Alice Cardona (March 17, 1930 – November 1, 2011) was an activist and community organizer. The daughter of Puerto Rican parents, she was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and grew up in the

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

neighborhood there. After completing high school, she worked in a store and volunteered with the Legión de Maria. In 1961, she joined a religious order based in Texas, the Sisters of St. John. However, she decided that the religious life was not for her and she left the order. She returned to New York City, where she worked for a financial institution and as a program coordinator for United Bronx Parents. In 1964, she became involved with the Head Start program. Between 1970 and 1978, Cardona worked for

ASPIRA of New York The ASPIRA Association is an American nonprofit organization whose mission is to "empower the Latino community through advocacy and the education and leadership development of its youth". ASPIRA's national office is in Washington, D.C., and it ...

, an educational service group, first as a counsellor and later as director for a counselling program. She returned to school and received a bachelor's degree from

Goddard College Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...

Plainfield, Vermont Plainfield, a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States was incorporated in 1867. The population was 1,236 at the 2020 census. Plainfield is the location of Goddard College. Geography Plainfield is located at . According to the United ...

through an

independent study Independent study is a form of education offered by many high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. It is sometimes referred to as ''directed study'', and is an educational activity undertaken by an individual with little to no supe ...

program. She also was involved with the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, serving on its national board, and co-founded HACER (Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research)/Hispanic Women’s Center. She served on New York State Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE)'s executive board from 1983 to 1984 and was representative to NYSABE from New York City from 1983 to 1986. From 1983 to 1995, she was assistant director of the New York State Division for Women. Cardona formed the Hispanic AIDS forum in 1986; she also formed the Women and AIDS Research Network and the Women and AIDS project of the New York State Division for Women. After retiring in 1995, she served as director for the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs and served on the boards of the National Women's Political Caucus, the

National Association for Bilingual Education The National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) is an American advocacy group that provides teacher training, educational leadership, and regarding individuals learning English as a second language. They oppose Structured English Immer ...

and the Puerto Rican Educators Association. She was the author of ''Puerto Rican Women Achievers in New York City''. In 1983, she received the Susan B. Anthony Prize from the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

. She died from cancer at the age of 81.

References

External links

* Alice Cardona at

CUNY Graduate Center The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and post-graduate university in New York City. Serving as the principal doctorate-granting institution of the C ...

's Activist Women's Voices oral history project �
finding aid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardona, Alice 1930 births 2011 deaths Activists from New York (state) American people of Puerto Rican descent American women's rights activists People from East Harlem