Featured on the Mural
Biographies were submitted by each Poderosa. Each is uniquely different, and true to the voice of the women who wrote them.
60+ years of age
“El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz” –Benito Juarez
“La paz no es solamente la ausencia de la guerra; mientras haya pobreza, racismo, discriminacion, y exclusión difícilmente podremos alcanzar un mundo de paz.” –Rigoberta Menchu
“Once Social Change begins, It Cannot be Reversed. You Cannot Uneducate the Person who has Learned to Read. You Cannot Humiliate the Person who Feels Pride. You Cannot Oppress the People who are Not Afraid Anymore.” –Cesar Chavez
“Together we can create better systems that honor human dignity and empower people with the skills and resources they need to succeed.”
– Rachel Rios
“Today I refuse to be silenced. Daily a clarion call for justice rings loudly and unabashedly in my soul as I rail against harsh and cruel immigration policies and other forms of oppression and inequities. La lucha sigue! It is resistance that rebuilds and heals.”
–Dr. Rhonda Rios Kravitz
40-60 years of age
“Great moral courage is required to voice our dissent against educational policies and practice that betray students from oppressed communities, rendering them disposable and expendable.”
–Antonia Darder
J. Andrea (yAyA) Amezcua Porras
“Write with your eyes like painters, with your ears like musicians, with your feet like dancers. You are the truthsayer with quill and torch. Write with your tongues on fire.” –Gloria Anzaldua
Under 40 years of age
“Ask for my papers, I will show you my diploma.” -Undocumented Student Protest
“An action a day keeps oppression away.” -Alma Lopez
59 Chicana/Latinx Poderosas
We have assembled a list of 59 Chicana/Latinx Poderosas, inspirational women, whose voices are changing the landscape for women of color in the greater Sacramento region. They were nominated by community members. Their work as artists, academicians, community organizers and leaders are grounded in empowerment, equity, and social justice. They have demonstrated their compassion, perseverance, courage, and leadership by engaging in the difficult work of fostering human dignity and addressing biases and systemic barriers. They are making a difference for disenfranchised, disempowered, less privileged oppressed groups and serve as powerful role models for young women of color.
Norma Alcala
Francine Mata
Jasmin Aleman
Lina Mendez
J. Andrea (yAyA) Amezcua Porras
Cristina Mora
Samantha Anaya
Melissa Moreno
Xochitl Arellano
Amagda Perez
Anita Barnes
Juanita Polendo Ontiveros
Desiree Bates Rojas
Lupe Portillo
Margarita Berta-Ávila
Dora Quan
Señora Angelbertha L. Cobb
Elvia Ramirez
Mariana Corona Sabeniano
Graciela Ramirez
Irene De Barraicua
Melinda Rasul
Celia` Del Toro Vargas
Rachel Ríos
Karina Figueroa-Ramirez
Rhonda Ríos Kravitz
Yvette G. Flores
Marianna Castorena Rivera
Rosie Gaytan
Theresa Riviera
Gema Tonantzin Godina-Martinez
Trudy Robles
Rachael Gonzales
Janeth Rodriguez
Autumn Gonzalez
Desiree Rojas
Maria Grijalva
Mindy Romero
Claudia Guerrero
Terezita (Tere) Romo
Martha Guerrero
Estella Sanchez
Sandra Guzman
Rebecca Sandoval
Susan Heredia
Heidy Sarabia
Marisela Hernández
Josephine Talamantez
Patsy Jimenez
Gloria Torres
Magali Kincaid
Gabby Trejo
Ramona Landeros
Katie Valenzuela
Calyssa Longoria
Christal West
Alma Elizabeth López Flores
April Ybarra
Lorena Marquez
Sacramento Poderosas 