Written by: Lorena Ayala-Ortiz
Program Intern, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Recent Graduate, Georgia State University
Published: 12/19/2018
Recent Graduate, Georgia State University
Published: 12/19/2018
The morning of October 10, 2018,
Gabriela Frías, business anchor at CNN en Español, was rushing to exit after
the World Affairs Council’s “Latinas on the Rise” program, which she moderated.
I only had a couple of minutes to interview her before she had to continue
about her day, as there was a taxi already waiting for her. For a moment, I
felt like a reporter as I had to walk and talk as I interviewed Frías, I was in
her shoes now.
The first question I had for her
arisen from the recent reporting of the United State’s 3.7% unemployment rate,
the lowest since 1969, and that there was the creation of approximately 134,000
jobs within September. I questioned Ms.Frías on how she views the U.S.economy
under the current administration and if she could foresee any dramatic changes
to come in the next two years. She stated that “the stock market could tell the
story. With the GDP numbers at 4.2% in growth, a solid growth, this
administration can own to the fact that the tax cuts and other measures have
helped increase confidence but also maintain and sustain growth.”
However, there’s a population in the
U.S. that expresses their concern about the changes in diverse policy aspects
that could potentially impact the economy of this country. The following
question for Ms. Frías was if the consideration of these modifications, will the
U.S still be seen as a country of great power regarding the economy and global
influence? She believes that apart from the tension caused by these devised
modifications, “the U.S. is still one of the bright spots in the world…[but]
global influence is to be determined. It’s a leading economy, the largest in
the world.” This year it’s a success
story for the United States as the stock market again tells us the story,
though “it is not the best measure, because it moves up and down, but it is an
evidence.”
We proceeded to discuss how she sees
the relationship between Mexico and the United States with the new
President-Elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who’s to begin his term December
1st. For this question, Ms. Frías had a more lengthy response that touched on
factors such as the rhetoric used regarding the construction of the wall,
whether Mexico will finance this construction, trading agreements like the
revamped NAFTA, and immigration policy. What resonated with me the most was her
statement that the relationship between these neighboring countries “is beyond
two men.” These two countries have a “very important dynamic relationship
whether it’s trade or it’s immigration.” Gabriela Frías, who’s an immigrant
from Mexico, wishes to see an immigration reform that makes sense to both
countries.
Furthermore, Ms.Frías is also a
Hispanic woman, a woman who is living in a time where her birth country Mexico
and the country in which she resides, are facing substantial women’s rights
problems. In regards to this matter, she stated that there has to be an
improvement, “it’s not about seeing it happen, but about making it happen,” she
said in a firm tone.
So what is next for Gabriela Frías,
what is her next challenge to accomplish? Well, there’s a possibility that she
will write a book. That is if she has the time, and finds the time to carry out
this task, because she has newborn, and is still finding it difficult to find
the balance of life and work. She adds that our abuelas (grandmothers) had four
to seven kids, so her having one doesn’t make achieving this balance
impossible.