Impactful women deserve to be honored, remembered
I revisited “Sor Juana
Inés de la Cruz — Poems, Protest and a Dream” translated from Spanish to English by Margaret Sayers Peden. Celebrated as the Phoenix of México, she was the first woman of letters in the Americas and a preeminent poet. In 1691, she defended her feminist writings by penning the “first document written in the Western Hemisphere to defend the rights of women to study, to teach, and to write.”
“One truth I shall not deny… God has granted me the mercy of loving truth above all else, which is that from the moment I was first illuminated by the light of reason, my inclination towards letters has been so vehement, so overpowering, that not even the admonitions of others… cause me to foreswear this natural impulse….”
We validate national trailblazers like Dolores Huerta and Sonia Sotomayor. Erudite readers and writers appreciate the works of Isabel Allende and Sandra Cisneros — iconic Latinas whom we witnessed attain international fame — and who are still creating.
Phenomenal women of the Inland region deserve to be remembered, honored with their stories inscribed in books. I dream of local impactful women garnering merited respect and recognition by celebrating their accomplishments. Extolled here are stellar women who illuminated my life and influenced my studies — my literary voice. They inspire although they’re no longer alive.
• Dr. Deenaz Paymaster Coachbuilder was a brilliant educator, poet, artist, speech pathologist, and environmental advocate, and Fulbright scholar. A retired school principal and professor in special education, she was past president of Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice and India Association of the Inland Empire. She served on Inlandia Institute Advisory Council and our Grande Dame of Inlandia’s programming committee. She published two books of poetry: “Metal Horse and Shadows” and “Imperfect
Fragments.” Her poems were featured in several journals.
• Simona Valero lived an honorable 100 years in Riverside’s Casa Blanca community. She was a wise servant leader and the subject of a children’s book, “Mona’s Piano.” She began employment at the Casa Blanca Post Office at age 16 where she assisted residents in resolving issues — often accompanying them to appropriate agencies. She worked for Riverside County’s anti-poverty agency, gaining the respect of public officials. At her behest, Sargent Shriver, director of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity, visited the Casa Blanca community.
• Elisa González Diaz left her heart in San Bernardino where she nurtured innumerable students as a gifted educator and elected official. She was the first Latina elected to the board of education for San Bernardino City Unified School District. She served four terms — winning every election — sometimes running unopposed. She possessed a strong sense of justice and uncompromising integrity. During her tenure, the district was under a 1978 injunction to integrate the schools. Noting that Latino students were under-performing academically, Diaz advocated for bilingual education and afterschool enrichment programs. Her cogent questions and suggestions were often met with disdain. With tenacity and resolve, she developed effective district policy.
• Jane Penn, a sage Cahuilla Elder amassed a significant collection of Native American artifacts and conceived of creating the Malki Museum in Banning. The goal was to preserve the cultural heritage of her people and to rekindle the spark of cultural heritage and identity in their hearts. She followed the visions of her dreams and drum beats of her heart. In 1965, Malki opened to the public the first nonprofit museum on an American Indian reservation.
• Lillius Stowers was a formidable activist and civic leader.
Frances J. Vasquez
She demonstrated resolute leadership in housing and economic equity, particularly the “Operation Bootstraps” Program. She was appointed director of the state Head Start program. Her legacy commenced when she initiated infrastructure improvements in the neglected Casa Blanca barrio. Her endeavors were documented in The Saturday Evening Post, a national magazine in 1956. She served on local and state commissions representing Riverside County and was selected “mayor of Casa Blanca” by her community.
Compelling women who have passed: Marion Mitchell-wilson, Ysabel Solorio Olvera, Sen. Nell Soto, Mary Ayala, Sumi Harada, Sister Celine Vasquez, Virginia M. Vasquez, Grace Bailon, Frances Grice, Gwen Streeter, Dr. Jane Mercer, Frances Nahas, Dr. Hazel Russell, Dr. Margaret Hill, Kathleen Gonzales, Dr. Lula Mae Clemmons, Jennie Rivera, Corina Wright, Susan Strickland, Beth Homan, Jean Grier, Waudieur “Woodie” Rucker-hughes.
Present living treasures: Dr. Lily Rivera, Dr. Judy Rodriguez Watson, Rabbi Suzanne Singer, Dr. Elsa Valdez, Lorene Sisquoc, Jennie Gracia Espinosa, Kathleen Diaz, Dr. Judith Valles, Isabella Madrigal, Rosa Martha Zarate, Rose Mayes, Doralba Giraldo Harmon, Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes, Linda Sherman.
Esteemed Professor Eliud Martínez advised, “As artists, we are born to be witnesses and to remember, to snatch from the wind the spoken stories that were never set down in writing, to rescue from oblivion the stories that history has silenced.” Martínez’s advice resonates, intersects with Tesoros de Cuentos motto, “Las palabras vuelan; los escritos quedan. Words fly, writings endure.” Let us chronicle the legacies of local impactful women and give voice to their untold stories and accomplishments. Arguably, the women’s main superpowers are their brains — their intellect.