History books tend to be filled with impactful figures that have in some way helped evolve our culture, politics, science, and life as it is today. We find pages packed with endless tributes to individuals who are later immortalized in classroom discussions. Even though some are celebrated, others are thoroughly forgotten. More often than not, the forgotten figures tend to be women.
For Women’s History Month, and beyond it, we should challenge the silence that social normalities have put upon them. This article seeks to visualize some of those stories that have gone untold far too long. It acknowledges, as well as celebrates, Puerto Rican women whose work and contributions have not been deemed as important enough to be taught, even though they were an essential part of our history.
Luisa Capetillo
It’s not possible to start talking about prominent Puerto Rican figures without mentioning Luisa Capetillo. Born the 28th of October in 1879, Capetillo was a journalist, suffragette, and feminist pioneer who challenged 20th century social norms. She worked as a reader in a tobacco factory, where she also served as part of the Federation of Tobacco Rollers affiliated with the Free Federation of Workers in Puerto Rico. Capetillo was also known for being the first Puerto Rican woman to ever wear pants, firstly in 1919, for which she was later arrested.
Lola Rodríguez de Tió
Another important writer in this list is the iconic Lola Rodríguez de Tió, a dedicated poet and revolutionary who advocated for the independence of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Her infamous lyrics of the original version of “La Borinqueña” still make her a prominent figure in Puerto Rican history and literature.
Herminia Tormes Garcia
Herminia Tormes Garcia was the first Puerto Rican woman to practice law and serve as a judge on the island, and the first woman to ever graduate from the University of Puerto Rico’s Law School, belonging to the institution’s second graduating class. She was also the first woman who ever presented a case before the Boston jurisdiction of the United States Court. In the early 1900s, Tormes Garcia advocated for civil and incarcerated women’s rights. She also founded, alongside her brother, a vocational school to educate prisoners and help them find employment upon release.
Lolita Lebrón
Lolita Lebron, a prominent member of the Puerto Rico Nationalist Party, was an activist best known for leading the 1954 armed attack on the United States Congress, an act made in protest against Puerto Rico’s colonial status. “When terror wore lipstick” some tabloids read at the time, fixating on her bold red lipstick and the heels she wore as political history unfolded.
Sylvia del Villard Moreno
This list couldn’t be complete without some art history. Sylvia del Villard deserves wider recognition for Afro-Boricua visibility as well as cultural affirmation in the arts. She was an actress, dancer, and activist born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Independently, she founded El Coqui Afro-Boricua Theater Company as an exponent of Afro culture on the island and the Antilles, which gained international recognition. Later in 1977, she also founded the Luis Palés Matos Theater in San Juan. Throughout her artistry, she manifested protest into performance while at the same time challenging racial discrimination.
Julia de Burgos
An honorary but essential mention in this list is the poet Julia de Burgos. Though she’s most widely recognized for her literary brilliance, she remains a quintessential figure in Puerto Rican culture and political consciousness. Throughout her writings, she explores Puerto Rican identity, culture, and past. She’s also known for being a precursor of the literary, as well as artistic, movement in New York. Her legacy was immortalized in the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center in New York, which promotes visual, performing and literary arts as well as preserving Latino heritage. This made her one of Latin America’s greatest writers.
These women, and countless others, helped shape and preserve Puerto Rico’s cultural identity as we know it today. Throughout the arts, literature, political action, and even resilience, they challenged the system that tried to silence them and became a foundation of our present. By acknowledging them, were not just honoring the past, but also ensuring that their legacy lives on, and not just in the month of March.