“Paula Moreno is one of the luminous forces in the world guiding us toward a more inclusive future in which those on the outer edges of society—including, historically, young Afro-Colombian women like her—are not only seen but invited in as equal partners to re-energize the inner core of public life. Her deeply engaging memoir, The Power of the Invisible, is itself a profound act of cultural creation by the youngest and first Black woman ever to hold a ministerial position in her country.”

– Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University

“Paula Moreno candidly reflects on her historic ascendency and relentless pursuit of equality that reverberated not just within the Afro-Colombian community, but globally. Moreno reminds us of the courage it takes to break the mold, and never to underestimate the power of young leaders to usher in positive change.”

– Darren Walker, former president (2013–2025) of the Ford Foundation

"Paula Moreno Zapata offers a meditation on leadership rooted in humility, lineage, resilience and responsibility, challenging dominant paradigms that equate power with domination or spectacle. In a global context marked by polarized identity politics and contested forms of representation, her memoir provides a sober, reflective and necessary intervention… The Power of the Invisible speaks not only to Colombia and Latin America, but to a wider global audience concerned with who gets to lead, how, and at what cost.”

– Aurora Vergara Figueroa, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America