Dora Mendez
This episode is your boost to rise boldly, unapologetically, and with the conviction that change begins with you. So settle in. Let's take a breath and let's get ready.
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Intro & Outro
Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I am the founder and CEO of Coach Dora LLC. Our guests will be entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community leaders that drive social impact. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be.
00;01;52;19 - 00;02;13;20
Coach Dora Mendez
It means so much that you join us week after week for these conversations that you are back with us for season three. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be. That is why we started this podcast. If you are new to the Building Leadership Community, we are so glad that you're here.
00;02;13;23 - 00;02;56;23
Coach Dora Mendez
Please don't forget to like, share, subscribe so you never miss an episode! Say hi in the comments! We have some great resources to share with you today. If you are thinking about starting your own podcast, check out our mini episode. Oh, pardon me. Our mini course, The Entrepreneurs Podcast Blueprint. I've partnered with my husband and co-producer Dylan Rogers to create five easy to follow video modules, along with a workbook that you can download and follow along at your own pace, and you get a very handy A.I. prompt sheet that will make getting your episode out there into the world a breeze.
00;02;56;25 - 00;03;25;27
Coach Dora Mendez
Check out the link in the description. We are starting this season with a renewed sense of purpose. So let me tell you about our guest today. In case you are new to the podcast, let me tell you about our amazing guest. The leader I most admire, Zenaida Mendez. She is currently the Chief External Affairs Officer of Manhattan Neighborhood Network and the president and founder of the National Dominican Women's Caucus.
00;03;26;00 - 00;03;53;00
Coach Dora Mendez
But her roots and advocacy go much deeper. Zenaida is a lifelong social justice advocate, serving in pivotal roles under Mayor David Dinkins, the first black mayor of New York City, and the honorable. May he rest in peace. Congressman Charles Rangel, as well as being the first woman of color to be president of New York's state chapter of the National Organization for Women.
00;03;53;02 - 00;04;58;08
Coach Dora Mendez
She was also the first director of racial diversity programs for the National Organization for Women. Today, she continues to serve on the boards of New York Women in Film and Television and the Harlem SGL • LGBTQ center. She is a powerhouse who has recently added author to her resume and long list of accomplishments and accolades. Author to her resume with the release of her memoir Amor y desamor de la diáspora: Una vida de activismo, migración y liderazgo en Estados Unidos. It is available now in Spanish and with an English translation on the way. And today, Zenaida is here to pour into you. Season three starts right now, and we can't ask for a more inspiring woman to lead us into this season. Let's bring her to the stage.
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Coach Dora Mendez
Hold for applause.
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Coach Dora Mendez
Hi, mom.
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Zenaida Mendez
Hi.
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Coach Dora Mendez
How are you today?
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Zenaida Mendez
I am great. I’m just laughing, because its like: Wow! Thank you so much for that introduction. Oh my God. Whoosh!
00;05;16;20 - 00;05;37;16
Coach Dora Mendez
Yeah. So you see, you see here, right above me. There's your book. It's it's my new set for season three. Yay! There's the book. You can get it on Amazon. We'll talk a little bit more about that later. Yes. It's beautiful.
00;05;37;18 - 00;06;09;05
Coach Dora Mendez
So. So, mom, you know, you this is your third time on the show, so we you've always launched our premieres. The first season. Season. You have such a long, you know, history of advocacy and leadership. And season one, we talked about a lot of your, you know, back in the days your organizing and community organizing and season two, you really shared, advice to the next generation.
00;06;09;05 - 00;06;30;03
Coach Dora Mendez
And in this season. Let's talk about your book and how, leadership is really at the core, like, sort of sharing your inspiration, your immigration story. So can you tell our listeners and viewers, why you decided to tell us your story now?
00;06;30;05 - 00;06;57;02
Zenaida Mendez
Well, I been, actually solo writing for the last ten years. In some of my writing have been publishing other books and, such as the one you may get on the, history, or you may get, Dominican women in the United State. The American Latino compile was 12, was a chapter in the book, and I kept a diary since the 80s.
00;06;57;02 - 00;07;22;07
Zenaida Mendez
So I have bus system busses, a log book. We story it. My plan actually was to, have the book out during the pandemic because I got a lot and things happen and it was delayed. Finally. And also the deciding because I wrote over 600 pages. So now I have enough for three books. So this is the first of three.
00;07;22;10 - 00;07;48;22
Zenaida Mendez
This book is more about my memoir, I my autobiography since the time that I leave the Dominican Republic to the time that I left there and arrived in the United States in 1969. My trajectory here. The next one is going to be an analysis of politics, not only the United States, but also Latin America, since we live in very different time in 2025, going to 26.
00;07;48;25 - 00;07;59;13
Zenaida Mendez
So it's going to be every single day I write something new because something scandalous is going on. And that one in the United States, but also in the world.
00;07;59;16 - 00;08;20;11
Coach Dora Mendez
Yes. So can we I love to we we talk about leadership here. We usually ask the same three questions, but this is a unique episode. So we usually ask folks to tell us about their unique story. We know a lot about your unique story, but I would love for you to tell us about your immigration story. We really haven't heard heard about that.
00;08;20;13 - 00;08;26;17
Coach Dora Mendez
And then if you can share how that informed your leadership.
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Zenaida Mendez
Well, the reason my parents came to the United State, I always said, was very blessed that I came with my parents because, as you know, many times the mother comes first or the father comes first and request the rest of the family and that's why we have so much trauma in our communities, not only in the Latino community, but the world.
00;08;50;04 - 00;09;08;18
Zenaida Mendez
So so I thought so when I came here in 1969 I was 14 years old. I was in the 8th grade. I went to P.S. 61 in Corona, Queens, and I went to Flushing High School. And it's, you know, to tell you the truth, I didn’t know that we were going to stay.
00;09;08;20 - 00;09;34;16
Zenaida Mendez
We came during the summertime in July. So I thought that we were here on vacation because we really vacationed even though my parents worked from Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday, every Saturday and Sunday we have a place to go. We went to Philadelphia, we went to the Statue of Liberty. We went to Washington, D.C. every week. We went to the Bear Mountain, I don't know how many times.
00;09;34;19 - 00;09;41;03
Zenaida Mendez
And so every week my my father already had a place to go.
00;09;41;06 - 00;10;04;27
Coach Dora Mendez
Thank you for sharing that that you arrived here and you, your family immediately. Became immersed in the culture and taking advantage of the culture of New York City. How about how did how did, being an immigrant coming here as a refugee inform your leadership?
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Zenaida Mendez
Well, I don't consider myself a refugee, but, okay.
00;10;09;13 - 00;10;11;29
Coach Dora Mendez
Well, so, so,
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Zenaida Mendez
So, you know that is so.
00;10;13;17 - 00;10;16;18
Coach Dora Mendez
Clarify that share. Yeah. Well, clarify that.
00;10;16;18 - 00;10;19;11
Zenaida Mendez
Yes. Because you did.
00;10;19;13 - 00;10;22;26
Coach Dora Mendez
You did come as under asylum, correct?
00;10;22;28 - 00;10;48;23
Zenaida Mendez
More or less. Yes. Because my father was very involved in 1965. We had, what we call a constitutional revolution in Dominican Republic. My father was very involved. Therefore, he he lost his job to the, the president or that or that at that time, so many family had to leave Dominican Republic. We had 40,000 U.S. soldiers invade the Dominican Republic.
00;10;48;25 - 00;11;16;22
Zenaida Mendez
Therefore but, so we came here and like I said, I had gone to Puerto Rico also before because my mother was a teacher. So every year, instead of buying is, you know, what she did if we got good grades, see the buy some kind of jewelry, you know, like this Dominican earrings you know, or she would take us on a visit, a trip.
00;11;16;22 - 00;11;21;12
Zenaida Mendez
So we usually went to Puerto Rico. My mother went several times to Puerto Rico.
00;11;21;14 - 00;11;27;09
Coach Dora Mendez
Can you talk about your leadership, Mom? Your, The book is so much talks a lot about.
00;11;27;09 - 00;11;58;04
Zenaida Mendez
I always like politics. I always like to know what's going on. And when we came here, my father already was very aware about John Lord and Angela Davis, and he knew about Martin Luther King. And you know, what happened to Malcolm X and Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman in Congress was also running night, 1972. She ran for for president of the United States, so I, I you know, I was very much into what was going on in politics.
00;11;58;07 - 00;12;24;26
Coach Dora Mendez
Mom, thanks for sharing that. You know that you're always into politics. We were raised in a very civic minded household, and in the book you have like a specific chapter about, Dominican leadership. In the United States. When the English version comes out, I hope it's still chapter four, but right as of right now, it's chapter four.
00;12;25;01 - 00;12;43;06
Coach Dora Mendez
So can you, talk about that? Because leadership is so important and, and, and inspiring the next generation of leaders and especially immigrant leaders, I think our audience would really appreciate hearing that perspective from, from from you.
00;12;43;08 - 00;13;09;00
Zenaida Mendez
Wonderful, wonderful. Of course. Well, basically, you know, when I was involved very much with my community board as many people might know my issue. They borrow a New York City is divided within 12 Community Boards. That's community board. Basically, they see how the city is going to manage that area, that community, you know, the garbage, the priority, the park and education.
00;13;09;07 - 00;13;34;09
Zenaida Mendez
So I was very involved. And then when David Dinkins became Manhattan Borough President, I was recommend to work with him because I was basically the only African, you know, Latina in community board 4, very active. I knew what was going on in Hell's Kitchen, And, after negotiation, I accepted job and I loved it.
00;13;34;09 - 00;14;07;09
Zenaida Mendez
I mean, I was the liaison to this community from the Manhattan Borough President’s office. And later on, they asked me to represent East Harlem, which basically was to the many Puerto Rican community in Washington Heights with the Dominican community Boards 11 and 12. But she was fantastic. What happened, one or then in 1989, David Dinkins decided to run for mayor when he decided to will run for mayor, I was very involved in the campaign.
00;14;07;12 - 00;14;30;08
Zenaida Mendez
As a Latina, as a Dominican, we organized the Dominican community Dominica for David Dinkins. I was very involved, that we also wanted to make sure that the new district that was going through redraft in 1990 would have, in mind the large Dominican community in Washington Heights. And therefore.
00;14;30;08 - 00;14;47;02
Coach Dora Mendez
Just for context and so sort of gerrymandering, the voting, the voters in Manhattan and so you were very integral in organizing, representation for the Dominican community in Washington Heights, correct?
00;14;47;04 - 00;15;15;09
Zenaida Mendez
Definitely, definitely. We were really having a situation with the school district, not enough bilingual teachers in other situations. We were having a situation with the hospital, and we needed a leader that really understood our community as there were more and more Dominicans arriving to New York City. Therefore, we were able to, draft a district that five Dominicans ran for that position.
00;15;15;09 - 00;15;42;29
Zenaida Mendez
And Guillermo Linares was the first one elected to represent us in the city council. Which is was fantastic. She was there, for 12 years, representing us, very well representation. And more of us became more involved. As you know, David Dinkins was very amenable to the community because he also lived in Washington Heights. And he knew our community, you know, as a leader.
00;15;43;02 - 00;16;13;01
Zenaida Mendez
And in, you know, I continue when he was not, reelected as Mayor, then I went to work with West Harlem Environmental Action, working for Environmental justice, because I don't know if if many people know basically most of the places where there is a, you know, like where the busses are staggered, and also the garbage are usually communities of color.
00;16;13;04 - 00;16;26;12
Zenaida Mendez
So, a group of African-American leaders, Peggy Shepherd, and others noticed a very by order coming out of a processing plant. They did the the highway.
00;16;26;12 - 00;16;28;29
Coach Dora Mendez
A sewage it was a sewage processing plant.
00;16;29;02 - 00;16;56;22
Zenaida Mendez
Exactly. And, and they sued the they sued the city. And when David Dinkins became the mayor, they settled down. So I was very involved in that process also. I was, you know, I became member of that board of directors then. I worked with their staff. And it was wonderful because I learned a lot about also why our community has more asthma and more or respiratory illnesses.
00;16;56;23 - 00;17;18;00
Zenaida Mendez
And it's because all the fuel from the truck driving, all the cars, the garbage. So is is it was really there were people really got on board organizing. We organized door by door. We would go into a building, knock on each of the doors, just like what happened nowm, a few weeks ago in New York City.
00;17;18;03 - 00;17;21;13
Coach Dora Mendez
What do you mean, just what happened now, a few weeks ago in New York City?
00;17;21;13 - 00;17;34;15
Zenaida Mendez
Well, the mayor elect, Zohran Mamdani, he did the same thing door by door. Over a million. They they knocked over 3 million door. Had he had almost a million volunteer, you know.
00;17;34;15 - 00;17;37;15
Coach Dora Mendez
Ten. And you were one of them?
00;17;37;18 - 00;17;39;29
Zenaida Mendez
Yes, definitely. Definitely.
00;17;40;01 - 00;17;47;08
Coach Dora Mendez
So, Mom, can you can you share why your book is so important now?
00;17;47;11 - 00;17;56;20
Zenaida Mendez
Well, I think it's critical that the new generation know what we've done in the past and how they can look forward to a beautiful future.
00;17;56;22 - 00;18;23;28
Zenaida Mendez
Every, every, group and every, epocha, there have been some struggles, you know, we can not give up. I think that is important. The more the new generation they are, more of the new generation that are going to college, getting degrees getting PHDs, which is important because we need more doctors, more lawyers, engineers. We need more of us everywhere.
00;18;23;28 - 00;18;50;29
Zenaida Mendez
We need people who are, you know, in charge of the hospital, in charge of the courts. So we still have a lot of work to do. So this is to encourage them not to, not to have a heartbreak. The book is called ‘Love and Heartbreak of the Diaspora’. Its justto, you know. We have a lot of heartbreak, but we also regain our confidence when we, know that it can be done.
00;18;51;06 - 00;18;53;20
Zenaida Mendez
It can be done. We can not give up.
00;18;53;22 - 00;19;01;03
Coach Dora Mendez
And so when you say we, You mean women, people of color, immigrants.
00;19;01;06 - 00;19;26;25
Zenaida Mendez
Definitely. Definitely. And you see, a lot has to do. And and it's important for people to understand that, we, the United States, you know, a very colonial mindset or Latin America. And it's important that our children understand that many of us came here not because we “oh, I'm going to New York, I'm going to United States.”
00;19;26;27 - 00;19;49;03
Zenaida Mendez
We were forced to be here. I give you an example, the United States, for 12 years there was a war in El Salvador. In all, there were thousands and thousands El Salvadorian that went to Washington, DC. If you go to Washington DC, most of the Latinos in DC are from El Salvador because of the United States intruding in El Salvador.
00;19;49;06 - 00;20;05;25
Zenaida Mendez
And the same thing happened with Vietnam. Most of the soldiers that went to Vietnam did not speak English. So all those translators, once the war stopped, they had to bring them here, otherwise they were going to be killed by other all the other, you know, all the Vietnamese because they feel that they were traitors.
00;20;05;28 - 00;20;12;03
Coach Dora Mendez
But let's talk. Let's focus on you, Mami. Okay?
00;20;12;05 - 00;20;15;11
Zenaida Mendez
Well this is history, its important.
00;20;15;11 - 00;20;26;22
Coach Dora Mendez
I love that you talked about the title and what it means. So let's let's go back to what's the what's the love and the heartbreak.
00;20;26;24 - 00;20;48;24
Zenaida Mendez
Well, ‘Love and Heartbreak of the Diaspora’ basically, is that we, you know, we are in love with our country also. We have to leave. That's a heartbreak. We feel, you know. Oh, wow. After living in Paradise all year with summertime. Then we have to come here, winter with ten degree weather and a lot of snow.
00;20;48;27 - 00;21;12;04
Zenaida Mendez
And things happened, politically, and also. And family. You have to separate from your family. All that is a heartbreak. Well, at the same time. Like like I said, since I came with my parents and I have family here so I was you know I was rejoiced. I was really happy because I was with my parents was a lot of people don't have that, you know, a luxury.
00;21;12;10 - 00;21;28;13
Zenaida Mendez
You know, they come one by one. And, basically I talk about Love and Heartbreak of the Diaspora because we go up and down, you know, we might have a year or two that is great. And something happened politically and also in our family.
00;21;28;16 - 00;22;07;26
Coach Dora Mendez
So, you also have a love and heartbreak, with your different, identities, intersections of your identities as an Afro-Latina, and racial trauma, and culture shock, which you discuss beautifully in the book. Is there any, final words that you'd like to share with our audience? Anything that, really speaks to, leadership and building community?
00;22;07;28 - 00;22;30;21
Zenaida Mendez
Definitely. I feel that it is critical for us to get involved, to take a handle on community. When I say community, you don't have to go out there and protest. You can just do family. Like every opportunity that I get together with you and in our family, we talk about what's going on. It can be Thanksgiving, it can be New Year, it can be, you know, Christmas Eve.
00;22;30;23 - 00;22;36;22
Coach Dora Mendez
Yeah. But most people, most families avoid talking about politics.
00;22;36;24 - 00;22;58;13
Zenaida Mendez
Well, you know what's also what's beautiful. Every year in the Latino community, at least, there is a song, a new singer or a new song that impacts the political situation of the, you know, even those Marengue from Milly Quezada and Johnny Ventura and El Gran Combo with the Salsa. There is a message on those songs.
00;22;58;16 - 00;23;15;15
Zenaida Mendez
So it's so even though we are having fun and maybe, you know, sharing family, when we listen to the song, we say, wow, look what's going on, listen to the lyrics, what are they saying? And that's, you know, so that's important that every situation we take it to raise consciousness.
00;23;15;15 - 00;23;46;00
Coach Dora Mendez
Let's, talk again about, how to how to best get involved. I love you did a beautiful talk about learning English, how important it is to learn English, and how much we love our language. But, in order to really get ahead here in the United States, your your your advice is to learn English right away.
00;23;46;02 - 00;23;47;10
Coach Dora Mendez
Is that correct?
00;23;47;13 - 00;24;25;19
Zenaida Mendez
Yes. Well, then English is very important. I used to go out every Saturday. You know, I finished high school, I got married, but I continued, just to take English lessons at Colombia University on Saturday and then someone from Brooklyn Community College is going to talk to us, say, listen, we have the opportunity for a bilingual program that college and I went back to school because of Dr. Diego Colon, who came and talked to us and I said, you know what? I'm going back to school.
00;24;25;21 - 00;24;27;20
Coach Dora Mendez
And it changed your life.
00;24;27;22 - 00;24;38;19
Zenaida Mendez
Yeah, it is. It let critical. And does it matter if you have an accent? You know, I tell people, I say, oh, you have a very heavy asking the of course, I was not born in the United States. It's not my main language.
00;24;38;21 - 00;24;40;23
Coach Dora Mendez
It's your superpower.
00;24;40;26 - 00;24;43;26
Zenaida Mendez
It's my superpower. Yes. My daughter. Yes.
00;24;44;03 - 00;25;09;23
Coach Dora Mendez
Is your superpower. I always, I tell my own students, sometimes they get embarrassed by their someone comments on their accent, and I always remind them that you, that you can do it twice. You're two times smarter than the person who speaks one language. And when people question your abilities because you have an accent, I would ask them, what other language do you speak?
00;25;09;25 - 00;25;11;10
Zenaida Mendez
I usually do.
00;25;11;12 - 00;25;36;12
Coach Dora Mendez
And could you go to college in a different country and another and not your native tongue, and get a college degree and get a master's degree like you did? And, and, most monolingual people can't. So the fact that, I always say bilingualism, multi multilingualism is a superpower, it really is. So, mom, I want to thank you so much.
00;25;36;15 - 00;25;42;27
Coach Dora Mendez
Do you want to share with, our, our listeners and our viewers how they can get a copy of your book?
00;25;42;29 - 00;26;01;20
Zenaida Mendez
Oh, definitely. They can get a copy on Amazon. Definitely. You just put my name, Zenaida Mendez, or Amor y desamor de la diáspora. It would be coming in English in a few weeks. And its going to be great. You're going to see, you know, there are pictures you some of the things that I’ve done.
00;26;01;20 - 00;26;24;19
Zenaida Mendez
Like I said, I want to inspire the new generation. And to the people from my generation, everyone to write their story. Everyone has a story to tell, which is very important for the next generation to know where we from, what we going to do know about our grandparents great grandparents, where they were born, or that is very important to share.
00;26;24;22 - 00;26;51;01
Coach Dora Mendez
Thank you, Mom. Thank you so much. Can you hold on there? While we, say our final, goodbyes to our audience. Thank you so much for being here. Hold on in the wings. I want to thank our all our listeners and viewers for joining us. That was a really powerful story. Even though I'm biased, it's my mom.
00;26;51;04 - 00;27;13;28
Coach Dora Mendez
So I want to thank you for being here. And, I think a lesson learned that we could take away is that every one story is important. And so, don't forget to follow us. All the links and all of the contacts and the socials will be in the description. Thank you so much for being here.
00;27;13;28 - 00;27;16;17
Coach Dora Mendez
We really appreciate you.
00;27;16;19 - 00;27;45;27
Intro & Outro
You've been listening to Building Leadership Community. Watch on YouTube @CoachDoraM. Listen, wherever you get your podcast, follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube @CoachDoraM. Visit me on the web at CoachDoraMendez.com. Hosted by me, Dora Mendez. Produced by Dora Mendez and Dylan Rogers. Graphics, editing, and sound mixing by Dylan Rogers.
