September 15 is the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This time of year is dedicated to celebrating the history, culture, and influence of Latinx (people from or descended from a Latin American country)and Hispanic (people from or descended from a Spanish-speaking country) members of our country who have contributed to many advancements and accomplishments.
Here are some amazing Latinx and Hispanic women who are creating history that every kid (and adult) should learn about.
Diane Guerrero
Monica Ramirez
Monica Ramirez is an activist, civil rights attorney, and author, to name just a few of her titles. Ramirez created the first-ever legal project in the United States that focused on gender discrimination against female farmworkers that later expanded into workplace sexual violence against migrant women. Ramirez is an advocate for worker-led movements and serves as the President of Justice for Migrant Women and the Director of Gender Justice Campaigns for the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Isa Noyola
Isa Noyola is a transgender activist and an ardent leader in the LGBTQIA+ immigrant rights movement. Noyola currently works as deputy director of the Transgender Law Center and is working toward changing laws and policies so that people can live free from discrimination regardless of their sexual or gender identity.
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta is a civil rights activist who fought alongside Cesar Chavez and helped to establish the United Farm Workers organization. Huerta has won numerous awards for her activism, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. She continues to fight for workers' rights as well as women’s rights around the world to this day.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — or AOC as her fans like to call her — is the youngest woman to have ever served in the United States Congress at only 29 years old. Representing New York's 14th congressional district, AOC has helped make progress on many different political issues, such as establishing the Green New Deal, and is constantly fighting for immgiration rights among other progressive platforms.
Shakira
Shakira is famous for her amazing music, but what many people don't know is that she also does humanitarian work with the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help with efforts to achieve universal education. The singer has also been appointed by former President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, which supports the educational success of Hispanic students. In addition to writing and performing award-winning songs and her humanitarian work, she is also the mom of two young children.
Indya Moore
Indya Moore is an actor, model, and activist who does humanitarian work that focuses on transgender youth. In 2020, Moore launched TranSanta, which aimed to let users anonymously gift presents to in-need trans kids and adults.
