Nydia Velázquez
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Nydia Margarita Velázquez (born (March 28, 1953 in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) became the first Puerto Rican woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Image:Nydia Velázquez.png Nydia, whose father worked the sugar cane fields, was one of nine siblings. She was raised with the influence of political dinner table conversations. Her father was a local political activist and at a young age she would accompany her father to political rallies. Her father would focus on the rights of sugar cane workers and denounce the abuse perpetrated by wealthy farmers. It was these experiences to which she attributes her beliefs in the values of justice and equality.
After skipping grades, she entered high school when she was 13. In high school she organized her classmates on a protest and the school was closed down. Their protest against the dangerous and unsanitary conditions of the school caused the necessary renovations to be made.
In 1969, when Nydia was only 16, she enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico (Universidad de Puerto Rico). In 1974 she graduated with high honors, "magna cum laude" and became the first one in her family to receive a college diploma. Nydia then went to New York where she attended and studied political science, on a scholarship, at New York University. In 1976 she received her Master's degree.
Nydia was a university professor for many years, first in the University of Puerto Rico's Humacao branch (1976-81) and then at New York's Hunter College (1981-83).
In 1983, Nydia was appointed Special Assistant to Representative Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn). In 1984, she became the first Latina appointed to serve as a member of the New York City Council.
In 1986, Nydia served as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs of the U.S. During that time, she initiated a successful Latino empowerment program called "Muevete" (Move on).
In 1992, Nydia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 12th District (map),and became the first Puerto Rican woman member of Congress. The sprawling 12th district encompasses parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan. It includes such neighborhoods as Ridgewood, Maspeth, and Woodside in Queens, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Red Hook, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn and part of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Nydia also became the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee. She oversees federal programs and contracts totaling $200 billion dollars annually. Nydia also serves on the House Financial Services Committee.
Nydia's district is the only one in New York City which covers residential areas of three boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan). Charles Rangel's district, the Manhattan based 14th CD, also includes parts of the Queens and The Bronx, but the district's only territory in The Bronx is the Riker's Island jail.
On April 3, 2003, Nydia was named "Hispanic Business Woman of the Year" by Hispanic Business magazine in recognition of her national influence in both the political and business sectors.
Among Nydia's "firsts" are: The first Hispanic woman to serve on New York City's Council; the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress; The first woman Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee and Hispanic Business magazine's first "Hispanic Business Woman of the Year."
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez has served in Congress from January 3, 1993-present.