Friday, January 30, 2026
South San Francisco Conference Center: 255 S Airport Blvd South San Francisco, CA 94080
Join us for the Chicana Latina Foundation’s (CLF) Annual Awards Dinner on Friday, January 30, 2026, at the South San Francisco Conference Center.
This year’s theme centers on the core of what CLF strives to do: create leaders con conciencia. Every year, CLF awardees embark on a journey to unravel their narratives and embrace their authentic selves. We celebrate their commitment to each other in upholding our ancestral culture and engaging in the fight for equity and social justice. Together, we strive to shape our future.
Legacy Award Honoree and Keynote Speaker
Maria Hinojosa
Maria Hinojosa is the Pulitzer Prize-winning president and founder of Futuro Media. With over 30 years in front of the camera and microphone, Hinojosa has informed millions of listeners about the changing cultural and political landscape in America and abroad. As the first Latina reporter for NPR, Hinojosa was among the first to report on youth violence in urban communities on a national scale. During her eight years as CNN’s urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television. In 2010, Hinojosa founded Futuro Media, an independent, nonprofit newsroom with the mission to create multimedia content focused on the complexity of an increasingly diverse country and world. She is the anchor and executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA and a frequent contributor to MSNBC. Maria recently received an Imagen Award and a Peabody Award Nomination for the Futuro Investigates/Frontline documentary After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics. She is the author of four books, most recently a young readers’ edition of her critically acclaimed memoir, Once I Was You.
Photo credit: Catalina Kulczar @catalinaphotog; www.catalinakulczar.com
Dr. Olga Terrazas Trailblazer Award
Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA)
Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) is a member-led, grassroots organization of Latina and Indigenous immigrant women dedicated to personal healing, empowerment, and building collective power for social and economic justice. Founded in 1990, MUA has flourished into a supportive community where women come together, grow as leaders, and mobilize to transform their lives and their communities. Today, MUA serves immigrant women across the Bay Area through its three offices in San Francisco, Oakland, and Union City, and has grown to a powerful membership base of over 1,300 women.
MUA’s work begins with healing and empowerment. Through support groups, crisis counseling, and leadership development programs, members gain confidence, safety, and the tools to advocate for themselves and their families. This foundation of mutual respect and solidarity fuels MUA’s broader organizing efforts. As a testament to its member-led model, 70% of MUA’s staff and 75% of its executive leadership team are graduates of MUA’s leadership programs, demonstrating the organization’s commitment to developing leaders from within. With a model rooted in community, healing, and collective leadership, Mujeres Unidas y Activas continues to cultivate a space where immigrant women rise together, transforming their own lives while building a more just and equitable world for all.
Image Credit: Trenza Ancestral by Cha Gutiérrez (Acrylic on Canvas 36″x48″ 2022)
Trenza Ancestral explores both the similarities and differences we share with ancestors who walked a similar path to our own. The distant relative is depicted walking through a tough desert terrain, with a storm on the horizon, symbolizing the struggles she must endure as she continues through life. The woman in the present day seems unburdened by her surroundings and walks with confidence and ease through the city.