5 cool websites for multicultural women (and everyone else)

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Multicultural women comprise about 30% of the U.S. female population and spent $1 trillion in 2008, making them a seriously viable consumer market. Even so, the world of “social media” has yet to fully appreciate the value of this fast-growing demographic. Below are five trendsetting sites that focus on issues of interest to multicultural women:

1.  DiversityWoman.com.  DiversityWoman.com is the official website for Diversity Woman (DW) magazine, which focuses on professional multicultural women and entrepreneurs. The site features a plethora of useful articles, like “Self Care on the Job”, tips on funding your business venture, and advice on getting mentors. It also includes an active, online social network of professional multicultural women well worth visiting. In October of this year, DW will hold its first business conference in Greensboro, NC (details here).

2.  LatinaLista.net. Since 2004, LatinaLista has provided a Latina perspective on current events, political news, legislation, pop culture, education—basically any issues that impact Latino/a life in the U.S.  One really  interesting feature is Linking Latinas, which highlights the voices of Latinas around the globe.  The Bookshelf showcases a wide array of literature from Latino/a writers and the MediaCasts focus on entertainment news.

3.  PepsiWeInspire.com. Pepsi’s new “We Inspire” site (launched just this week) highlights inspiring African-American women as well as things that inspire them. Users (called storytellers) and Icons (celebrity users) post ideas, people, and things that inspire them across these categories: hope, wisdom, love, beauty, laughter, joy. As a result, the site is a great way to keep up-to-date on alot of really cool information, whether it’s an influential blogger, interior decorator, great food spot, or an effective charity. It’s edited by Nichelle Stephens. Take a gander through the archives; some really interesting stuff in there.

4.  CitySaheli.com. Recently launched, CitySaheli is a website geared toward the modern South Asian woman (Saheli is the Hindi word for “friend”). Beautifully designed, it includes a wide range of content—everything from cultural events and interviews with community movers-and-shakers to fashion information and wedding tips.  Recent additions to the site include an interview with chef Julie Sahni, information about the I View Film Festival, and ways to support Children’s Hope India.

5.  Disgrasian.com. If the title doesn’t give them away, the tagline will: “Disgrasian: You’re a disgrace to the race.” Disgrasian looks at current news and pop culture from the perspective of two Asian-American women with humor and snark. They comment on everything, from Project Runway to the recent research about suicide and Asian-Americans to the latest information on Asian and Asian-American actors and celebrities.