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History of women in Puerto Rico

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A Puerto Rican woman working in a garment factory.

Puerto Rican women are women who live in and are from the Puerto Rico, an island territory of the United States. They became became citizens of the U.S.A. in 1917. Before that year - in 1898 - women form Puerto Rico were already active participants in the labor movement and agricultural economy in the island.

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Notable Puerto Rican women

Main article: List of Puerto Ricans

Prominent women from Puerto Rico include the following:

  • Nicholasa Mohr, writer
    Her works, among which is the novel Nilda, tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States. In 1973, she became the first Hispanic woman in the modern times to have her literary works published by the major commercial publishing houses, and she has developed the longest career as a creative writer for these publishing houses than any other Hispanic female writer.
  • Aída Álvarez
    First Puerto Rican and first Hispanic woman to hold a sub-cabinet level position in the White House (Small Business Administrator 1997–2000).
  • Maria Vizcarrondo-De Soto
    Vizcarrondo-De Soto is the first woman and Latina to become the President and CEO of the United Way of Essex and West Hudson.
  • María de las Mercedes Barbudo Political activist
    Mercedes Barbudo is considered to be the first female from Puerto Rico "Independentista" meaning that she was the woman to become an avid advocate of the Puerto Rican Independence..
  • Ana María O'Neill Women Rights activist and educator
    In 1929, O'Neill became the first female professor in the field of Comerence in the University of Puerto Rico, a discipline which she taught until 1951. As a women's rights activist, she urged women to participate in every aspect of civic life and to defend their right to vote.
  • Carmen Jovet,
    Journalist, first Puerto Rican woman named news anchor in Puerto Rico.
  • Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
    First Puerto Rican woman to serve as an (2d Cir.) U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge and to be nominated and confirmed as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
  • Faith Evans, U.S. Marshal
    Hawaiian-Puerto Rican, first woman to be named U.S. Marshal.
  • Linda Garcia Cubero, Captain, U.S. Air Force
    In 1980, Garcia Cubero, who is of Mexican-American/Puerto Rican heritage, became the first Hispanic woman graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and the first to graduate from an American Military Academy.
  • Carmen García Rosado, Private First Class, U.S. Women's Army Corps
    García Rosado was among the first 200 Puerto Rican women to be recruited into the WAC's during World War II and the author of "LAS WACS-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Segunda Guerra Mundial" (The WACs-The participation of the Puerto Rican women in the Second World War), which is the first book which documents the experiences of the first 200 Puerto Rican women to participate in said conflict as members of the armed forces of the United States.
  • Dr. Dolores Piñero, U.S. Army Medical Corps
    Piñero, who despite the fact that she was not an active member of the military, was the first Puerto Rican woman doctor to serve in the Army under contract during World War I. At first she was turned down, however after writing a letter to the Army Surgeon General in Washington, D.C. she was ordered her to report to Camp Las Casas in Santurce, Puerto Rico. On October 1918, She signed her contract with the Army.
  • Maria Rodriguez Denton, Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
    Rodriguez Denton was the first woman from Puerto Rico who became an officer in the United States Navy as member of the WAVES. It was Lt. Denton who forwarded the news (through channels) to President Harry S. Truman that the war had ended.
  • Maritza Sáenz Ryan, Colonel, U.S. Army
    Sáenz Ryan, who is of Puerto Ricana and Spanish descent, is the head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy. She is the first woman and first Hispanic (Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage) West Point graduate to serve as an academic department head. She also has the distinction of also being the most senior ranking Hispanic Judge Advocate.
  • Dr. Miriam Rodon-Naveira PhD, Puerto Rican NASA scientist
    Rodón-Naveira was the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory.
  • María Luisa Arcelay
    First woman in Puerto Rico and in all of Latin America to be elected to a government legislative body.
  • Carmen E. Arroyo
    First Puerto Rican woman elected to any state assembly, chair New York Hispanic Legislative Caucus.
  • Maria Colón Sánchez
    Colón Sánchez was an activist and politician who in 1988, became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Connecticut General Assembly.
  • Gloria Tristani
    First Hispanic woman appointed as one of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
  • Nydia Velázquez
    First Puerto Rican congresswoman, Chair of House Small Business Committee.
  • Wilda Diaz
    First female mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey and first Puerto Rican woman elected mayor in that state.
  • Bavi Edna Rivera, Episcopal Bishop
    Rivera is the first Hispanic woman bishop and the 12th woman bishop in the Episcopal Church.
  • Maritza Correia
    first black Puerto Rican woman in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team.
  • Gigi Fernández
    tennis player, the first female athlete from her native Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal and the first to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
  • Sila M. Calderón
    first female governor of Puerto Rico, elected in November 2000. She was the former mayor of San Juan.

See also

References

  1. Introduction, Puerto Rican Labor Movement
  2. Dictionary of Literary Biography intro online
  3. Heath Anthology bio
  4. "Hispanic Firsts", By; Nicolas Kanellos, publisher Visible Ink Press; ISBN 0-7876-0519-0; p.40
  5. El Diario/La Prensa
  6. Mercedes – La primera Independentista Puertorriquena
  7. Biografias
  8. Rachel Heyhoe
  9. Garcia Cubero, Linda. "Punto Final!". Latina Style. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  10. "LAS WACS"-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Seginda Guerra Mundial; by: Carmen Garcia Rosado; page 60; 1ra. Edicion publicada en Octubre de 2006; 2da Edicion revisada 2007; Regitro tro Propiedad Intectual ELA (Government of Puerto Rico) #06-13P-)1A-399
  11. Women's Military Memorial
  12. Ryan takes charge of Law Department
  13. Maritza Sáenz Ryan - Bio.
  14. Biografia
  15. Maria Sanchez: Godmother of the Puerto Rican Community
  16. Diocese of Olympia’
  17. according to Hispanic Magazine, 1988
  18. "Gigi Fernández: "We Have A Mixed Identity"". Puerto Rico Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  19. Puerto Rico A Timeline, Almost a Woman, PBS, New York

Further readings

External links

Women in North America
Sovereign states
Dependencies and
other territories
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