8/04/2009

Boricua Legislative Pioneer Olga Méndez Dies at 84


El Barrio, New York (UCTP Taino News) - Olga A. Méndez, the first Boricua woman elected to a state legislature in the continental United States, died last Wednesday at her East Harlem home. Méndez (84) represented "El Barrio" (East Harlem) and parts of the Bronx in the New York State Senate for 26 years.

Responding to the news from Boriken (Puerto Rico), Roger Guayacan Hernandez stated that
Méndez “was well-respected both in New York and Boriken for being a true pioneer for women's issues and family rights."

Hernandez, a Liaison for the United Confederation of Taino People also noted that the former Senator “was well-versed in local history and she supported the efforts of the UCTP”.


Born in Mayagüez, Boriken on Feb. 5, 1925, Mendez moved to New York City in the 1950s. She was proud of her heritage and insisted on being known as Puerto Rican and rejected the terms Hispanic and Latino.


UCTPTN 08.04.2009

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