Less than 10% of all venture capital goes to women, LGBTQ community members, and people of color. On April 7, you can try a newly branded beer and raise some funds at Chingona Fest ATX to help change that.
The event will launch Chingona Beer with partners Hops & Grain Brewing and Jose Velasquez. The beer can is designed by Latina graphic artist Claudia G. Aparicio Gamundi. A portion of sales will be donated to nonprofits Latinitas and Con Mi Madre.
In the slang of Mexican border regions, “Chingona” means “badass,” a fitting title for the event’s cofounders Krista Cottingim and Denise Hernandez, who themselves are a recently engaged LGBTQ couple of color. Chingona fest started out as a discussion between the pair after Trump’s election.
“After all the negative rhetoric that came out of the election, we felt inspired to create spaces that empowered underrepresented communities, especially for women of color,” Hernandez says.
They heard about a similar Chingona event in San Antonio, where a group of women congregated to “highlight local Chingonas.” Hernandez and Cottingim decided to expand the concept and include more of a festival aspect.
“Our vision is to create social impact products and experiences that empower underrepresented individuals,” Hernandez says. “We’re passionate about social change, so we hustle for the cause.”
Austin social impact brand and event production firm Hustle for the Cause is debuting Chingona Fest ATX on Saturday, April 7, at 3:30pm. The event will be held at Hops & Grain Brewing with local Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda headlining a variety of musical acts.
This article appears in March 30 • 2018.