Pantoja, Antonia (1922–2002)

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Pantoja, Antonia (1922–2002)

Puerto Rican-born educator and reformer. Born 1922 in San Juan, Puerto Rico; died May 24, 2002, in New York, NY; earned teaching certificate from University of Puerto Rico, 1942; Hunter College, BA in sociology, 1952; Columbia University's New York School of Social Work, MA, 1954; Union Graduate School, PhD; lived with partner, Dr. Wilhelmina Perry.

An advocate for New Yorkers of Puerto Rican origin, moved to NY (1944); founded the Puerto Rican Forum (1957), to promote self-sufficiency; established Aspira (1961), to help improve the performance of Puerto Rican children in New York City public schools; with Aspira, won a landmark lawsuit that brought bilingual education to NY schools (1974); established the Universidad Boricua and the Puerto Rican Research and Resource Center in Washington, DC, becoming its chancellor (1973); joined the faculty of San Diego State University's School of Social Work (1978). Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Clinton (1996).

See also autobiography, Memoir of a Visionary (2002).