(CNN Spanish) — Time magazine published this Wednesday its selection of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024. This year three Latin American personalities stand out, two of whom are women. In addition, the list includes two artists of Latin origin, born in the United States.
In its annual list, the American magazine makes a choice of people it considers agents of change in different categories, such as “athletes”, “leaders”, “artists” and “pioneers”. This year, worldwide, the multi-award-winning star Dua Lipa stands out, who heads the list and is part of the “artists” category. In the “icon” category, the Spanish soccer player Jennifer Hermoso, winner of the Silver Ball in 2023, and the Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza stand out, who has followed the war in Gaza through his lens and, in addition, is the youngest person in this year’s list from Time.
The elected Latinos appear in the “leaders” section, in which Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, is listed as the main one.
Next, we tell you who the designated Latinos are and what they do.
Marina Silva
Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva speaks during an event to commemorate the International Day of the Amazon Rainforest at the Salão Nobre of the Planalto Government Palace on September 5, 2023 in Brasilia. (Credit: Andressa Anholete/Getty Images).
Marina Silva is Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil. According to the magazine’s description, she is an “extraordinary” woman with “deep-rooted courage and unwavering tenacity.”
He adds that the minister and activist is a native of the Amazon and comes from a family of rubber tappers. She became one of Brazil’s most influential senators and has run as a presidential candidate.
He highlights that in his current role, Silva is rebuilding Brazil’s ability to stop rampant illegal deforestation in the Amazon, which is driving a national transition from centralized fossil fuel energy to locally generated renewable energy. On an international scale, he details that he advocates adopting a broader understanding of the economic impact and value that nature offers. This summer he will speak about it at the G-20 summit in Brazil.
“We have a rare scientific consensus about what is happening, we have the information, we know the costs of inaction, we know what we want to avoid, we know what we have to do and, of course, we have the money to make the necessary transition effort “Year after year we increasingly face the consequences of inaction on climate change,” Silva declared in 2023 in an interview with Time.
Diana Salazar
Prosecutor Diana Salazar with prosecutor Carlos Vaca, before the trial against Jorge Glas in Quito on November 24, 2017. (Credit: RODRIGO BUENDÍA/AFP via Getty Images).
Afro-Ecuadorian Diana Salazar Méndez is attorney general of Ecuador. According to Time, at 42 years old she is the youngest person and the first black woman to hold this position, in which she has stood out for the fight against corruption in her country, according to a description from the United States Department of State.
She has a degree in Political and Social Sciences from the Central University of Ecuador and a doctor in Jurisprudence, Political and Social Sciences, as well as a lawyer in the Courts of the Republic, according to her biographical profile published on her website.
“Although she has already handled difficult cases – not all prosecutors can say they have managed to convict a top soccer executive and a former president – Ecuador’s attorney general is now spearheading efforts to stop violent, well-connected drug traffickers from ruining her beloved country. “says the Time review.
In the text, the magazine details that while Salazar pursues the networks of powerful political, judicial, police and economic actors allied with drug traffickers, she and her family have suffered several threats.
“In a country where trust in institutions is scarce, Salazar has earned the respect and support of a population desperate for calm and security. As she says: ‘It is time to tell all of Ecuador that justice cannot be will kneel.”
Javier Milei
Javier Milei greets his followers from the government palace after assuming office as president of Argentina on December 10, 2023. (Florencia Martinpicture alliance/dpa/Getty Images/File).
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, is another Latin figure on the list. In its review, Time describes him as “a radical libertarian economics professor and former television commentator with little experience in government, who won Argentina’s presidency in a landslide in November by promising to bring the country back from the brink of economic collapse.”
The text details that sHis victory surprised pollsters and exposed the desperation of 46 million Argentines paralyzed by triple-digit inflation and a poverty rate of 40%.
In the description, Time takes up a phrase that Milei uttered after his victory: “there is no turning back.” Add that Milei, 53, has wasted no time and warned Argentinians to “prepare for pain.”
“He embarked on a ‘shock therapy’ campaign with hundreds of austerity measures: cutting 70,000 state jobs, cutting federal aid, halving the number of ministries and devaluing the peso. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets. At the same time, Milei made statements full of blasphemies against those he calls socialists,” the text reads.
Time closes the profile of the Argentine president saying that “although it is too early to know if the new president’s measures will be successful, it is clear that he has gotten one thing right: with Milei in power, Argentina will have no turning back.”
America Ferrera
America Ferrera attends the 96th Annual Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images).
America Ferrera is an artist who was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1984. She has roots of Latin origin, since her parents are Honduran.
In her long career, she has stood out as the first Latina to win an Emmy for her leading role in the successful comedy “Ugly Betty”, for which she also won a Golden Globe and an award from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
She was recently nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 Oscars for playing the character of Gloria in the film “Barbie.” Ferrera will now make her directorial debut with the adaptation of the New York Times bestseller “I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.”
Additionally, she is an activist and co-founder of organizations non profit as “Powerful”, which, according to its description, was created to celebrate Latin culture, focusing on build a community that informs and motivates its members to take action to harness their power both at the ballot box and in everyday life.
Time’s review, in this case written by actress Blake Lively, notes that “there is not enough room on this page to include all of her scripts. A simpler way to put it is that America Ferrera is everything. She brings in 98%. of herself to everything she touches, elevating everyone around her to their highest being. She transforms with every character she enters.”
“She is a hot pink hypodermic needle of adrenaline that goes straight to the heart of everyone who watches that movie. And the effects last a lifetime. I speak from experience.”
Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
Colman Domingo is an American film, television and theater actor with Latin roots, particularly from Belize and Guatemala.
During his career, the artist – who identifies as part of the LGBTQ community – has been nominated for Best Leading Actor at the recent Oscars for his portrayal of activist Bayard Rustin in the film “Rustin”, which also earned him a nomination in the Emmy and BAFTA Awards.
Additionally, in 2022 he won the Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor for his role in Max’s original series, “Euphoria.”
Singer and musician Lenny Kravitz describes him in the TIME review as “a brother.” Later, Kravitz highlights Domingo’s “kindness” and “authenticity.” “He is completely honest and true to who he was created to be, and he does it all with such grace, humility and gratitude,” he concludes.
Kravitz adds, “The characters Colman plays on screen are so varied – from a recovering addict to civil rights activist Bayard Rustin – which demonstrates his depth as an actor and creative. Watching his work continue to evolve is inspiring. “.
