Search results
- 1 min
- Sonia Sotomayor. As the first Latina Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor has served since August 8, 2009. Both of her parents were born in Puerto Rico.
- Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez is perhaps one of the most well-known labor leaders and Latino American civil rights activists of all time. Among his biggest accomplishments was founding the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Dolores Huerta.
- Evelyn Cisneros. Evelyn Cisneros made history for being the first Latina prima ballerina in the U.S. The Mexican American has played Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and countless other roles.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a man of many talents, and his resume includes actor, singer, lyricist, composer, playwright, and producer. He created two Broadway musicals—In the Heights and Hamilton—and starred in both of them.
- Ellen Ochoa
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Sonya Sotomayor
- Sylvia Mendez
- Cesar Chavez
- Dolores Huerta
- Silvia Rivera
- Roberto Clemente
- Ana Mendieta
- Gloria Estefan
Let’s start the list with something out of this world! We have Ellen Ochoa, the first female Hispanic astronaut to go to space. In 1993, she boarded the space shuttle Discovery for nine days as part of her research on the ozone layer. Since then, she has spent nearly 1,000 hours in space missions and has become a notable Hispanic figure in science....
In today’s politics, one of the major Hispanic voices has to be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC. She is the youngest person to hold office in the House of Representatives after her victory in 2018. Her strong progressive stance on issues has led to her re-election for a second term in November 2020. As a representative, she actively adv...
Another major Hispanic figure in US politics is Sonya Sotomayor, a notable Latina court judge. Sotomayor is the first Latina female judge to serve as Supreme Court Justice in 2009. As a Supreme Court judge, she has upheld and advocated for the rights of Puerto Ricans, women, and children in criminal justice. Aside from this, she has also written a ...
The importance of education is not lost on Sylvia Mendez, a young girl of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. However, the same could not be said with the education system she grew up in. Her story shows the discrimination Hispanic children faced just to get an education. Because of her Hispanic ancestry, she was not allowed to enroll in a school tha...
The phrase “Si se puede!” (Yes, it can be done!) rings true with Latin labor leader Cesar Chavez. After all, he is one of the major forces for labor rights in the 20thcentury. Growing up, he witnessed how farmers were mistreated through his parents, who were farmers migrating to the US. This, along with his own experience, motivated him to fight fo...
Dolores Huerta is another major Hispanic figure of the labor rights movement in the US. She was at the forefront of grassroots campaigns for farmer’s rights. Along with Chavez, she led non-violent protests including the Delano grape strike and boycott. She also spearheaded the United Farm Workers, which aimed to protect the rights of farmers. Aside...
Latin American voices are also loud and clear in the LGBTQ+ community. Silvia Rivera, of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan heritage, actively fought for trans rights in the 1960s and 1990s. For one, she was one of the leaders in the Stonewall Riots, a protest held in response to violence against LGBTQ+ people. She was also one of the founders of organiza...
In the realm of sports, Roberto Clemente takes a powerful pitch. He is a professional baseball player who represented Latin Americans in the baseball scene. In 1960, he became the first Hispanic person to win a World Series as a starting player. He is also the first Latin American baseball player in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. Aside from bei...
Cuban-born Ana Mendieta is a renowned figure in the Latin American art scene. Mendieta is an artist who creatively uses multiple mediums of art to convey her worldviews. In her works, she portrays the feelings of loss and displacement through her experiences as a child refugee. She also draws heavily from feminist and Afro-Cuban thought. Her most w...
When you think of Latin music, who do you think of? Chances are, you think of Gloria Estefan. After all, she’s one of the major Latin artists in the US. She paved the way for Latin American artists to enter the international music market. Her music career began as a vocalist for the Miami Sound Machine. Later on, she went solo and launched hit song...
- Bianca Jagger. The Nicaraguan-born Bianca Jagger is a former actress and lifelong human rights activist. She founded the human rights foundation that bears her name, which fights to support indigenous people, address climate change and end violence against women and girls.
- Jean-Michel Basquiat. Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American neo-expressionist artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent. His art was overtly political, attacking systemic power structures and racism.
- Elizabeth Martinez. Elizabeth Martinez held many roles during her life—writer, editor, publisher, social activist, and feminist, to name but a few. She helped define the Chicana movement and was one of the early voices to discuss overlapping systems of oppression before the term intersectionality became mainstream.
- Luis Alvarez. Luis Alvarez was a physicist who worked on several World War II-era radar projects, including a system that helped guide planes used during the Berlin airlift of 1948.
Today I’m sharing the biographies of 5 famous Latinos, plus resources to learn about their contributions to US society: an astronaut, a teacher, an author, an athlete, and a scientist. 5 Famous Latinos for Kids 1. Ellen Ochoa: Astronaut
- These famous Hispanic people deserve all the credit. The beauty and strength of America lie in its diversity. But while this melting pot results from the blending of many cultures, some of those cultures tend to get left out of the national discussion.
- Jennifer Lopez. She may have started out as Jenny from the Block, but J.Lo has become a multi-hyphenate entertainment phenom, and she helped female celebrities break out of the boxes that Hollywood had always put them in.
- Jovita Idár. As the proverb goes, when you educate a woman, you educate a family. Jovita Idár believed that wholeheartedly. While working at her father’s newspaper, La Crónica, she used the platform to speak out against racism and in support of women’s and Mexican-Americans’ rights.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sworn into office at the age of 29, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is the youngest woman to ever be elected to Congress, and her win was a historic victory for women in government, particularly women of color.
Sep 29, 2023 · To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15, get to know some of the most notable Latin American figures who have influenced pop culture, politics, and ...
Mar 9, 2021 · HipLatina. Culture. 10 Inspiring Latina Icons You Should Teach Your Kids About. March is Women’s History Month and while we support celebrating the achievements and contributions of all women, it’s all too often that Latinas are under-represented in coverage of this very special month of recognition. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
