13 Inspiring Women to Follow This Hispanic Heritage Month

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta is a civil rights activist and labor leader. She has dedicated her life to ensuring farmworkers receive US labor rights and co-founded the National Farmworkers Association with Cesar Chavez in 1962. Throughout her life, she has tirelessly advocated for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and Latinx rights, and even at the age of 91, continues to do so.

She coined the phrase, “Sí se puede,” which translates to, “Yes we can.” Sound familiar? Former president Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign slogan was inspired by these words originally coined by Huerta during the NFWA strikes.

To learn more about Dolores Huerta’s life and legacy, visit doloreshuerta.org.

“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” –Dolores Huerta

Elsa Támez

Born in 1950, Elsa Támez is a Mexican theologian and biblical scholar. Her books include Bible of the Oppressed, The Amnesty of Grace, and Struggles for Power in Early Christianity: A Study of the First Letter of Timothy (2007). She is Professor Emerita at the Universidad Biblica Latinamericana in Costa Rica. She was appointed president of the university in 1995, becoming their first woman president. Támez was active in the early development of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) and joined with other women from the global south to advocate for a women’s commission to be established within EATWOT,  providing support and engagement for women’s contributions to theology. She has also been active as a consultant with the Sociedades Bíblicas Unitas. In 2000, she was awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize, issued by the University of Bern, in Switzerland.Támez is married with two children and now lives in Colombia.

Learn more about Elsa’s writing and purchase one of her books here.

“‎God remains silent so that men and women may speak, protest, and struggle. God remains silent so that people may really become people. When God is silent and men and women cry, God cries in solidarity with them…” –Elsa Támez

Nely Galán

Nely Galán is a television producer and the former President of Entertainment for Telemundo. She created and executively produced the FOX reality series The Swan. Her entrepreneurship manifesto for women, Self Made: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way, is a New York Times Best Selling book written in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

 Follow Nely on Instagram @nelygalan and purchase her best-seller Self Made here. 

“Don’t buy shoes. Buy buildings.” –Nely Galán

Claudia Paz Y Paz

Claudia Paz y Paz is a criminal law specialist, scholar, judge, and litigator who, for close to two decades, has worked to strengthen the justice system in Guatemala. In 2010, she became the first female attorney general in Guatemala. She is the first-ever Guatemalan law enforcement official to have brought to justice prominent human rights abusers from Guatemala’s civil war era. Claudia made history by prosecuting former president Efraín Ríos Montt for genocide in a national court.

Under her leadership, she broke many records: more drug traffickers were arrested in the first six months of her term than in the previous decade, 5 out of Guatemala’s 10 most wanted criminals were caught, and 10 times more cases of violence against women and of homicide were brought to justice than in any prior administration.

In 2012, Forbes magazine named Paz y Paz one of the “five most powerful women changing the world.” In 2013, she was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

 Learn more about the documentary, Burden of Peace, based on Claudia Paz y Paz’s career, here.

​​“For the first time, the victims had the opportunity to tell what happened in the villages in front of the perpetrator. They could tell it in their own language, and by telling this, they recovered part of the dignity that was stolen when they suffered so many human rights violations. So when the judges said that he was guilty and that it was genocide and crimes against humanity, it was very important for the victims, but, I believe, also for all the country.” –Claudia Paz y Paz

Linda Alvarado

Linda Alvarado has blazed a trail as both the first Hispanic co-owner of a major league team and the first woman ever involved in a formal bid for ownership of a major league baseball team. Linda is a brilliant businesswomen who has always set her heights high. In 1976, she founded her company Alvarado Construction and continues to serve as its CEO. Alvarado Construction is one of the fastest growing companies in the United States and is now one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the west. She also holds director positions on 5 Fortune 1000 companies and sits on the boards of 3M, Pitney Bowes, the Pepsi Bottling group, and Qwest Communications International. Alvarado co-owns the major league baseball franchise, the Colorado Rockies, and also owns many restaurant franchises.

“Don’t find excuses. Find reasons to succeed.” –-Linda Alvarado

Sylvia Mendez

Sylvia Mendez was born in Santa Ana, California in 1936. At only eight years old, Sylvia was at the center of the landmark 1947 case, Mendez vs. Westminster, where her parents and neighbors fought against segregated education for Mexican children in California. The case banned segregation in California public schools and paved the way for the national ban on segregated schools in Brown vs. Board of Education.

After retiring from a career as a pediatric nurse, Sylvia has devoted her life to telling the story of her family and the legacy of the case. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2011 for her advocacy for “children of all backgrounds and all walks of life.”

Learn more about the Mendez vs. Westminster case here.

“What I tell my students is that they must persevere, and my mother always told me we are children of God and we deserve to be treated equally. Yes, we still have racism and prejudice, but we must persevere.” -Sylvia Mendez

Jennifer Barreto-Leyva

Venezuelan Jennifer Barreto-Leyva is the first Latina plus-size model and is also the Editor-in-Chief of Revista Belleza XL, the first and only magazine for plus-size Latinos worldwide. Jennifer is a CEO, executive producer, and host of Política en Faldas and Politics in Skirts the first worldwide show for women in politics, in English and Spanish.

You can follow Jennifer Barreto-Leyva on Instagram @jenniferbarretoleyva.

“Surround yourself with people with healthy self-esteem – that can be a strong support system. Forget about the idea that you need to look a certain way to be beautiful, you already are beautiful, just the way you are. You are your own beauty icon, your own body goal. Enough of comparing yourself to others! You are you and that is your power.” –-Jennifer Barreto-Leyva

Gabriela Isler

Gabriela Isler is a Venezuelan TV host, fashion model, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2013. She is also the founder of Universe of Blessings Fund, a charity organization devoted to empowering young women and girls and decreasing the rates of adolescent pregnancy and maternal mortality. Gabriela is currently the Communications and Training Director of Miss Venezuela.

You can follow Gabriela on Instagram @gabrielaisler

“I think the Miss Universe title not only gives me the opportunity to become a role model for Latina girls around the world, but to show that beauty isn’t just about the outside.” –-Gabriela Isler

Rigoberta Menchú

Rigoberta Menchú is a K’iche’ Guatemalan human rights activist and feminist. She has devoted her life to advocating for the rights of Guatemala’s Indigenous peoples, both during and after the Guatemalan Civil War, and to promoting Indigenous rights internationally. In 1992, Rigoberta received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1998, she won the Prince of Asturias Award. She is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Rigoberta founded Guatemala’s first Indigenous political party, Winaq, and in 2007 and 2011, Rigoberta ran for president of Guatemala.

Read Rigoberta’s autobiography Crossing Borders, here.

“What I treasure most in life is being able to dream. During my most difficult moments and complex situations I have been able to dream of a more beautiful future.” –-Rigoberta Menchu

Lizzie Velásquez

Lizzie Velásquez is a speaker, activist, author, and YouTuber. This motivational speaker advocates for Latinx people with disabilities. She was born with a rare congenital condition called Marfanoid–progeroid–lipodystrophy syndrome that has caused many health conditions, including the inability to gain weight. She faced immense cyberbullying and rose above the hateful comments to become an anti-bullying advocate and motivational speaker.

You can follow Lizzie on Instagram @littlelizziev.

“Bravery, perseverance, and humor: Once you have them you can tackle anything”.  —Lizzie Velasquez

America Ferrera

America Ferrera is an actress, producer, and director. She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the drama Real Women Have Curves. Ferrera has won many awards including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award among others.

In 2006, she played the lead in the critically-acclaimed television show Ugly Betty. She most recently co-produced and starred as Amy Sosa in the comedy series Superstore.

America co-founded Harness, an advocacy organization with the mission to connect communities through conversation to inspire action and change. She recently launched She Se Puede with Eva Longoria to create a space where Latinas can tell their stories.

You can follow America on Instagram @americaferrera.

To me, the tragedy about this whole image-obsessed society is that young girls get so caught up in just achieving that they forget to realize that they have so much more to offer the world. –-America Ferrera

Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo is an award-winning Afro-Dominican poet and young adult novelist. Her books including The Poet X won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. Elizabeth also wrote With the Fire on High and Clap When You Land.

Read Elizabeth’s books here.

“She knew since she was little, the world would not sing her triumphs, but she took all of the stereotypes and put them in a chokehold until they breathed out the truth.” –Elizabeth Acevedo

Gina Torres

Gina Torres is a Cuban American actress who became the first Afro-Latina to star, create, and produce her own show for USA Network’s Pearson, a spin-off of the long running legal drama, Suits. On September 3, 2020, she was cast as Tommy Vega in the drama series 9-1-1: Lone Star and petitioned for her character to be an Afro-Latina. She is an outspoken advocate for diverse representation in Hollywood.

You can follow Gina on Instagram @iamginatorres.

“It’s not that hard. We need to be in front of the camera, behind the camera, we need to be writing the words, we need to be directing these stories. There’s so much room in the industry. If we all get together and create a system by which we can nurture each other’s talents, bring people under the umbrella and bring them into the fold. Then the pool widens so that you have more to choose from and more to pick from.” –Gina Torres