The inaugural AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will be a showcase of the most diverse and impactful young professionals in various fields of work across the Philadelphia region.

At the virtual event, taking place August 20, 2020, Brenda Hernandez Torres, 28, will be one of the 40 honorees. Currently, she is the Community Engagement Manager at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.  

As part of the lead-up to the event, AL DÍA asked each of the 40 honorees the same three questions and collected their responses. 

Here are Brenda Hernandez Torres’ responses:

The biggest challenge in my professional journey is being a young, undocumented, Mexican migrant woman fighting the status quo through mobility justice. My work usually involves dealing with the stereotypical white male defiance, where there is a great lack of color representation and female leaders. It’s hard for a young person to manage a community engagement role in transportation and infrastructure, and help align the decision-makers with the importance of working for the community with the community.

My proudest achievement in my career is and will continue to be having a successful impact through the programs created through the Bicycle Coalition and the BBSP Partnership. Through our programs, we have continued to build bridges and connect low-income communities, communities of color, migrant, and bilingual communities.

In order to make true inclusivity happen, corporations, for profit organizations, and non-profit organizations have to start acknowledging institutionalized racism and start creating actual action steps. These entities have to start improving their hiring practices and hire more people of color that represent the community they serve, they need to create more job opportunities for community members, and invite community members who have been actively involved to have a seat at the table.

To register for the upcoming AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event, click here. 

For more information about the event, reach out to [email protected].

For sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected].