Ana Otero Hernández was known as the successor to the great pianist Manuel Gregorio Tavárez, in his own words. She was also the first woman in Puerto Rico to conduct an orchestra.
Like many other members of the 1930s generation, she was known for defending teaching in Spanish, the vernacular of Puerto Ricans, at a time in the Island’s history when English was imposed as the main language in the public schools.
The history of African influences in Puerto Rican music begins long before 1508, the year in which the Spanish settled the island, and 1492, when Christopher Columbus made Europeans aware of the New World.
A leader of the Puerto Rican needlework industry in the early 20th century, she was also the first woman elected to the Puerto Rican legislature and the first female legislator in all of Latin America.
Aurora Levins Morales’ writings are characterized by her commitment to give expression to the experiences of women, Puerto Ricans, and other populations of color.
One of the newest and talented prose fiction voices in U.S. Puerto Rican literature to emerge during the 1990s was Abraham Rodríguez (aka Abraham Rodriguez, Jr.).