User blog:Jpearson/Editor Stories: Empowering the Community with Fearless Diva

Hey everyone!

We continue our Editor Stories series for Hispanic Heritage Month with more profiles! Fandom’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is Las Voces. We’re thrilled to introduce more creators who use their voices to encourage others and amplify the voices of community members here at Fandom. Throughout this series, we focus on the wonderful things that can happen when we encourage others to share their thoughts and words with the world, and the impact entertainment and culture have on these editors. We’ll also explore the power of community and the growth editors experience on the platform.

Today, we’re sharing the story of an editor who began making “small” edits to later become an admin that makes a major impact.

Meet Fearless Diva
Say hello to Fearless Diva (You can call them FD for short). They were born in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, where they lived until they were 8 years old. Then in 2002, they emigrated to San Jose, California, and stayed for eight more years. As of 2011, Fearless Diva calls Portland, Oregon home. Their hobbies include reading webtoons, and when not assigned to specific shows for a Wiki Specialist assignment, they like listening to podcasts and watching Asian dramas.

Learn more about Fearless Diva and see how this editor has contributed to building community and creating safe spaces for other community members for over a decade!

1. How long have you been on Fandom?

Fearless Diva: Since 2011, so 11 years now!

2. What specifically drew you to Fandom, and how did you get started editing?

Fearless Diva:  It was basically seeing that the Pretty Little Liars wiki needed some help with adding information. I was obsessed with it, and over the summer I began just doing some small edits, to get my feet wet so to speak. Then eventually, the bureaucrat at the time saw my editing and asked if I wanted to be an admin, and she sort of took me under her wing and taught me everything I know.

3. What wikis do you contribute to and what do you love most about those communities?

Fearless Diva:  Dynasty, Stargirl, Choices; Stories You Play and Heartstopper. I think the common denominator here is the people because having a well-balanced admin team is key to getting things done. I like seeing my fellow admins succeed! I also don’t mind passing on the knowledge I have obtained, to them, and delegating things after that.

'''4. Fandom’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is Las Voces. In your opinion, what doors open when individuals are able to share their voices with the world?'''

Fearless Diva: As a POC, I’m not going to sugarcoat it when I say that things weren’t easy for me growing up. Sometimes, it had to do with colorism (i.e. how dark of a brown my skin tone is), to speaking Spanish and being told that “this is America, so speak English!” were had to comprehend at a young age. However, as I have gotten older, I have learned to not only be proud, but use my gift of being bilingual to empower those that don’t speak English, whether it’s translating for my family members, or strangers, part of being Hispanic/or Latinx is that there’s a sense of community. Thus, when more of us are given an opportunity to speak up, the world is much better for it. As far as what door it opens, I would say in the end, being bilingual is a strength and if we have the privilege to speak multiple languages, we should be celebrated instead of being put down.

5. What brings you the most joy about your culture and heritage?

Fearless Diva: I am really close with the vast majority of my extended family, so for holidays like Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years, etc. we all like to get together, catch up,  and eat some great Mexican food. Typically it varies on the dish, as sometimes, we eat tamales and champurrado for one event, to pozole at another event, but our food really brings my family together.

6. Are there any Hispanic actors, characters, or creators that inspire you?

Fearless Diva:  Growing up, I often watched reruns of El Chavo, which was a sitcom  created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños, better known to many as Chespirito. It always made me laugh, taught me valuable lessons as a kid too, and it also made me cry. When it was available to stream on Netflix, I actually binged watched a good chunk of it, and it still holds up years later and as an adult now. In addition, even though my family doesn’t celebrate Day of the Dead, the Pixar film Coco, was a true masterpiece that highlighted Mexican culture at its finest. It certainly made me miss my homeland. To be perfectly honest, I have more actors, characters, and creators that inspire me, but I’ll leave you all with what I have said above, otherwise, I’m afraid I could write a whole essay!

7. Is there a moment in entertainment history that resonates deeply with you?

Fearless Diva: Of course one can’t forget about the trailblazer that is Rita Moreno when she was the first Latina to win an acting Oscar 60 years ago. But what has also stuck with me is a scene from the Selena biopic starring a then unknown Jennifer Lopez, when Edward James Olmos as her dad Abraham Quintanilla stated how, “We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time! It's exhausting!” and that really resonated with me. As a Latinx person in the U.S. we have to work twice as hard to get the amount of opportunities, or to even be on a leveled playing field against our caucasian counterparts.

Las Voces
Check out our takeaways from Fearless Diva’s interview!

Takeaway #1 “Then eventually, the bureaucrat at the time saw my editing and asked if I wanted to be an admin, and she sort of took me under her wing and taught me everything I know.”

Editing starts with passion and curiosity. Fearless Diva made small edits and met someone that could mentor them. You’d be surprised at how many people are in the community that are always willing to lend a hand and share their knowledge. Need support? Don't be afraid to ask!

Takeaway #2 When more of us are given the opportunity to share our voice with the world, we are better for it. We are better together, and when we work together to build community, lifting as we climb, there’s a greater impact.

Takeaway #3 The key to getting things done? Have a well-balanced admin team and create opportunities for editors to learn from your experiences so they can become excellent admins as well!

We hoped you enjoyed this editor story! Stay tuned for our final profile of the week, and be sure to leave a comment telling us what Las Voces means to you!