Title: 11 influential Hispanic activists you need to know
Headings: 11 influential Hispanic activists you need to know
11 influential Hispanic activists you need to know
SEE ALSO: Latino entrepreneurs have the drive, but are blocked from accessing the tools to succeed
1. Gloria Anzaldúa
2. Joan Baez
3. Cesar Chavez
4. Berta Cáceres
5. Juan Felipe Herrera
6. Sylvia Mendez
7. Lizzie Velásquez
8. Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
9. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan
10. Sandra Cisneros
11. Sophie Cruz
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Content: The Lizzie Velásquez Story, has also made waves at film festivals around the world. 8. Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
Image: Dave Buresh/The Denver Post/Getty
Often considered one of the founders of the Chicano Movement of the 1960s, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales helped organize Mexican Americans in the fight for equality, including the right to unionize, access to education and voting rights. As an activist, Gonzales founded Crusade for Justice, a civil rights and cultural organization that advocated for the rights of Hispanic Americans. He is perhaps most widely known for his poem " Yo Soy Joaquín " — or its English translation "I Am Joaquín" — which confronts cultural multiplicity and the oppression of Chicano Americans in the U.S.
Gonzales was also a talented boxer prior to his activist career, winning the Golden Glove championships in his youth. He died in April 2005, but leaves behind a legacy of Chicano empowerment and pride. 9. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan
Image: National Center for Transgender equality
One of the most vocal advocates for the LGBTQ community in U.S. government, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan has a history of powerful activism, especially for transgender people of color.