Nydia Velázquez learned about politics while sitting around her family’s dinner table each evening. Her father, who worked in Puerto Rico’s sugarcane fields, talked to his nine children about the importance of worker’s rights. He also taught them that they had a responsibility to help their community. Young Nydia took his words to heart. After earning two college degrees, she decided to put them to use helping the Puerto Rican people of New York City. She became the first Hispanic woman to hold a seat on the city council before her historic run for Congress in 1992. Her victory in that election made her the first Puerto Rican woman in the United States House of Representatives. Learn more about Nydia Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican Congresswoman in this book.

The ink on the U.S. Constitution had hardly enough time to dry before American politics got its start. America has come a long way since those first days, when white males dominated politics. This edifying volume highlights women in Congress and other high political positions as well as men and women from the LGBTQ+ community, such as Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay U.S. senator. Readers will also learn about politicians holding office from various economic and social backgrounds, races, cultures, and abilities. For example, Congressman Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma is one of only two Native Americans who have served in the 115th Congress.

Contains profiles, contextual essays, historical images, and appendices that provide information about the 229 women who have served in Congress from 1917 through 2006.

In August 1972, Newsweek proclaimed that “the person in Washington who has done the most for the women’s movement may be Richard Nixon.” Today, opinions of the Nixon administration are strongly colored by foreign policy successes and the Watergate debacle. Its accomplishments in advancing the role of women in government have been largely forgotten. Based on the “A Few Good Women” oral history project at the Penn State University Libraries, A Matter of Simple Justice illuminates the administration’s groundbreaking efforts to expand the role of women—and the long-term consequences for women in the American workplace. At the forefront of these efforts was Barbara Hackman Franklin, a staff assistant to the president who was hired to recruit more women into the upper levels of the federal government. Franklin, at the direction of President Nixon, White House counselor Robert Finch, and personnel director Fred Malek, became the administration’s de facto spokesperson on women’s issues. She helped bring more than one hundred women into executive positions in the government and created a talent bank of more than a thousand names of qualified women. The Nixon administration expanded the numbers of women on presidential commissions and boards, changed civil service rules to open thousands more federal jobs to women, and expanded enforcement of antidiscrimination laws to include gender discrimination. Also during this time, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment and Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments into law. Featuring a new forward by Sara Eisen, this updated edition of A Matter of Simple Justice celebrates the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States through the story of Barbara Hackman Franklin and those “few good women” and shows how the advances that were made in this time by a Republican presidency both reflected the national debate over the role of women in society and took major steps toward equality in the workplace for women.

Contents: (1) Recent Developments: 111th, 110th, 109th Congress; Non-Congress. Developments; (2) Background: Early Governance of Puerto Rico (PR); Development of the Const. of PR; Fed. Relations Act; Internat. Attention; Supreme Court Decisions; (3) Status Debates and Votes, 1952-1998: 1967 Plebiscite; 1991 Referendum; 1993 Plebiscite; 1998 Action in the 105th Cong.; 1998 Plebiscite; (4) Fed. Activity After 1998; (5) Issues of Debate on Political Status. Appendices: (A) Brief Chronology of Status Events Since 1898; (B) Puerto Rico Status Votes in Plebiscites and Referenda, 1967-1998; (C)Congress. Activity on Puerto Rico¿s Political Status, 1989-1998; (D) Summary of Legislative Debates and Actions. Tables.

“People do not define you,” Soledad O’Brien’s Cuban mother repeatedly told her children. “You define yourself.” And so this mixed-race, first-generation Latina American would go on to succeed in her field, ultimately becoming an anchor for CNN. O’Brien’s remarks, like the others included in this volume, reflect on what it means to be Latino in the United States. For her, “It’s succeeding, fulfilling the dream and then turning around and grabbing everybody else and making it happen for them too.” The importance of education is a common refrain in the lives of the leaders represented here. Many reference one particular teacher or mentor who made a difference. The late Reverend Father Virgilio Elizondo, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, said his fifth-grade teacher changed his life. She taught him to love school and learning. Others remember the sacrifices made by parents so that their children could have more opportunities for a better life. In all, these writings are both a testament to perseverance and a guide to life, for readers of all backgrounds. Originally presented at the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series in Washington, DC, and other major cities, the personal stories included in this book are all by successful Latinos involved in a variety of occupations, from politics and sports to education and activism. Contributors include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; former general manager of the New York Mets, Omar Minaya; and Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa, the Chancellor of the University of Texas System. Their words will inspire readers of all ages to follow their dreams and help those less fortunate.

Examines the history of Puerto Rican immigration to the United States mainland, discussing why Puerto Ricans come, what their lives are like after they arrive, where they settle, and customs they bring from home.