Ana “Rokafella” Garcia, a trailblazer and pioneer for women in hip hop, recounted her journey in a recent episode of MAKERS, a video series by AOL, HuffPost Latino reported.
Garcia has been in a part of the hip hop community for more than 20 years, and has changed the game for women who wish to have the same opportunities as male dancers.
As a child to Puerto Rican parents and growing up in Harlem, Garcia recalled that women were not always encouraged to follow their dreams.
“Being of Latino background there was a difference between what the males could get away with and what the females had to do. And we would have to always work and try to be pious and you know…”, she said in the report.
Throughout her interview, Garcia also discussed how she hopes to give back to future dancers through Full Circle, her non-profit organization, and assure other dancers that hip hop does not have to be a male-dominated subculture.
“Hip Hop is a culture, it’s expression, it’s freedom, it’s positive,” she said.