To mark the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, this Friday's Google Doodle commemorates Luisa Moreno, an inspiring Guatemalan labor organizer, journalist, and activist who united Spanish-speaking communities and fought for better working conditions.
The Doodle features doves flying out from Moreno's megaphone, symbolizing her message of peace and justice. Then behind her, you see figures of men and women linking arms, one holding a balancing scale, representing her commitment to equality. The image was illustrated by Guatemalan artist Juliet Menendez.
"On my last visit to my grandma in 1980s Guadalajara, Mexico, I requested we use a taxi instead of the local bus. She refused and told me 'we ride with the people.' This experience of riding the crowded buses with 'the people' allowed me to better witness and understand the plight of the people in Latin America," Moreno's granddaughter, Mytyl Playford, told Google. "I hope this Doodle teaches more people about Luisa’s story and her dedication to improving the lives of so many."
Born in 1907 to a notable Guatemalan family as "Blanca Rosa Lopez Rodriguez," Moreno changed her name to protect her family from association with her political efforts.
Upon returning to Guatemala, Moreno began her activism, championing women's rights and successfully overturning restrictions preventing them from attending universities.
In 1928, she moved to New York City to seek a better life.
In New York, she began working at a garment factory, where she witnessed the harsh reality of labor in the U.S.: Low wages, long hours, and rampant nonwhite discrimination.
During the Great Depression in 1930, Moreno joined the Communist Party, dedicated to workplace reform and women's rights.
Moreno emerged as a powerful labor activist, so much so that the Guatemalan immigrant received an order of deportation in 1950 and moved back to Latin America. However, she continued her work as an activist in Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala.
She passed away at the age of 86 in 1992 in Guatemala City.
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