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Stories About Women

Suffragette Campaigned & Translated Voting Rights

Get Maria de Lopez rallied the crowd gathered at Los Angeles Plaza on October 3, 1911, by giving a speech in favor of woman’s suffrage entirely in Spanish, an unprecedented event for the time. An educator, translator, and clubwoman, Lopez helped win the vote for Californian women with her oratory and the writings she translated into Spanish. In addition to her suffrage work, Lopez fought for decades to preserve Spanish- and MexicanAmerican cultural heritage. Lopez was active in her local Votes for Women Club and became president of the College Equal Suffrage League in 1911. She played an important role in the campaign to enfranchise California’s women by translating suffrage materials into Spanish in order to reach Hispanic women. At a 1911 Votes for Women Club rally in Los Angeles Plaza, Lopez took the stage and spoke in support of woman suffrage in Spanish, reportedly the first in the state to do so. She then

traveled the region, distributing suffrage posters and literature and giving speeches, all in Spanish. Lopez authored a forceful opinion piece in the Los Angeles Herald on August 20, 1911, arguing that California could not call itself a democracy while disenfranchising half its citizens. On October 10, 1911, the suffrage proposition passed, and California became the sixth state in the nation to approve suffrage for women, nine years before the passage of the 19th Amendment. Lopez was among the women considered by leading suffragists in Los Angeles to serve as a representative from California to the 1913 Woman Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C. In 1914, Lopez returned to political advocacy, translating materials in support of laborrelated initiatives on that year’s ballot into Spanish. Lopez died on November 20, 1977, in Orange, California. She is buried at San Gabriel Christian Church in Los Angeles. Her impact continues and her legacy lives on.

Happy Girl Scout Day

Get ready to celebrate this March 12, because it's National Girl Scout Day! Part of Girl Scout Week, National Girl Scout Day commemorates the anniversary of the first Girl Scout meeting. In 1912, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low organized the meeting in Savannah, Georgia. And Girl Scouts has only grown from there! The list of Girl Scout alumnae includes many successful women in many different fields. Latino Lubbock Magazine's own Publisher, Christy MartinezGarcia, and her daughter, Amaris Garcia, are proud Girl Scout alumnae who take pride in their past involvement as Girl Scouts. Christy also served as a leader. "My parents gave me my values, and Girl Scouts allowed me to apply those to the world," said Martinez-Garcia, urging young Latinas to consider joining a troop.

“As a Girl Scout, or a leader, it is life changing,” she added. She is a Lifetime member and takes pride in the organization. Because of the inclement weather that crippled Texas and Oklahoma, they have extended the Girl Scout

Cookie Program to March 14. This extra week allow girls to reach their individual goals they have worked so hard to achieve. So please support them. Also, adults can become Event Volunteers, Assistant Leaders, Service Unit Manager, Girl Scout Coach, Troop Organizer, Service Unit Treasurer, Recruiters, mentor. For more info, call (806)5895947.

Local Nurse Honor Guard Formed to Honor Their Own

BY CHRISTY MARTINEZ-GARCIA FOR LATINO LUBBOCK MAGAZINE

Anurse is a caregiver for patients and helps to manage physical needs, prevent illness, and treat health conditions. Because many nurses have been on the front lines treating COVID-19 patients for more than two years, Delia Gonzales recognized that it was important to honor nurses who were also dying as a result of the pandemic. She knew that there was nothing or no one to offer nurses tribute. She pointed out to fellow nurse Jessica Williams that there were honor guards for law engorcement, EMTS, and for veterans and that it was important to start an honor guard for nurses on the South Plains. "Jessica and I decided that if we were going to do this we needed to do it quickly." In December 2021, the two founded the local chapter of the Lubbock Nurse Honor Guard (LNHG) formed to honor fallen nurses by paying tribute to their lives. And since then, they have had six tributes, honoring those who cared for others. And while not all were due to covid, it has been sureal nonetheless. She described nursing as a calling, a lifestyle, and a service way of living. "We're present not because of the years that she (a fallen nurse) served but rather the impact that she made on many lives through that calling." Gonzales said that LNHG is a service they provide to honor the lives and the work of their colleagues. "When your reciting the tribute the impact is real. And when thefamilies see us in white they become very emotional because they connect us to their loved one, and that life that has gone beyond that call of duty that they saw in their loved one." The organization consists of active and retired nurses proud to give tribute and honor to their fellow colleagues. They meet online via Zoom once a month. They dress in their traditional white uniform, along with the white traditional nurse's cap that was introduced early in the history of the profession, and that originated from a group of women in the early Christian era. It's original purpose was to keep the nurse's hair neatly in place and present a modest appearance, but it soon gained a respect and demonstrated that this group of women worked in the service of caring for the sick, as well as symbolized a nurse's educational background. During the ceremony, they hold the Nightingale Tribute in honor and recognition of the individual’s commitment and dedication to science and the practice of nursing. The tribute includes the lighting of a the Florence Nightingale lamp, as well as reciting the Nightingale Tribute, and is concluded by a presentation of the lamp and a white rose to the family. "It's a comfort, and something the families and the nurses have taken pride in." Nurses wanting to join, or families wanting to request a tribute for a nurse can email LubbockNurseHonorGuard21@yahoo.com For additional information contact Delia at (806)778-5377 (leave a message), or Jessica at (806)3003476.

Special - Women's History Month

Meet Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi Latina Scientist Who Co-Created “The World’s COVID-19 Vaccine”

BY VICTORIA ARENA CORONAVIRUS STORIES, WELLNESS

Anew COVID vaccine known as “The World’s COVID-19 Vaccine” was co-created by Latina scientist Maria Elena Bottazzi. The vaccine—officially named Corbevax—is patent-free and aims to bridge the gap between health inequity among underserved communities around the world. Maria Elena Bottazzi is a Honduran and Italian-born naturalized American microbiologist, currently Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, as well as Distinguished Professor of Biology at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. Corbevax was developed by Bottazzi alongside Dr. Peter Hotez and their team from Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. The vaccine is based on recombinant protein, a technology that has been used for decades in drugs such as hepatitis B. Corbevax uses a small amount of virus proteins to activate the body’s immune response without making patients sick and is “a much cheaper process than the messenger RNA technology that Pfizer or Moderna used,” said Bottazzi. “Peter and I aspire to benefit people, which is why we created a vaccine for the poorest communities in the world. The team that we have built shares the same interest in promoting public health and, obviously, learning at the same time,” said Bottazzi. In December, the drug was authorized for use in India with multiple phases of clinical trials determining that it is safe and well tolerated. Data shows that it is more than 90 percent effective against the original COVID-19 strain and more than 80 percent effective against the delta variant. Currently, inequality in the distribution of vaccines is a major concern worldwide and has led to many COVID-19 deaths. While 59 percent of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, less than 9 percent of residents in low-income countries have received a dose. “Everyone talks about equity, but nobody does anything. That is why we created Corbevax, although we are a small team and it took us longer than the large laboratories,” said Bottazi in an NBCNews article. “But we knew that it would not be enough with the projects of the multinationals, if we take into account the first and second doses, plus booster and pediatric doses, we are still missing 9,000 million doses.” Bottazzi and her team have been working to create vaccines for neglected diseases for years. Over a decade ago, long before the COVID pandemic was even a thought, the team began researching coronaviruses and developing vaccines for coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. Those decades of knowledge became immediately beneficial when the pandemic hit in early 2020. Since then they have used their ample knowledge to create a vaccine that is “free for everyone.” And her work has certainly paid off. With the distribution of this vaccine, countless countries will be able to begin to bridge the health inequity gap. Dr. Bottazzi’s accomplishments received a high recognition earlier this month when she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Houston Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. On February 1st, Congresswoman Fletcher nominated Dr. Bottazzi and Dr. Hotez, stating, “[Their] effort to develop the CORBEVAX vaccine is truly one of international cooperation and partnership to bring health, security, and peace around the world by creating a COVID-19 vaccine and making it available and accessible to all. It is a contribution that is of the greatest benefit to humankind.” On her nomination, Dr. Bottazzi said, “The truth is that I was shocked, speechless. But we are very excited and grateful, because the simple fact that they have thought of us means that we are already winners.” If chosen for the Prize, she would become the first Honduran to receive this award.

“At Lubbock Christian University, there is

always a place where you can fit in. I love the small and close-knit community and don’t think you can get it anywhere else. I’ve been able to build so many awesome relationships that will last a lifetime—including my professors! They were instrumental in preparing me for my next step, attending the Texas Tech School of Medicine this fall.”

— HEIDI GONZALEZ, (’22)

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