Home > U.S. Immigration and Migration > Antonia Hernández Biography

Born May 30, 1948

Torreón, Mexico

Lawyer and activist for Latino causes

"A solid education levels the playing field for everybody. It's the surest provider of equal opportunity."

Antonia Hernández has drawn on her experience as an immigrant to forge a career protecting and expanding the rights and opportunities of Latinos. She learned to speak English while attending school as a young girl; as a teenager, she spent summers picking crops; and she survived in tough East Los Angeles. "I grew up in a very happy environment but a very poor environment," she told Parents magazine. She became a lawyer and for eighteen years she was president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Working to support bilingual education and challenging anti-immigrant laws are among the many activist causes Hernández has pursued.

Life...