Eva Longoria, a major Obama supporter, took part in the Clinton Global Initiative panel in Chicago this morning on "American Dreams, American Realities: Achieving Economic and Social Mobility."
The "Desperate Housewives" actress posted a picture of her and fellow panelists Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of the National Math + Science Initiative; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, Inc.; and Laysha Ward, president of Community Relations for Target Corp., on her WhoSay account.
Longoria, who founded the Eva Longoria Foundation in 2012 to help educate young Latinas, spoke about the importance of model behavior and her role in influencing young Latinas to follow her path. The Mexican-American actress who recently completed her master’s degree in Chicano studies from Cal State Northridge said:
So if I was able to go back and get my master’s degree, that young Latinas all over the country would see if she did it than I can do it.
However, Longoria has previously come under fire for the portrayal of Latina women on her new show. Longoria’s "Devious Maids" follows the lives of the five Latina maids working in the lavish homes of Los Angeles affluent Beverly Hills neighborhood. Longoria was quick to dismiss criticism about the series:
With the demographics of the United States changing rapidly, we should represent our diverse country on television. It's a fact that we do make up a large percentage of domestic workers, and so when somebody criticizes us saying, 'Why are you telling their stories, it's so stereotypical?' I always say back, 'You're telling me their stories aren't worth telling, that maids are not complex, that they don't have a life, that they don't have a story to tell, and they do.