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From September 15 to October 15 each year, during Hispanic Heritage Month, Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) honors the contributions of Hispanic Americans. During this observation month, we underscore the histories and cultures of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Without a doubt, this month is a great opportunity to highlight the contributions made by Hispanic Americans.

Thus, TTC highlights the lives of several Hispanic Americans who opened doors for future generations. In addition, they helped to change the landscape of the country for the better. Far from comprehensive, this list is a good start for building self-esteem and raising awareness.

TTC’s 2022 Honor Roll of Hispanic Americans: 7 Incredible Lives

A Passionate Activist Who Fought Bravely for Hispanic Civil Rights

1) César Estrada Chávez (1927-1993)

Born to a Mexican American family in Arizona, Cesar Chavez was a passionate activist. Indeed, he fought for the rights of farm workers in the United States. In San Jose, he helped set up a chapter of the Community Service Organization, a nascent civil rights organization for Latinos in California. Meeting fellow activist Dolores Huerta, they founded the National Farm Workers Association, becoming primary figures for Hispanic civil rights in the United States. Proclaimed by President Barack Obama in 2014, Cesar Chavez Day is a U.S. federal commemorative holiday on March 31 every year. Cesar Chavez Day honors the birth and legacy of the civil rights and labor movement activist. He truly was a powerful voice for change and reform.

A Strong Woman Who Defied the Odds to Help People in Need

2) Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta

Born in 1930, Dolores Huerta is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association. The NFA later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers. Despite ethnic and gender bias, she organized the 1965 Delano strike of 5,000 grape workers and was the lead negotiator in the contract settlement. Throughout her work with the UFW, Huerta has advocated for safer working conditions, including eliminating harmful pesticides. She is an inspirational example of a woman defying the odds to foster change.

A Beloved Immigrant Actress Who Won Just About Everything

3) Rita Moreno

Since her fierce portrayal of Anita in 1961’s West Side Story, Rita Moreno has been one of the most famous Hispanic American actresses in the world. By winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role, she became the first-ever Hispanic American woman to receive an Academy Award. Born Rosa Alverio in 1931 in Puerto Rico, she immigrated to New York City with her mom in 1936. Moreno changed her last name when her mother remarried. In 1977, she became only the third person ever to achieve the coveted EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award). Renowned in the entertainment industry, she co-starred in Stephen Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story in 2021. She also has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Peabody Career Achievement Award, and the TCA Career Achievement Award.

A Magician with a Baseball Bat Who Gave Back to His People

4) Roberto Clemente (1934-1972)

A star for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Roberto Clemente paved the way for Hispanics and Latinos in Major League Baseball. A magician with a baseball bat in hand, Clemente became the first Latin American to win a World Series as a starting player in 1960. In 1972, while on his way to Nicaragua to deliver aid to earthquake victims, he died in a plane crash. In his honor, Major League Baseball renamed the Commissioner’s Award for the player who exemplifies all-around sportsmanship and community outreach to the Roberto Clemente Award. Clemente was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1973. Thus, he became the first Latin American and Caribbean player to receive this honor. Clemente also held free baseball clinics for children in many Latin American countries, inspiring young people to follow in his footsteps.

A Brilliant Astronaut Who Broke Ground in Science for Hispanic Women

5) Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic American woman to go to space with a nine-day mission in 1993. Years after her paternal grandparents immigrated from Mexico; she was born in Los Angeles in 1958. She finished her work on a master’s degree and doctorate from Stanford University’s department of electrical engineering in 1985. Impressively, on her first Space Shuttle Discovery mission, she broke new ground by studying the Earth’s ozone layer. Later, Ochoa became the first Hispanic American director of the Johnson Space Center in 2013. Since retiring, she continues to advocate for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Without a doubt, she is an inspirational figure of great achievement. Moreover, she breaks ground that seemed unbreakable as a Hispanic woman.

A Supreme Court Judge Who Became the First Hispanic on the High Court

6) Sonia Sotomayor

A Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent born in 1954, Sonia Sotomayor broke a big glass ceiling. In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated her as the first Hispanic to serve on the United States Supreme Court. In addition, as a federal court judge, she became famous for helping major league baseball resolve the long strike of 1995. After graduating Phi Betta Kappa from Princeton University, she received her legal degree from Yale Law School. Sotomayor believes it is the role of lawyers to advocate for their clients. In addition, she vigorously defends the rights of defendants. On the court, she is known for her impassioned dissents on issues of race, gender, and ethnic identities. Above all, she is a true Hispanic role model for both boys and girls.

A Passionate Educator Who Believed in the Future of His Students

7) Jaime Escalante (1930-2010)

A passionate Bolivian American, Jaime Escalante was known for teaching calculus to high school students from 1974 to 1991 at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. Escalante took on the challenge of a school on the verge of losing its accreditation. Later, as the subject of the 1988 film Stand and Deliver, in which Edward James Olmos famously portrayed him, his passion for teaching became famous. Moreover, determined to change the status quo, he told his students that a proper education could change the future. Thus, math would lead to jobs in engineering, electronics, and computers. Escalante became a national figure when his math enrichment program showed successful results. TTC believes in his model of community outreach and inspiration. Most importantly, his work underscored the importance of education in the Hispanic community. In 2016, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in his likeness.

Tarzana Treatment Centers Celebrate Iconic Hispanic Americans

With a belief in the American dream, TTC celebrates Hispanic Americans. Indeed, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when Hispanic Americans’ past and present contributions need to be emphasized. Such contributions raise both self-esteem and awareness.