As the Women's and Fair Practices Departments continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we thought it'd be great to highlight a few Hispanic women who have made history in the areas of science, labor, and sports.
Heritage Month, we thought it'd be great to highlight a few Hispanic women who have made history in the areas of science, labor, and sports.
Nancy Lopez is a Mexican-American professional golfer from Torrance, CA. While attending the University of Tulsa, she was named both All-American and Female Athlete of the Year in 1976. After going professional in 1978, she was recognized as both the LGPA Rookie and Player of the Year and as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year - not to mention appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She has won 48 titles in her career and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. Her company, Nancy Lopez Golf makes a full line of women's golf gear and accessories.
Don't Have A Union? Then Start One!
Girl Scout, turned teacher Dolores Huerta realized very quickly that she could do more helping the parents of her students provide them stable lives than by simply teaching their children who often came to school hungry and poorly clothed. As the daughter of a Mexican-American farm worker, she knew first hand the oppression that these workers were subjected to in the workplace. In 1962, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which would later evolve into the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFW). Along with her co-founder Cesar Chavez, she was instrumental in negotiating thehistoric contract between the UFW and the Schenley Wine Company - marking the first time that farm workers bargained with an agricultural enterprise. Huerta was portrayed by Puerto Rican and Cuban actress Rosario Dawson in the movie 'Cesar Chavez'.
Sitting Among the Stars
After receiving her doctorate from Stanford University, Ellen Ochoa was selected by NASA in 1990 to become an astronaut. When she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Shuttle Discovery, she became the first Hispanic woman in the world to go to space. Since then, she has participated in three other space missions and logged over 1,000 hours in space, including being in Mission Control during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. In 2013, Ochoa made history for a second time becoming the first Hispanic and second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Each week during this celebration, the Women’s and Fair Practices Departments will continue to highlight people, historic events and fun and interesting facts so that we can all learn more about the cultures of our Hispanic brothers and sisters. Please feel free to share this information and participate in our upcoming events and activities!