"Cholitas' Take The Wheel

BOLIVIA – As recently as 10 years ago, Bolivia’s indigenous Aymara and Quechua women were socially ostracized and systematically marginalized.

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 Known as cholitas (an initially derogatory term that members of the community have reappropriated and now use with pride), these women – recognizable by their wide skirts, braided hair, and bowler hats – were banned from using public transportation or entering certain public spaces. Their career opportunities, meanwhile, were severely limited, with most becoming either housecleaners or roadside vendors. While these women have been organizing and advocating for their rights since at least the 1960s, their movement was invigorated by the 2006 election of Evo Morales as Bolivia’s first indigenous president. Ever since, many of the country’s