María Rebecca Latigo de Hernández: Five things you should know about the civil rights activist and groundbreaking broadcaster

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A pioneering woman and civil rights activist who became the first female Mexican-American radio announcer has been honoured by Google with a doodle to mark what would be her 122nd birthday.

Hernandez fought to protect the rights of her fellow citizens in Texas, and is remembered for her tough voice and advocacy.

Here’s everything you need to know.

She was born in Mexico, but later moved to San Antonio, Texas during the Mexican civil war

Hernandez was born in 1896 in Monterrey, Mexico, and spent her childhood in Mexico before moving to the US in 1918. Soon after moving to the US, she and her husband ran a grocery store and bakery to serve the community they had adopted.

But Hernandez was also a vocal activist while living in San Antonio as well, and “she became one of the leading voices speaking against economic discrimination and educational segregation that was faced primarily by women and children of Mexican descent,” according to Google.

She used the voice she cultivated as an activist to inform her radio career

Hernandez has been remembered as one of those activists who backed up their dedication with strong oratory that moved people, making her a perfect fit for the new and emerging medium of radio.

Google writes: “In addition to being a powerful organiser, Hernández was also a talented orator: she became San Antonio’s first Mexican American female radio announcer, and spent much of the rest of her life speaking up against injustice and inequality across both the Mexican and African American communities”.

Hernandez’s organising advocated on behalf of workers

While she is perhaps best known for the work mentioned above, Hernandez was also a supporter and advocate for workers’ rights. That activism included taking up the cause of the Pecan-Shellers’ strike in 1938, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

She was also able to leverage her activism to meet with at least one important world leader, the president of Mexico, whom she met in 1939 to express good will between the Mexicans of the US and their home country.

She had 10 children

While several died during infancy, Hernandez and her husband had 10 children together.

Hernandez died at the age of 86, and left behind that legacy of activism and care that could be seen in other less visible ways, like serving as a midwife for expecting mothers who could not afford other avenues of medical care.

She died of pneumonia.

Hernandez worked to educate Mexican-Americans about their rights

Google notes that “she co-founded the Orden Caballeros de America (Order of the Knights of America) – a benefit society dedicated to educating Mexican Americans about their rights,” and other organisations to educate people in her community.

She founded that the Order of the Knights of America with her husband in 1929.