““It is almost impossible to lead as a Latina in the world and avoid social justice work. I can’t opt out, and I’ve stopped wishing I could. Instead, I’ve made it part of how I conduct, compose, teach, and build community.” ” - Lynn Mendoza-Khan
Let's work on meaningful change together!
Different is THE POINT!
Step into an Inovative vision in the Arts
An invitation to collaborate with BIPOC artists.
Where "different" and "change" are not a threat but a superpower.
I don't get to opt out...
Respect & Dignity = Social Justice Labor
It is almost impossible to lead as a Latina in this country and not do social justice work. I don't get to opt out of it, and I've stopped wishing I could. Instead, I've made it part of how I conduct, compose, teach, and build community. I carry it into every room: the choir room, the board room, the concert hall, the classroom.
For a long time I experienced that as a weight. But I've also learned it is really a gift. Because I stand outside the dominant culture, I see what it can't see about itself. I hear harmonies it hasn't learned to listen for yet.
This page is not a lecture. It's an invitation. When we work together through anything confusing or uncomfortable, while sharing the weight of the load between us, the music is better. The organization is better. We are better.
Who does she think she is?
Glad you asked.
I'm Lynn Mendoza-Khan: choral conductor, composer, singer, educator, and the founder and Executive Director of the Latinx Choral Project. I trained as an aspiring opera singer, and for more than 20 years I've taught voice and piano to students of every age and ability through Music With Lynn.
I'm a Latina who leads loudly, joyfully, and on purpose. I build community within choirs where people bring their whole selves, their languages, and their histories, and leave with more than they came with.
That's who I think I am.
I bring the same voice, the same skills, and the same perspective into every room. The only thing that changes is the language people use to describe it.
Why would i hear such different language for the same behavior and work? The language changes according to how comfortable the listener feels: about a Latina, about a woman leading, about leadership itself. That reaction belongs to them, not to me.
Here's the good news: which column you choose is up to you. Everyone who has ever called me a visionary was looking at the same woman as the people who called me too much.
If this brings up feelings of discomfort, the good news is that any discomfort is an opportunity to learn why and how if you're ready to do the active listening and learning in becoming an ally and collaborator.