Chicago History Museum Celebrates "Chicago Latina Trailblazers" by Dr. Rita Hernandez, Welcoming Contributing Authors and Emcee Lourdes Duarte

The Chicago History Museum will host a celebration of the book, Chicago Latina Trailblazers, on Tuesday, March 11.

CHICAGO, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A celebration and book signing of the groundbreaking work, Chicago Latina Trailblazers: Testimonios of Political Activism will take place on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Chicago History Museum (CHM), 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, from 6:30-8 p.m. Published in the Fall of 2024, the book profiles fourteen prominent Latinas who made Chicago history. Lourdes Duarte, the Emmy Award-winning co-anchor for the WGN Early Evening News, will emcee the event, featuring appearances from eight of the fourteen contributing authors within Chicago Latina Trailblazers (CLT).

"CLT is an eyewitness view of the unknown history of Mexican and Puerto Rican women activists in Chicago," said Rita Hernandez, PhD, lead editor of the book. "These women were the first to advance agendas, build institutions, forge alliances, and create resources for their communities on a grassroots level. They now share the stories of their legacy as advocates in politics, healthcare, social justice, and education."

Introducing Hernandez at the event will be Dr. Louise Martinez Eggert. The contributing authors who will address attendees include:

• Dr. Rita D. Hernandez, lead editor of CLT, first Latina graduate from the University of Chicago Circle, documentarian, founder of the Hispanic Civil Rights Conference, and community-based scholar
• Dr. Leticia Villarreal Sosa, award-winning social work educator and founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of School Social Work
• Mary Gonzales, leader of the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, cofounder of Esperanza School and El Valor, and United Neighborhood Organization (UNO)
• Marta Cerda, J.D., first Latina in the Chicago Board of Education and founding executive director of the Latino Institute
• Dr. Aida Giachello, healthcare advocate and founder of Midwest Latino Health Research Training and Policy Center, 2005 TIME Magazine's Most Influential Hispanics cover subject
• Virginia Martinez, J.D., one of the first Latina lawyers in Illinois, founder of the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition and MALDEF Midwest Office, and successful champion of a redistricting lawsuit that secured Latino political access
• Luz Maria Solis, M.S., executive producer of the Emmy awarded Mi Escuelita, the first Spanish-language children's educational show in the U.S.
• Reverend Emma Lozano, founder of Centro Sin Fronteras and international advocate for immigrant rights

Speeches will be followed by a Q&A session.

Other contributing authors in attendance and available for book signing include Dr. Elena Mulcahy, former Chicago Public Schools Bureau of Bilingual Education director, and Dr. Elena R. Gutierrez, University of Illinois Chicago professor, author, and reproductive justice advocate.

Dr. Robert Renteria, author of From the Barrio to the Boardroom, will also attend. He advocates for urban non-violence among youth and works in partnership with CLT.

"The Museum is proud to shine a spotlight on these Latinas who have impacted Chicago with their passion for justice and grassroots activism," said Gregory Storms, senior public and community engagement manager at the Chicago History Museum. "Their heritage and accomplishments have shaped the city's history, and it's time to hear their stories."

Cost for the event is $10. Online registration is now open at www.chicagohistory.org/events. 

ABOUT CHICAGO LATINA TRAILBLAZERS

Chicago Latina Trailblazers: Testimonios of Political Activism is a book that explores how Mexican-American and Puerto Rican women have long taken up the challenge to improve the lives of Chicagoans in the city's Latino/a/x/e communities. In Chicago Latina Trailblazers, Dr. Rita D. Hernández, Dr, Leticia Villarreal Sosa, and Elena R. Gutiérrez present testimonies by Latina leaders who blazed new trails and shaped Latina Chicago history from the 1960s through today.

Taking a do-it-all attitude, these women advanced agendas, built institutions, forged alliances, and created essential resources that Latino/a/x communities lacked. Time and again, they found themselves the first Latina to hold their post or part of the first Latino/a/x institution of its kind. Often, early grassroots efforts to address issues affecting themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods grew into larger endeavors. Their experiences ranged from public schools to healthcare to politics to broadcast media, and each woman's story shows how her work changed countless lives and still reverberates across the entire city. Chicago Latina Trailblazers reveals the vision and passion that fueled a group of women in the vanguard of reform. The book is available on Amazon.

SOURCE Rita Hernandez