During Women Empowerment Week, we all come together to celebrate women’s impact in history, society, and the world itself. We all know famous female characters that helped shape the world like: Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousafzai, Gloria Steinem, Harriett Tubman, Angelina Jolie, Rosa Parks, and many more. But for this article, and considering the fact of our location, we will be focusing on Puerto Rican female icons.
People who are icons mean that they’re regarded as a representative symbol of something… we have a lot of those. Women in Puerto Rico have been crucial to its existence and essence, starting with legendary Taíno figures like Anacaona (warrior princess) and Yuiza (the only female Cacique chief), and spanning to our present time, with women like Gina Rodríguez, Jennifer Lopez, and Olga Tañón. We will present 12 female icons that were the first Puerto Ricans to pave the way for others and to leave their mark in the world. There are way more than just 12 icons, so you can check them out in our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page during Women Empowerment Week.
1. Iris Chacón
Photo credit: http://allstarpics.famousfix.com/pictures/iris-chacon
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 7, 1950, Iris Chacón is a singer, dancer, and actress. She was one of the most prevalent entertainers, often nicknamed as “La Bomba Latina” and “La Vedette de América”. During her childhood, she trained in ballet, jazz, and modeling. Soon after, she would excel in her artistic goals while studying Natural Medicine at the University of Puerto Rico. She rose to fame after appearing in local TV stations, launching three albums, and having her own show called “El show de Iris Chacón”. Her show would also air in the United States, eventually being interviewed by David Letterman in the mid ’80s. She’s known for her strong performance attitude, her pride in her appearance, a sex-symbol-like confidence, and her recent autobiography titled “Yo soy Iris Chacón”. We consider her an icon of women empowerment because she was a hard working entertainer that had absolutely no shame in being who she was; she is still remembered fondly nowadays. Her hips definitely don’t lie!
2. Felisa Rincón de Gautier
Photo credit: Pinterest
Or as people call her, Doña Fela, Felisa was born in Ceiba, Puerto Rico on January 9, 1897. She was the first woman to be elected as the Mayor of a capital city in the Americas, becoming the mayor of San Juan for 22 years, representing the Popular Democratic Party. She was born as the oldest of 9 children, eventually becoming a caregiver to her siblings at age 12 when her mother passed away. Even though the social standards of her time limited her educational opportunities, she broke those barriers by studying medicine and pharmaceuticals, and became a pharmacist. She was a pioneer in the movement that supported women’s political rights, she was one of the first women to vote in Puerto Rico, and she created the concept of “headstarts” for children’s education, the idea later being adapted by President John F. Kennedy after his visit to Puerto Rico in 1961.
She worked to promote the participation of Hispanics in the electoral process in the United States. She was also known for her expressive sense of fashion, opening her own successful couture store called “Felisa’s Style Shop” and collecting hand fans. Apart from her political and sewing talents, she excelled as a florist. During her years in office, her main interest was helping people from poor sectors of the island, free medical services, and organizing many events for underprivileged children, including the time when she brought “snow” to the children of La Perla. Doña Fela received many awards and accolades, including “Woman of the Americas”, and became the first Puerto Rican to receive that award. She worked very hard after leaving office, dedicating the rest of her life to public service and philanthropy. She passed away on September 16, 1994 at 97 years old with only $70 left in her bank account, having given away the rest to charity.
3. Isabel Rosado
Photo credit: Workers World
Or Doña Isabelita, Isabel was born in Ceiba, Puerto Rico on November 5, 1907. She was an educator, social worker, activist, and a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. She studied Education at the University of Puerto Rico, later becoming a teacher for children who lived in rural areas in her hometown of Ceiba and Humacao for 14 years. She became a member of the nationalist movement after hearing about the Ponce Massacre of 1937 on the radio, later following Pedro Albizu Campos. Isabel was imprisoned three times for her involvement in the nationalist party, always saying that she would fight out of love, not hate. Doña Isabelita would later spend the rest of her life as a seamstress and participating in all kinds of movements against imperialist powers, most recently the uprising of Vieques against the U.S. Navy establishment at 93 years old. She passed away on January 13, 2015 at 107 years old. Doña Isabelita is an icon because of her perseverance and strength to fight and create awareness for what she believed in, never forgetting her roots, and the urge to help others along the way.
4. Rita Moreno
Photo credit: Latin Trends
Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno is best known as the first Puerto Rican to win all four major entertainment honors: an Emmy in 1977, an Academy Award (Oscar) in 1961, a Tony in 1975, and a Grammy in 1972. She also won a Golden Globe in 1961, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2004, a National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2009, a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among many other awards and honors. She is famously known for her role as Anita in “West Side Story”, making her the first Latina and the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award. Rita has worked on many films, albums, TV shows, and Broadway shows. She broke stereotypical barriers of the Latino community in the film industry and in her personal life as well, making her a successful triple threat. Rita is an icon because of her involvements in film, her many talents, and her wisdom as an entertainer.
5. Lolita Lebrón
Photo credit: En Caribe
Born in Lares, Puerto Rico on November 19, 1919, Lolita Lebrón was an activist and nationalist who advocated independence and feminist ideals. She was 18 years old when the Ponce Massacre of 1937 occurred, urging her to become a part of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. After moving to New York at 21 years old, she worked as a seamstress, occasionally being fired from several jobs for protesting against discrimination towards Puerto Rican workers. She is most famously known for leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954 along with Rafael Cancel Miranda and Irving Flores. Because of that, she is considered a controversial figure by many, but for others she is admired for her attempt to shed light on the political status of Puerto Rico, saying that she was not looking to kill, but to die for Puerto Rico. After being pardoned in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, she received a heroine’s welcome after arriving in Puerto Rico. She continued to advocate for independence for the rest of her life, including the protests against the U.S. Navy establishment in Vieques at 81 years old. She passed away on August 1, 2010 at 91 years old. Even though she is considered the most controversial figure on this list, we believe she is an icon because of her strength and willpower, taking a role that women in her time would not have taken, even risking her life for her country.
6. Chita Rivera
Photo credit: Unsung Broadway
Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero to Puerto Rican parents in Washington D.C. on January 23, 1933, Chita Rivera is an actress, dancer, singer, and performer, best known for originating the role of Anita in the original Broadway production of “West Side Story” from 1957 to 1958, receiving her first Tony nomination. She was also one of the first actresses to originate the role of Velma Kelly on Broadway’s “Chicago”. She received her first Tony award in 1985 with “The Rink”, alongside Liza Minelli. She is known for her extensive filmography, television work, and stage accolades. She holds the record for the most individual Tony nominations, along with Julie Harris. Chita became the first Hispanic woman and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor Award in 2002, and she also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 from President Barack Obama. Chita is an icon because she paved the way for other Puerto Ricans, such as Rita Moreno, with her numerous talents.
7. Julia de Burgos
Photo credit: Informacionaldesnudo.com
Probably one of the most beloved Puerto Rican figures, Julia de Burgos was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico on February 17, 1914. She was a poet, educator, advocate for Puerto Rican independence, and a civil right activist for women, feminism, and Afro-Caribbean writers. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at 19 years old with a degree in teaching, later becoming a teacher in Feijoo Elementary School in Naranjito. One of her best known poems is “Río Grande de Loíza”, expressing her nostalgia and pain for Puerto Rico, using the river as a personification and metaphor. Her poetry is known for beautifully expressing topics such as internal conflict, hope, pain, feminism and nostalgia, usually using her own personal experience as a source of inspiration. She broke conventional barriers of women’s standards in society, fighting for social causes through her poetry and immersing herself in it. She is highly celebrated in Puerto Rico, with many literary events, monuments, schools, honors, and centers named after her. She passed away on July 6, 1953 at 39 years old from pneumonia, later given a hero’s burial at the Municipal Cementary of Carolina. Julia is an icon through the beauty of her poetry and her obstacles, which she tried so hard to overcome, yet always found depth in it.
8. Miriam Colón
Photo credit: Wikipedia.org
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on August 20, 1936, she is an actress and the founder of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre in New York City. She learned to act when her first acting teacher, Marcos Colón, let her observe the students in the drama department of the University of Puerto Rico. She was later awarded with many scholarships. Miriam became the first Puerto Rican to be accepted in Actors Studio after auditioning only once. After many years of working in the film industry, in 1961 she starred alongside Marlon Brando in “One-eyed Jacks”. In 1983, she played the role of Tony Montana’s mother in “Scarface”, among many more film and theatre accolades. Miriam is considered one of the most important actresses of Puerto Rico, and for that she is an icon.
9. Marisol Malaret
Photo credit: Topicstock.pantip.com
Born in Utuado, Puerto Rico on October 13, 1949, she became the first Miss Puerto Rico to win the title of Miss Universe on the Miss Universe pageant in 1970. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with an associate’s degree in Secretarial Science. According to the organization, her strong will, impeccable ethics, and stunning beauty made her a crowd favorite in the local contest. Marisol is an icon because she paved the way for the Puerto Rican modeling industry, inspiring the next four Puerto Rican Miss Universe title-holders, making Puerto Rico the third country with the most wins in that pageant.
10. Sonia Sotomayor
Photo credit: Oyez
Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City on June 25, 1954, she became the first Hispanic and Latina Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; she is also the third female to receive the position. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton University in 1976 and received her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1979, also being an advocate for the hiring of Latino faculty in both schools. She has received many honors from different universities, the Outstanding Latino Professional Award in 2006, and the Katherine Hepburn medal, which recognized women who change the world they live in, among many others. She has been identified with concerns for the rights of defendants, calls for reform of the criminal justice system, and making dissents on issues of race, gender, and ethnic identity. Sonia is an icon because of her intelligence, wisdom, and excellence in her job as a judge, bringing justice to those who need it and deserve it. She is proud of her roots and maintains them wherever she is.
11. Olga D. González Sanabria
Photo credit: Nasa.gov
Born in Patillas, Puerto Rico, Olga is a scientist and inventor and in 2002 she became the highest-ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center. She is also the Director of the Engineering and Technical Services, responsible for planning and directing services, like engineering, fabrication, testing, facility, management, and aircraft services. She helped develop the “Long Cycle-Life Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries”, which are a crucial element to the power system of the International Space Station. Olga graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. She has been working at NASA for 28 years. In 2003, she was inducted in to the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame under the category of “Scientist, inventor, and executive”. She has received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1993, the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership in 2002, the Woman of Color in Technology Career Achievement in 2000, and the HENAAC Award in Engineering and Science in 2007. Olga is also a mentor to students of underrepresented groups and provides them with opportunities to gain experiences. Olga is an icon for being an exceptional example of a woman working in STEM, which people are trying to encourage more. She is a symbol of perseverance, intelligence, creativity and leadership. Also the fact that she works at NASA is already cool enough!
12. Monica Puig
Photo credit: Fox News Latino
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 27, 1993, Monica became the first athlete to win a gold medal for Puerto Rico at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is a tennis player, starting her career with her first tournament in 2007 when she was 14 years old. In 2014, she reached the world title of the 41st best female tennis player (WTA), and then increased to the 32nd spot after her win in the Olympics. She won the women’s singles, defeating some of the world’s best female tennis players, such as Polona Hercog, Anastasia Pavlyvuchenkova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Laura Siegemund, Petra Kvitová, and Angelique Kerber. She was considered the underdog in the competition, yet she won. She currently continues to excel in her career as a tennis player. Monica is probably our newest and youngest icon, yet one we hold very dear, because she paved the way for young athletes who are following their dreams in the athletic industry. Her Olympic medal win literally shook Puerto Rico; every single person was staring at a TV! And her positive reception even reduced crime statistics around the months of July and August.
These women are powerful, inspirational, and legendary. Many of them fought for rights and ideals that we take for granted nowadays, which is why we should appreciate their efforts and follow their examples! Puerto Rican women have been present in all aspects of education, sciences, entertainment, arts, politics, religion, military, and history. Not all of them are known or recognized; some are overshadowed by other figures, which is why we need to recognize everyone’s input and share.
Info credits from Wikipedia, Cienciapr.org, and various Google sites. Article image from Pinterest.