Spanning two centuries, this collection documents the lives of fifteen remarkable Latinas who witnessed, defined, defied, and wrote about the forces that shaped their lives. As entrepreneurs, community activists, mystics, educators, feminists, labor organizers, artists and entertainers, Latinas used the power of the pen to traverse and transgress cultural conventions.

An exploration of Latinas in the United States from the 1800s, this collection of narrative biographies documents the lives of fifteen remarkable individuals who witnessed, defined, defied, and wrote about the forces that shaped their lives. This anthology profiles Victoria Reid, Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Maria Gertrudis Barcelo, and more.

Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia records the contribution of women of Latin American birth or heritage to the economic and cultural development of the United States. The encyclopedia, edited by Vicki L. Ruiz and Virginia Sánchez-Korrol, is the first comprehensive gathering of scholarship on Latinas. This encyclopedia will serve as an essential reference for decades to come. In more than 580 entries, the historical and cultural narratives of Latinas come to life. From mestizo settlement, pioneer life, and diasporic communities, the encyclopedia details the contributions of women as settlers, comadres, and landowners, as organizers and nuns. More than 200 scholars explore the experiences of Latinas during and after EuroAmerican colonization and conquest; the early-19th-century migration of Puerto Ricans and Cubans; 20th-century issues of migration, cultural tradition, labor, gender roles, community organization, and politics; and much more. Individual biographical entries profile women who have left their mark on the historical and cultural landscape. With more than 300 photographs, Latinas in the United States offers a mosaic of historical experiences, detailing how Latinas have shaped their own lives, cultures, and communities through mutual assistance and collective action, while confronting the pressures of colonialism, racism, discrimination, sexism, and poverty. "Meant for scholars and general readers, this is a great resource on Latinas and historical topics connected with them." -- curledup.com

This Latino history textbook is an outstanding reference source that covers many different Latino groups within a single comprehensive narrative. Latinos make up a vibrant, expanding, and extremely diverse population with a history of being in the Americas that dates back to the early 16th century. Today, Latinos represent the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, yet the history of Latinos is largely unknown to the wider nation. This book tells the larger "story" of Latinos in the United States and describes how they represent a breadth of ethnicities, addressing not only those in very large numbers from countries such as Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador, but also Latino people from Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, Panama, and Costa Rica, as well as indigenous Oaxacans and Mixtecos, among others. Organized chronologically, the book's coverage begins with the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas around 1500 and stretches to the present. Each chapter discusses a particular time period and addresses multiple Latino groups in the United States together in the same narrative. The text is supplemented with interesting sidebars that spotlight topics such as Latino sports figures, authentic recipes, and Latino actors and pop stars. These sidebars help to engage readers and assist them in better understanding the wide range of "the Latino American experience" in the modern context.

This book brings together the most influential and widely known writings of Vicki L. Ruiz, a leading voice in the fields of Chicana/o, Latina/o, women’s, and labor history. For nearly forty years, Ruiz has produced scholarship that has provided the foundation for a rich and nuanced understanding of the ways in which Chicanas and Latinas negotiate the structures impinging on their everyday lives. From challenging familial, patriarchal cultural norms, building interethnic social networks in the neighborhood and workplace, and organizing labor unions, to fighting gender and racial discrimination in the courts, at work, in the schools, and on the streets, Ruiz’s studies have examined the countless struggles, roadblocks, and victories Chicanas and Latinas have faced in the twentieth century and beyond. The articles in this book are organized chronologically to reflect the evolution of Ruiz’s intellectual contributions as well as her commitment to integrating feminist history, theory, and methodology, and show how she has generously offered insights, reflections, and humor in helping us define and shape who we are as mujeres, Chicanas, Latinas, scholars, teachers, and mentors. With its narrative flow and engaging prose, Ruiz’s scholarship connects with academic and public audiences and this collection fulfills a much-needed demand in the teaching of women’s, Chicana/o, Latina/o, and labor history.

The first text of its kind to trace the combined history of Latino groups in the United States from 1500 to the present day. Latinos have lived in North America for over 400 years, arriving decades before the Pilgrims and other English settlers. Yet for many outside of Latino ethnic groups, little is known about the cultures that comprise the Latino community ... surprising considering their increasing presence in the U.S. population—over 50 million individuals at the latest census. This book explores the heritage and history of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Central and South Americans. Unlike similar history surveys on these communities, this book places the 500 years of Latino history into a single narrative. Each chapter discusses the collective group within a particular time period—moving chronologically from 1500 to the present—revealing the shared experiences of community building and discrimination in the United States, the central role of Latinas and Latinos in their communities, and the diversity that exists within the communities themselves.

Pioneers in Librarianship profiles sixty notable librarians who made significant contributions to the field. Librarians chosen for inclusion in this volume met one or more of these three criteria: The librarian conceived a new method for improving library services, invented their own method of book cataloging, or devised an administrative system for libraries to operate under. The librarian is historically famous because he/she was notable historically. The librarian was the first woman or minority to make significant achievements within the field of LIS. The achievements of the librarians profiled here are important because they shaped the field. Many of their theories, ideas, and contributions are still being utilized in libraries today. Librarians profiled here include Melvil Dewey, Carla Hayden, S. R. Ranganathan, Justin Winsor, Charles Coffin Jewett, Katharine Sharp, Pura Belpré, Allie Beth Martin, and John Cotton Dana.