Since her parents are both undocumented immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, Cruz has been working tirelessly to ensure her mom and dad can stay in the U.S. Today, the Sylvia Rivera Law ProjectĬarries on her legacy by ensuring that “all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.” Sophie Cruzīorn in 2010, Sophie Cruz is an activist for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans - or DAPA. “Throughout her life, fought against the exclusion of transgender people, especially transgender people of color, from the larger movement for gay rights,” writes Emma Rothberg, a National Women’s History Museum (NWHM )Predoctoral Fellow in Gender Studies, for the NWHM. Photo Courtesy: Valerie Shaff/WikimediaĪs seen by her dedication to supporting her unhoused neighbors at the Christopher Street docks, Rivera was an advocate for those who were left behind by the mainstream gay rights movement - that is, those who were assimilationist and not fighting for total liberation. After throwing the second Molotov cocktail at the police during the Stonewall uprising, a then-17-year-old Rivera refused to leave the uprising for several nights, saying, “I’m not missing a minute of this-it’s the revolution!”Īfter the riots, Rivera helped lead demonstration with the Gay Liberation Front, and, in 1971, she co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) alongside Johnson, thus committing herself, and STAR, to helping unhoused drag queens, gay youth and trans women. Johnson, self-identified as a drag queen. Taken in at a young age by a group of local New York City drag queens, Sylvia Rivera was a gay liberation and transgender rights activist who, like her friend Marsha P. “I’m gonna turn them around and use them as a ladder to climb up to my goals.” Both powerful and funny, her presentation reveals a list of tools that everyone can use to release the hold negativity has over their lives. “Tell me those negative things,” Velasquez says. In the talk, Velásquez shares the coping mechanisms she’s developed and describes how they’ve helped her turn negativity into a vehicle for growth. But what really put her on the map was her TED Talk. In 2015, Velásquez released a documentary about her life. As a result, she’s faced a lot of cyberbullying, ableism and negativity throughout her life. Lizzie VelásquezĪuthor and motivational speaker Lizzie Velásquez was born with a rare genetic disorder that makes her unable to gain weight. For a more in-depth look at the nuance of language as it relates to terms like “Hispanic” and “Latinx,” check out this informative primer from. Some of the featured figures may identify as Hispanic American, while others may be working in the United States but from Spanish-speaking countries in South America and Central America. Here, we’re focusing on Hispanic activists and leaders who have made a difference in both the United States and Puerto Rico. In our other Hispanic Heritage Month articles centering on films, TV shows and books, we focused solely on the Hispanic American experience. Dominican journalist Amanda Alcántara perhaps puts it best in an interview for an article entitled “ The Problem With Latinidad,” saying that terms like Hispanic often create “a monolith… of an entire continent when every single country and every single community has their own history.” Editor’s Note: There are certainly limitations and nuances that come with identifying language.
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