5 Latina Women for Women’s History Month
As March comes to an end I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to five Latina Woman I admire whom you might not have heard of before. March has been designated as the month where we celebrate women in history. It is no surprise that many women in history have been undervalued, but thankfully that has started to change. Being a Latin myself I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about some strong and inspiring Latin women.
1. Rita Moreno
86 years old, from Puerto Rican
I was recently introduced to a Netflix show called “One Day at a Time” that stars Rita Moreno. Thank you Susana Boatto for sharing this amazing show. The show follows a Cuban American family as they face the ups and downs of life. It deals with so many modern day issues that a lot of people, and especially a lot of Latin families, would rather not talk about. It’s no question that the star of the show is Rita Moreno. Watching the show you would not guess that Rita’s career has spanned over 70 years. She is lively and funny throughout, but also understanding and loving.
Rita Moreno is a singer, dancer, actress, and she was also on Broadway. She is most notably known for playing Anita in the film adaptation “West Side Story,” and even won the best supporting actress Oscar for it. She was also in the film “The King and I” playing the role of Tuptim. Rita is the only Latina with an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), and I think that’s very badass. She is an inspiration for all Latinas. I would recommend you watch her in “One Day at a Time!”
2. Selena Quintanilla
Died at age 23, Mexican roots
I have written about Selena before, but since she is an amazing woman and her death anniversary is on March 31st, I thought it would be a perfect time to bring her up again. Selena was murdered by her former fan club manager, but 23 years later Selena is still remembered and celebrated as much as ever. She was responsible for bringing more attention to Latin and Tejano music. Known as “The Queen of Tejano” she released 11 albums, won one Grammy, 14 Billboard Latin Music awards, and a lot more awards and nominations. She was a fashion icon and even had her own boutique. She was active in her community and I can only imagine how much of an activist she would have been if she were still alive. These last few years Selena’s memory has been kept alive thanks to a M.A.C makeup release, her own Hollywood Walk of Fame star, and a wax figure. Celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Kim Kardashian have also been known to keep Selena in the spotlight. Yet, for me it almost seems like some people treat her name more as a brand or a trend and that makes me mad. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because Selena should be celebrated and everyone can benefit from knowing who she was and how she keeps impacting Latina girls and women. Here is the link to the article I wrote about Selena last year if you would like to read more about her life.
3. Julia Alvarez
67 years old, Dominican
One of my favorite authors, and she wrote one of my favorite books ever. Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American novelist and poet. She has had a very successful career and is a very highly regarded Latina writer. Her first book to get national acclaim was “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.” This book hit close to home because it deals with being a Latin immigrant growing up in the United States. Although I love her first book my absolute favorite one is her second, “In the Time of the Butterflies.” This book is a historical fiction book that details the death of the Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Trujillo. I first read this book in high school and have always gone back to it and recommend it to everyone I possibly can. Julia Alvarez paved the way for more Latina and Latino authors.
4. Sonia Sotomayor
63 years old, Puerto Rican
Sonia Sotomayor was the third female Supreme Court Justice and the first Latina. Being the first Latina to be on the Supreme Court is something to celebrate and be extremely proud of. She did not have an easy life growing up. She had many challenges to overcome to get to where she is today. She is an inspiration for young Latina girls. They can see that someone like them reached the highest court in the United States and know that it’s possible for them to reach their own dreams.
5. Soledad O’Brien
51 years old, Cuban
Full disclosure on this one. I probably would not have known who Soledad O’Brien was if she didn’t share my name. Growing up with the name Soledad has been a roller coaster of having people compliment me for it, or mispronounce my name and make me feel terrible. So, when I heard that a CNN broadcaster was named Soledad I had to know more about her. This was many years ago, back in 2007 she was with CNN. At that time she was the only other person named Soledad I had ever heard of. So, of course I was super interested in her. Yet, all these years later I have not been disappointed in the woman she is. She is inspiring to all the Latina women and girls who inspire to be journalists. She is one of the top journalists fighting for social change. She has even won an Emmy! Recently she started her own media production company called Starfish Media Group.
