Who I Am...
I am now a campaign director at the women’s rights organization UltraViolet (WeAreUltraViolet.org). Before then, I spent the bulk of my career as a campaign director at MomsRising.org, helping build that organization to over a million members, and launching massive — and winning! — grassroots campaigns in immigration, public health, environmental health, food justice, gun violence prevention, fair pay for women, and equity for underserved communities. I was one of the founding mothers of MomsRising’s Spanish-language community and initiatives, MamásConPoder.org, which has been recognized by all levels of government, including the Obama administration, for effective advocacy on behalf of U.S. Latinx/a/o/Hispanic families.
Throughout it all, I have managed to eke out a non-fiction book manuscript — stay tuned! — and start multiple award-winning blogs and organizations such as MotherTalkers, a Daily Kos community voted a “favorite mom blog” by Ms. magazine. I am a founding parent of the Escuela Bilingüe Internacional day school in Oakland and Emeryville, California. EBI is an international pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade school that offers full Spanish immersion, Mandarin starting in the 3rd grade, and the Internacional Baccalaureate curriculum.
I have been published in the Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, La Opinión, Wired News, and Daily Kos. I am passionate about writing, building community, and empowering the citizenry.
As someone who hails from working-class Latino parents — a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother — and was the first in my family to attain a college degree, I am driven by social justice. I enjoy helping others tell their stories so that, together, we can shift the media narrative and underlying culture so that all of our families can thrive.
Why me?
As a Latinx mother and daughter of working-class parents, I bring an equity lens to all of my work. I understand that public policies, discourse, and business practices impact certain communities differently, or leave them out altogether.
My writing is accessible to different constituencies, and I can speak, read and write Spanish in addition to English with native fluency.
My services include the following:
- Strategy (advocacy, messaging, list growth, business development, and government)
- Communications
Comms plans, Press releases, Op-ED, opinion writing, and blog posts, Email outreach, petitions, Social media - Speeches and presentations
- Translation (English⟺Spanish)
As I am a staff member at UltraViolet, I am particularly focused on the following three areas:
- Domestic violence prevention and advocacy on behalf of survivors
- Access to abortion and family planning
- Fair and just representation of women and femmes in the media and online
Podcast del Democratic Socialists of America, Elisa Batista entrevista al Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón de Columbia University sobre la comunidad latinx, la sexualidad, y las iglesias, 8 de mayo 2020.
• Democratic Socialists of America podcast, Elisa Batista interviews Columbia University’s Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón about the Latinx community, sexuality and the churches, May 8, 2020,
• “The Case for Job-Sharing: Men Aren’t The Only Ones Who Can Do Their Jobs,” by Elisa Batista, April 10, 2020, Medium,
• “How To Stick With a 12-Step Program During COVID-19,” by Elisa Batista, April 27, 2020, Medium,
• “Our Socialist Democratic Movement Will Survive Without Bernie Sanders,” April 8, 2020, by Elisa Batista for Democratic Socialists of America,
• “Episode 44: Elisa Batista,” The Downtown Writers Jam Podcast, March 30, 2020,
• “Learn from Bern: Sanders showed keys to tapping Latino vote,” by Elisa Batista for San Francisco Chronicle, March 31, 2020,
• “Want to turn out the Latino vote? Call mamá,” by Elisa Batista for San Francisco Chronicle, February 14, 2020,
“Netflix Answers Activists’ Call to Renew ‘One Day at a Time,’ Colorlines, March 27, 2018, (Example of one of my campaigns at Presente.org)
• "NY Times Shames Single Parents, Here’s Why They’re Wrong". June 29, 2017. by Elisa Batista for Daily Kos,
• “Sen. Bob Menendez and Donald Trump team up on cruel & regressive stance on Cuba,” June 7, 2017, by Elisa Batista for Daily Kos.
• “Tell President Obama and Congress: Stand with Puerto Rican Families, Not Wall Street!”, June 7, 2016, by Elisa Batista for MomsRising.org,
• “This Latina Mom Supports CA’s Proposed Soda Tax,” by Elisa Batista for Huffington Post, April 10, 2016,
• “Agents nabbing 4-year-olds?! That’s not who we are.” by Elisa Batista for MomsRising.org, January 15, 2016,
• Elisa Batista Gives Keynote Address before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Conference, Miami, Florida, October 2015
• “’Tormenta en Twitter’ pide cierre de centros de detención familiar en EE.UU., Yahoo! Noticias, June 10, 2015 (Una de mis campañas a través de MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org)
• “Social Change Agent Elisa Batista – Helping Latinas Find Their Voice,” Latina Style, May 2015,
• Parents Caucus, Netroots Nation, Elisa Batista moderated every year in Las Vegas (twice), Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Summer 2008-2014,
• “Utilizing Online Tools for Social Good,” Elisa Batista, panelist at South by Southwest’s Latin@s in Tech Pre-Conference, Austin, Texas, March 8, 2014,
• "Latinos & Obesity: Big Ideas Needed,” Elisa Batista, panelist at annual Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM) Conference, New York City, New York, September 21, 2013,
• “The Gift of Health in Communities of Color,” Elisa Batista, panelist at Niche Parents of Color Network, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2013
• “Madres recolectan firmas en contra de la violencia armada,” Mundo Fox, February 14, 2013 (Una de mis campañas a través de MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org)
• “Madres de EEUU exigen que se prohíban los rifles de asalto y otras medidas,” Noticias Telemundo, February 14, 2013, (Una de mis campañas a través de MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org)
• “Will You Speak Up for Melanie and Inclusive Immigration Reform?” by Elisa Batista for Daily Kos, February 6, 2013,
• “Madres de familia piden reforma migratoria,” MetroLatinoUSA, December 16, 2012, (Una de mis campañas a través de MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org)
• “Renuevan esfuerzos por reforma migratoria para 2013 en EUA,” NOTIMEX, December 12, 2012 (Una de mis campañas a través de MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org)
• “New USDA Nutrition Guidelines Could Help Children Reclaim Their Childhoods,”by Elisa Batista for Huffington Post, December 12, 2012
• “Lack of Paid Sick Days for Immigrant Caregivers Risky for U.S. Economy,” by Elisa Batista for New America Media, September 5, 2012
• "Elisa Batista: Latina Mothers Hope Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Law,” Fox News, June 24, 2012,
• “Community Organizing 101,” Elisa Batista gives presentation to Greenlining Institute’s Leadership Academy, Berkeley, California, 2012
• “Tweetchats 101”, Elisa Batista gives Twitter training to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Virtual, June 15, 2012
• “Using Twitter to Build Support Among Latinos for the Affordable Care Act,” by Elisa Batista for BethKanter.org, March 23, 2012,
• “Una Reforma Beneficiosa,” por Elisa Batista para La Opinión, 21 de marzo 2020
• “Lack of Paid Sick Days May Claim Latino Lives,” by Elisa Batista for Huffington Post, February 12, 2012,
• “Five Myths About California DREAMers,” by Elisa Batista for Huffington Post, January 31, 2012,
• “Clean Air…Place and Race Matter,” by Elisa Batista for Huffington Post, September 18, 2011
• “How to Sustain an Online Community and Keep Your Own Sanity?” Elisa Batista, panelist at BlogHer, San Diego, California, August 6, 2011.
• “Health Insurance for Kids Easier Than You Think,” by Elisa Batista for First Focus, December 22, 2010,
• “Spanish bilingual schools no longer just for remedial education,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 15, 2007, (One of my campaigns on behalf of Escuela Bilingüe Internacional)
Awards
Mamás ConPoder
October 2016• MamásConPoder voted “Best Non-For-Profit” by Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM), October 2016
Mamás ConPoder
September 2015• MamásConPoder bilingual early education campaign recognized with “Excellence in Hispanic Education” Award by White House, September 2015
White House
May 2012• Invited as a top Latina blogger to the White House, May 21, 2012
LATISM
November 2011• Voted Best Activist Blogger by Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM), November 2011
Ms. Magazine
Summer 2009• Selected as a “favorite mommyblogger” by Ms. Magazine, Summer 2009
Nominated for Western Publications Association award for Wired News story on Palm, 2002
The opinions expressed on my personal website and blog are strictly my own, and not that of my employer.