By Leonard Rodriguez
This column highlights inspiring stories of Latino leaders. For more than 500 years, Latino men and women have positively influenced the face of United States society. Let us celebrate these outstanding hispanics.

Cherrie Moraga

A radical Chicana lesbian poet and writer, Cherrie Moraga is an advocate against the oppression of lesbians, women and minorities. Born in 1952 in California, Moraga began writing her first lesbian works after recieving her B.A. in English in 1974. She is known as one of the first to write from the standpoint of being a minority and lesbian. In 1981, with Gloria Anzaldua, Moraga published her first anthology dealing with race, lesbianism and feminism.

Her “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color,” has been on reading lists in colleges and universities.