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Olga Ramos Peña (July 22, 1925 – July 18, 2024) was an American political organizer and activist from San Antonio, Texas. She was one of the first Mexican Americans to join the Democratic Women's Club[1] and recruited other women from the Hispanic and African American communities to join the Club. She also served as campaign manager for her husband Alberto Antonio Peña Jr. who was elected Bexar County Commissioner.[2][3]
Olga Ramos Peña | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 22, 1925 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 2024 (aged 98) |
| Years active | c. 1950s–1996 |
| Known for | Political organizer, activism |
| Spouse(s) | Albert Peña, Jr (married 1947—1972) |
Early life and education
editOlga Peña was born in San Antonio in July 1925.[4] Her parents were originally from Mexico and immigrated to the United States when they were young, and became U.S. citizens in 1937. Peña's childhood home was in West San Antonio, in a segregated neighborhood.[5] Her mother, Francis Navarro Diaz was a stay-at-home mother and cared for her and her two younger brothers, Guadalupe and Hugo. Her father, Guadalupe Gutierrez Ramos, worked for a Mexican-owned soda manufacturer as a beverage delivery driver who delivered to various retailers in the San Antonio area. Peña, the oldest child, had two brothers, both veterans of wars. Her father used to drive her to school in his delivery truck as the family owned no vehicle.[2]
Peña was educated and graduated from a segregated public school system in Bexar County. In her own words, “I grew up in the West Side on Leona Street and went to Navarro School for elementary and then to Joel Chandler Harris and finally San Antonio Tech High School.” As she recalls, “I had a very bad accent and spoke no English but was very lucky that I got one of the teachers who was bilingual, so she could teach us in both languages."[2]
Career
editPeña was involved with various organizations, including the Democratic Women's Club, American GI Forum, and LULAC.[2] She was responsible for organizing multiple political movements, the running of Albert's campaigns, and is noted as one of the first Mexican members of the Democratic Women's Club.
Peña retired in 1996 to take care of her aging parent.[2]
Personal life and death
editAs a child, Peña was involved with dancing. From the age of eight, was taught by many of the neighborhood's female dancers until she was proficient in dozens of traditional Mexican dances. She danced at assemblies in school, and dancing was her first paid job. She would dance at local San Antonio events, occasionally traveling to other cities for performances.[2]
Peña met Albert Peña, Jr., a lawyer, and they married in September 1947, eventually having five children.[6] They divorced in 1972.[7]
Peña died in San Antonio on July 18, 2024 at the age of 98.[8]
References
edit- ^ ResearchGate website, Chicanas in Charge: Texas Women in the Public Arena (review) (January 2009)
- ^ a b c d e f Angel., Gutiérrez, José (2007). Chicanas in charge : Texas women in the public arena. Meléndez, Michelle., Noyola, Sonia Adriana. Lanham: AltaMira Press. ISBN 9780759113947. OCLC 648584387.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Peña, Olga, 1925- - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Oral History Interview with Olga Pena". library.uta.edu. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Redela, Pamela Morgan (October 10, 2011). "The Power of ExileCota-CárdenasMargaritaSanctuaries of the Heart/Santuarios del corazón. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2005.MuhsGabriella Gutiérrez yCommunal Feminisms: Chicanas, Chilenas, and Cultural Exile. Lanham, MD, and Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books, 2007.PeñaMilagrosLatina Activists across Borders: Women's Grassroots Organizing in Mexico and Texas. Chapel Hill, NC, and London, UK: Duke University Press, 2007". Latin American Perspectives. 38 (6): 104–108. doi:10.1177/0094582x11412925. ISSN 0094-582X. S2CID 150339876.
- ^ GUTIÉRREZ, JOSÉ ANGEL; Martinez, Rubén O. (2017). Albert A. Peña Jr.: Dean of Chicano Politics. Michigan State University Press. ISBN 9781611862515. JSTOR 10.14321/j.ctt1pd2k5h.
- ^ University of Texas at Arlington Library website, Olga Peña, article dated August 23rd, 1997
- ^ "Olga Ramos Pena". Mission Parks. Retrieved July 21, 2024.