Did you know that many important figures who have made a difference in history are Latin American women? Yes, Latin American women have been leaving their mark in the world for a long time ago. Loba Mane believes in the importance of empowering and encouraging one another. So we are taking the opportunity of Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate a few of the many fierce, driven and strong Latin American women who have been pioneers and groundbreakers in their fields.
Dolores Huerta
Image Source Wikimedia Commons
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world”
– Dolores Huerta
Dolores was born in 1930, Dawson New Mexico. She was known for serving as a national leader in the fight for civil, labor and women’s rights.
As a co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association (known as the United Farm Workers Union), Huerta has improved the lives of millions through grassroots campaigns, non-violent resistance, and political lobbying. She holds nine honorary doctorates, Human Rights Award, The Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is an active defender of human rights through her work as founder and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Ellen Ochoa
Image Source Wikimedia Commons
“What everyone in the astronaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire—the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.”
– Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa is the first Hispanic woman to serve as director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center and has had the position for the last four years. She has many accomplishments; she is a co-inventor of an optic technology, the recipient of NASA’s highest award for senior executives in the federal government and the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award. She also won the Harvard Foundation Science Award, Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award, HENAAC (Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards) and Engineer of the Year. After attempting to go to space three times, she was selected and participated in four space missions. She served as a mission specialist.
Antonia Novello
Image Source Wikimedia Commons
“I believe that fortitude is key. More than anything, be consistent. Go at it. Go at it. Go at it. When you succeed, don’t forget the responsibility of making somebody else succeed with you.”
– Antonia Novello
In 1990, President George W. Bush appointed Novello to Surgeon General of the United States, she became the first Hispanic American Woman to be a surgeon general of the U.S. She had that position for three years, during which she devoted herself to improving the health of women, children, and minorities during the dawn of the HIV crisis. After she left her position, she was assigned to work for UNICEF, and later went on to become the Commissioner of Health for the state of New York.
Feeling inspired yet? These empowering women are examples of resilience and perseverance. They have proudly paved the way for the future Latin generation. As Dolores Huerta said, you can also make a difference by doing simple things such as helping out your communities or just by being informed.
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