Antonia Hernandez: A Latina Champion Antonia Hernandez, a Latina who came to the United States at age seven, became a true champion for her community. Antonia Hernandez went from being a little girl who did not understand English to later becoming a lawyer, the first Latina to be appointed staff counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Community Foundation, a position she still holds today. Through these positions, Antonia Hernandez fought for women’s rights, voting rights, funds for public education, bilingual education, health, and other services for the Latino community. Antonia Hernandez’s impact on the Latino community is far-reaching and long-lasting. Antonia Hernandez came from an immigrant family that suffered discrimintation themselves. Antonia Hernandez was born in 1948 in Torreon, Mexico. Antonia Hernandez’s father and grandfather were born in Texas, United States. (Brandman) However, even though they were U.S. Citizens, the U.S. Government forced them to go back to Mexico during the Great Depression because of the lack of employment opportunities. Hernandez and her family returned to the United States when she was eight years old. (Brandman) The family settled in California, where Antonia was enrolled in school despite not speaking any English. Antonia Hernandez did very well in school and used her education to make an impact in the Latino community. After graduating from High School, Antonia Hernandez enrolled in East Los Angeles College. She later transferred to UCLA as part of an affirmative action program. Antonia Hernandez earned a bachelor’s degree in History from UCLA in 1979 (“Social justice advocate Antonia Hernández receives honorary doctorate at Cal State LA Commencement”). Antonia initially planned to become a teacher, but she changed course because she thought she could have a more significant impact as an attorney in the Latino community. Antonia Hernandez went to UCLA Law School where she graduated 1974, and later passed the California Bar Exam that same year (“Social justice advocate Antonia Hernández receives honorary doctorate at Cal State LA Commencement”). Wanting to have an immediate impact in her community right after law school, Antonia began her legal career as a staff attorney for the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice. During her time there, she was part of the legal team that represented Latino women in a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Medical Center, which allegedly performed sterilizations, without consent, on Latino women who had just given birth. Despite the women losing the case, the lawsuit lead to many policy changes regarding women’s consent, including the requirement that the consent form is given in various languages, and that women under age 21 would have 72 hours to think about their choice, and Latino women became more informed about sterilization. This case that Hernandez argued, shined a light on the discrimination many women faced in the California health system, especially Latino women. This case allowed many women to raise their voices and stopped discrimination perpetrated by the California health system. The case shed light on the discrimination suffered by many Latino women, especially young women, who were involuntarily and unknowingly sterilized. After making an impact in the Latino community in California, Antonia Hernandez would go on to become the voice for many Latinos at the Federal level. In 1979, Antonia Hernandez left Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice to become the first Latina staff counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Ted Kennedy (Brandman). At the Judiciary Committee, Antonia Hernandez was now able to have a direct impact on laws that affected the Latino community (Brandman). At the Judiciary Committee, Antonia conducted research and provided information to senators on matters involving immigration and human rights. In a way, Antonia Hernandez was the voice in the U.S. Senate, that spoke for many immigrants by helping senators understand issues that affected immigrants. Later on, she went on to work in Senator Ted Kennedy’s presidential campaign (Brandman). In 1981, after Senator Kennedy loss the Democratic nomination, Antonia Hernandez went back to her roots and took a job as legal counsel for the Mexican American Legal and Education Fund (MADEF) in Washington D.C. In 1985, Antonia Hernandez returned to California, where she became president of MALDEF. As MALDEF’s president, Hernandez helped create bilingual school programs for non-English speakers in Denver, Colorado. Antonia Hernandez had a tremendous impact on the Latino community's rights to education that included the creation of programs and funding. With Hernandez as its president, MALDEF litigated cases fighting for voting rights, school funding, bilingual and multicultural programs, and end practices that prevented Latino candidates from winning elections. During her tenure as president, MALDEF took on a case challenging the school funding system in Texas; the Texas Supreme Court held that wealthier school districts could share their poorer districts' funds (MALDEF's Landmark Fight for Education Equality in Texas). As the head of MALDEF, Hernandez successfully lead a campaign for the right of undocumented students in California to pay the same tuition as state residents. As Hernandez put it during an interview with Civil Rights Journal, “ Without an educated Latino community, our dramatic increase as a percentage of the U.S. population is not going to result in policies that improve our lives as Americans.” (“U.S. Immigration and Migration Reference Library”) Hernandez’s commitment to the Latino community continued even beyond the legal field. After a successful career at MALDEF, in 2004, Antonia Hernandez left to become the president and CEO of the California Community Foundation (CCF). An organization dedicated to helping the residents of L.A. County through donations and different organizations aiming to improve education, housing, immigration, and health, among other things. Antonia Hernandez, as the president of CCF, is able to have a direct impact on the Latino community in California. Through CCF, Hernandez provides micro-loans to low-income women, loans for pre-schools, daycare centers, and community clinics. Antonia Hernandez’s contribution to the Latino community is far-reaching. Her work and dedication to uplifting the Latino community are remarkable and are still going on today. Throughout her career, she continued to work for the Latino and Mexican American Community. As an immigrant, a non-native English speaker, she fought for so many Latino students like her so that they could have access to bilingual education. As a woman and an attorney, she fought for women’s right to reproduce and be well informed before they get sterilized. She also fought to have Latinos represented in politics by fighting voting discrimination against Latino candidates. Antonia Hernandez’s causes have always remained close to home and her roots. Despite the many powerful positions she held, she never forgot about her community. Antonia Hernandez is a true “Latina Champion.” Her commitment to her roots and her community is evident by her work and her contributions to the Latino community. She has been fighting for Latino’s rights ever since she left law school, and she has not stopped. Her work and commitment is inspiring for Latinos and women in general. I admire Antonia Hernandez for all she has done for the Latino Community, and she makes me proud of being a Latina. She is a role model for Mexican-American Women and inspires me to fight for what I want in life. As a Mexican-American, she has set a high standard for us and has proven that anything is possible to fight for in life. I can relate to her that I come from a Mexican-American family whose parents did not get to graduate from school. I am Elizabeth Castaneda, a student enrolled at Hostos Community College/CUNY in Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies with Professor Jerilyn Fisher. This essay has been completed as part of my coursework and in partnership with WomensActivism.NYC.