The majority of Americans, regardless of race, creed or color, are aware of the major contributions made by prominent Hispanics like Cesar Chavez, Sonia Sotomayor and Roberto Clemente. Trailblazers like Chavez organized and founded the first labor union for deprived farm workers in this country. Sotomayor. the product of a middle-class family in The Bronx, became the first Latina to serve on the United States Supreme Court. And Puerto Rico’s Clemente, the first Hispanic to be inducted in baseball’s Hall of Fame, left us too early while trying to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
While we salute those individuals, there are many other Hispanics who accomplished “firsts” in history that are not quite as well known, but certainly need to be recognized. So in our final segment for Hispanic Heritage Month, it seemed appropriate to honor these heroes from all walks of society, like the amazing Rita Moreno (pictured above).
Richard Cavazos
A tough Texan and military icon, Cavazos was the first Hispanic four star general in the United States Army. He commanded the 65th Infantry Regiment in the Korean War where he was awarded both the Silver Star and Distinguished Service cross for his combat bravery. He also commanded another First Battalion unit in the Vietnam War where is was also decorated for his outstanding leadership. All totaled, Cavazos received 12 battlefield awards in his 33 year career, including a purple heart. Considering the extensive amount of Latinos and Latinas in the modern day military these days, General Cavazos kicked the door of opportunity wide open. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 88 in San Antonio.
Dolores Huerta
Few people are aware that Huerta, now 91, co-founded the National Farmworkers Association (UWF) with the better known Cesar Chavez. She originated the phrase, “Si Se Puede” and fought hard for immigrant and women’s rights her entire life. A native of New Mexico, Huerta is the first Latina to be inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, an honor she received in 1993.
Octaviano Larrazola
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1859, Larrazola immigrated here as a young boy and became a champion for human rights long before it was fashionable to do so. A wave of popularity led Larrazola to become the first Hispanic governor of New Mexico in 1918 and 10 years later, he was elected to become the first Latino United States senator. This interesting man was a maverick lawyer before getting involved in the political spectrum and served on the New Mexico Supreme Court in 1924. But by the time Octaviano made it to D.C. he suffered from many illnesses, and he passed away at home in Albuquerque in 1930.
Silvia Mendez
At the tender age of eight, Silvia Mendez became the center of racial controversy through no fault of her own. Believe it or not, schools in California were mostly segregated during World War II, but Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez wanted their daughter and her siblings to attend an all white school, and attempted to enroll them in 1943. However, the children were denied after the local school superintendent in Westminster declared that children of Mexican descent “were intellectually, culturally and morally inferior to European Americans.” Gonzalo Mendez and four other Mexican families sued the district and won, forcing the governor to end segregation in all public schools. Silvia would live a rewarding but quiet life as a registered nurse for 30 years, although still an activist behind the scenes. In 2011, Mendez was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then President Obama.
Gabriela Mistral
Born in Chile in 1889, Mistral was a poet and educator who became the first Hispanic to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945. Mistral belonged to the world and traveled extensively. But her classrooms were mostly in the United States, teaching at Columbia University, Vassar College for Women and the University of Puerto Rico. Gabriela left us far too early at age 67 in New York.
Rita Moreno
The first Latina to ever win an Oscar for her amazing performance in the 1962 musical West Side Story, The Bronx born Moreno has enjoyed a 70 year career on Broadway, the silver screen and in television. She has also scored the show business “hat trick,” winning a Peabody, Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards, and is still going strong at 89 years young.
Ellen Ochoa
An intellect with advanced degrees from San Diego State and Stanford University, Ochoa was an engineer by trade when she was selected by the NASA program in 1990, and a year later became the first Hispanic astronaut to be launched into space. Ellen was aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on a nine day mission, then later became the first Latina to be named director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Ochoa, 63, is also an accomplished concert flautist and took the musical instrument along with her on the Discovery voyage.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
There were many “firsts” for this tough Cuban educator turned politician. Ros-Lehtinen was the first Hispanic to serve on both the Florida state senate and house, but also turned heads for 29 years in D.C. as a congresswoman representing the 18th and later the 29th districts in the southern part of the state. As an immigrant from Havana, Ileana was a feisty opponent of the Cuban government and once called for the assassination of Fidel Castro. She also sponsored bills to tighten the sanctions on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, and was a key member on several House committees. Now retired at age 69, Ros-Lehtinen is enjoying life mostly at home in Miami, but remains a powerful lobbyist for several interests around the world, including the Middle East.
Ruben Salazar
This Ciudad Juarez native immigrated to Texas with his family as an infant in 1929, and grew up in El Paso with an interest in journalism and Mexican-American rights. After working for a local newspaper, Salazar landed a job with the Los Angeles Times and became the first key reporter and spokesman for the Chicano movement throughout the 1960’s. He also organized numerous rallies in Los Angeles that became a thorn in the side of the LAPD. That relationship somewhat worsened when Salazar left the Times to become program director for the Spanish language television station KMEX. On August 20th, 1970, Salazar was covering an event called the National Chicano Moratorium March protesting the Vietnam War and the large number of Chicanos killed in the conflict. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department moved in to halt the protests, and a tear gas projectile struck Salazar and immediately killed him. Chicano leaders called it an assassination, but no members of law enforcement were ever charged in the incident. Salazar was only 42, and his family agreed to an out of court settlement with the city of Los Angeles.
Ritchie Valens
Only 17 when he was tragically killed, Richard Valenzuela, known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was a guitarist and recording artist who introduced Chicano rock and roll during the heyday of Elvis Presley. Valens mastered his unique sound with his first hit, “Come on Let’s Go” and then countered with the song “La Bamba,” which sold over a million records. That was also the title of a movie based on the Mexican-American’s life story released in 1987. The flip side of “La Bamba” was a slow dance ballad, “Donna,” which is still played at quinceañeras throughout Los Angeles. The Valens sound is currently found in music performed by Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and even the great Carlos Santana. Valens died in a plane crash in 1959 along with other musicians Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson while touring in Iowa. Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
This list of 10 notable figures in Latino history are only capsule profiles selected by the staff at hispanichorizons.com. Please feel free to surf the internet for more information on these icons, or suggest someone else we might have overlooked in this story.
-Esteban “Steve” Randel
