By Andrea Giordano, NWPC Communications Intern
National Hispanic Heritage month runs from September 15 to October 15 and celebrates United States Latinx citizens’ culture and history. Congress began this tradition in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, and it expanded to a month in 1988. The celebration begins on September 15th because the date coincides with national independence days in many Latin American countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful opportunity for us to recognize a few of the many outstanding Latina women in U.S. politics and the huge breakthroughs they have made over the last century. Latina politicians have celebrated enormous milestones in recent years including the election of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in 1989, the first Latina and Cuban-American to serve in the House, and of Catherine Cortez Masto in 2016, the first Latina to serve in the Senate.
Pew Research Center reports that 32 million Latinx Americans will be eligible to vote in the 2020 election, making them the largest ethnic minority electorate in the U.S. Even so, currently only thirteen Latinas serve in Congress: twelve in the House and one in the Senate. While much progress has been made, so much work is left to be done in order for our nation’s leadership to truly be representative of our Latinx citizens. Luckily, there are countless outstanding Latina women paving the way towards a brighter, more representative future in our political system. In their roles, these women have been champions of fair immigration policy, women’s rights, affirmative action, gun control and much more. Here are a few of their stories:
First up is the legendary Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, representative of New York’s 14th Congressional District and born into a working-class, Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. When she defeated 10-term Congressman Joe Crowley in 2018 and became the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress, she made history. And she continues to do so each day. In her first term, she has been a tireless advocate for the working class, consistently speaking up for environmental, healthcare, job, and immigration reform. She has also become a women’s rights icon, from her condemnation of Alabama’s May 2019 state law that effectively outlawed abortion in the state to her powerful speech on the House floor in response to sexist attacks from Rep. Ted Yoho. The congresswoman is truly a trailblazer for all women and has never shied away from addressing issues that are important to her.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is another unparalleled Latina leader in our nation. Also from the Bronx and of Puerto Rican heritage, she became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009. Driven by her mother’s belief in the extraordinary power of education, Justice Sotomayor rose from her youth in a public housing project in South Bronx to graduate from Yale Law School and embark on her distinguished legal career as a fair and thoughtful jurist. As a justice, she quickly became known for her fiery dissents to high court decisions and support for women’s rights, affirmative action and criminal justice reform. She has become a role model to young Latina women and girls who dream of becoming judges or pursuing careers in politics.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who the NWPC has endorsed for the upcoming election, is another Latina politician to look up to. She immigrated to the US from Ecuador as a young girl and was elected to the House in 2018 to represent Florida’s 26th congressional district, making her the first Ecuadorian-American and first South American immigrant member of Congress. Since she was sworn in, she has been an unwavering advocate for gun safety, health care, immigration reform, the environment, and human rights. She has also become a key voice calling for stability in Latin America by advocating for the reinstatement of a peaceful democracy in Venezuela.
Finally, Rep. Veronica Escobar, also endorsed by the NWPC, was elected to the House in 2018 where she represents Texas’ 16th Congressional District of El Paso. She made history as the first woman elected to this seat and the first of two Latinas from Texas to serve in Congress. During her time in Congress, she has been a leading voice on immigration and has stood up to the Trump administration’s inhumane policies at the border. In her work on various congressional committees, she prioritizes accountability, transparency, and oversight in legislation passed to address our nation’s immigration challenges.
Each of these outstanding Latina women, and so many more, fight daily for policy and legislation which fairly serves the U.S. Latinx community. This month, this election, and beyond, we will continue to honor their voices and heritage to keep America pressing forward towards a more representative democracy.
Andrea Giordano is a senior at the University of Georgia from Washington D.C. She currently studies International Affairs and Journalism with a minor in Spanish and a Public Affairs Professional Certificate. She has always been interested in global affairs, which has only grown through her recent exchange semester at the University of Oxford and teaching volunteership in Arequipa, Peru. She has previously interned in public relations at the Georgia Museum of Art, assisted in podcast production at The Passages Project, and completed research for GroundBreakers’ COVID-19 Community Resource Map in Latin America and Spain. Andrea loves staying up-to-date on current events and gender equality in our nation and around the world.
