A Gentle Reminder Memorial for Alice Cardona:
(View the video below prepared by Centro of Alice’s 80th birthday celebration)
Saturday, November 19, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thomas M. Quinn and Sons Funeral Home
35-20 Broadway
(36 St. and Broadway)
Queens, N.Y. 11106
(718) 721-9200
In Memoriam: Alice Cardona (1930-2011)
Alice Cardona, a leader in the New York Puerto Rican and Latino community who advocated for women’s rights, minority rights, and bilingual education, died November 1, 2011 at her Queens home. She was 81.
The author of Puerto Rican Women Achievers in New York City, Cardona was the first Latina to receive the Susan B. Anthony Prize, awarded to her in 1983 by the National Organization for Women. Through the years, she was presented with numerous community awards for her tireless work with women and children.
Cardona’s legacy lives on at Centro. She donated her papers twice to the Centro Library and Archives. She first contributed in 2001 and then again earlier this year. It is one of Centro’s more pointedly feminist collections.
During the 1960s, she served as program coordinator for United Bronx Parents, overseeing programs that facilitated parental involvement in the school system and youth programs. She was also involved with the first Head State program in New York.
Her career flourished in the 1970s when she worked at ASPIRA as a counselor for youth and as director of counseling program for parents and students. ASPIRA inspired her to go back to get her bachelor’s degree through an independent student program at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.
From 1983 to 1995, she served as the assistant director of the New York State Division for Women during the administration of New York Governor Mario Cuomo. This position allowed her to advocate for bilingual education and women, including those in prison. She also worked to fight HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and domestic violence.
She was a founder or member of several organizations. She was the director of the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs and cofounder of Atrévete, a voter registration and political participation program. She was on the board of several organizations, including the National Women’s Political Caucus, the National Association for Bilingual Education, and the Puerto Rican Educators Association.
She was also a founding member of organizations such as the National Latinas Caucus, the Puerto Rican Latino Education Round Table, the National Conference for Puerto Rican Women and HACER/Hispanic Women’s Center. In Queens, she helped with the creation of several women’s and political groups too.
Cardona retired in 1995, but her advocacy continued. She remained active in several organizations including serving as president of the board at the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs and trustee of the National Latina Caucus.
Last year, for Women’s History Month in March, Cardona celebrated her eightieth birthday in the community. The Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of Education, the Institute for Puerto Rican and Hispanic Elderly, and Michelle Centeno threw a birthday celebration in her honor at her beloved Elmhurst Senior Center in Queens. The bash was a day to tell Cardona thanks for her commitment and as the birthday invitation stated, “For always saying ‘presente
She was the first of nine children born to Puerto Rican parents who migrated to New York City in 1923. She was raised and educated in East Harlem.
Cardona’s sister Diana survives her.
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