Latinas Entering the Chat for Women’s Suffrage

August 18th 1920, marks the day that the government wrote it into the law that women had won the right to vote. This is a momentous day because it reflects on a time that women got the chance to have their voices heard. However in 1920, this right was not extended to women of every ethnicity. History states that Latinas didn’t win the right to vote in the United States until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was passed. Nevertheless groups of women banded together and never stopped fighting for their right to have their voices heard in the United States. They were known as: the suffragettes.  

What is a suffragette?

The definition of a suffragette is written as, “a woman seeking the right to vote through an organized protest,” Years after the law had granted women the right to vote, Latinas were still fighting for their right to vote in a country that refused to recognize them as citizens even though they were born in the United States. A few of the most famous Latina suffragettes are Adelina Otero-Warren, Soledad Chávez de Chacón,and Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez. These women dedicated themselves to helping Latinas earn the right to vote. An article published by the American Experience has stated that, “Latinx women contributed to the success of the suffrage movement at both the state and federal levels, particularly with their efforts to reach out to Spanish-speaking women…Puerto Rico, suffragists like Luisa Capetillo worked to attain women’s voting rights,” Earning the right to vote was just one of the many contributions that the Latino community made within the U.S.

The contributions that Latino community made within the U.S.

The Latino community has made numerous contributions to the U.S. such as language, art, music, and food. With these contributions there has been a lot of progress in the U.S. Spanish is now the second most spoken language in the world, Latin art is getting more recognition thanks to museums like the Latino Art Museum, and exhibits like The National Museum of the American Latino. Latin music is one of the most popular genres in the music industry with some of the most successful Latin musicians both past and present that have represented our culture. As for the food, Latin food is one of the most popular food chains in the restaurant business in the U.S. 

Something important to take away from this day is that it is about remembering not just an important day in Latias women’s history but it is a day that celebrates how far we’ve come as a community. Let’s show the world what else we have to offer!