Carmen E. Arroyo (born June 2, 1933) is an American politician and a native of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

who is the first

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

woman elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. She served the 84th Assembly District, which covers the

Mott Haven Mott Haven is an American primarily residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East 149th Street to the north, the Bruckner E ...

, Port Morris, Melrose,

The Hub The Hub may refer to: Places * The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines * The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival * T ...

, Longwood, Concourse, and Hunts Point sections of the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

Early years

Arroyo was born and raised in the town of in

Corozal, Puerto Rico Corozal () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central-eastern region, north of Orocovis and Barranquitas; south of Vega Alta; southwest of Toa Alta; east of Morovis and Orocovis; and west of Naranjito. Corozal is sprea ...

where she received both her primary and secondary education. She graduated from Corozal High School and then attended the Sixto Febus Business School where she took Secretarial and Bookkeeping courses and earned a diploma. She married Pablo Arroyo and together they had seven children; she was eventually abandoned by her husband and she then decided to move to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo
/ref> In 1964, Arroyo moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with her children and settled down in the borough of the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. While the idea of the move to the United States was a search for a better way of life she was soon faced with racial discrimination and other hardships. Arroyo became dependent on the welfare and public assistance systems of the state. Arroyo took classes in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and attended Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

(CUNY) where in 1978 she earned her Associate of Arts degree. Arroyo studied at night and worked during the day while she attended the

College of New Rochelle The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York, but also in Australia, England, and Germany. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline ...

. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from said educational institution in 1980.

First female Puerto Rican housing developer

Arroyo organized a group of welfare mothers and formed the

Action Group in 1966. She became the group's executive director and with the federal funds which the group received she was able to provide the community with services in employment, health and adult education. In 1978 Arroyo became the Executive Director of the South Bronx Community Corporation where she worked to develop private homes in the South Bronx that were sold to families and residents of the South Bronx Community. She was also instrumental in the construction of 194 housing units for senior citizens becoming the first Puerto Rican woman housing developer in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

New York State Assembly

In a special election held in February, 1994, Arroyo ran and was elected to the

, representing the 84th District which includes the Bronx and thus became the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the Assembly and the first Puerto Rican woman elected to any state assembly in the United States. Among the committees which she has been assigned to are those on: *Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; *Children and Families; and *Education and Aging committees. Arroyo has also been involved with: *The Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, *The Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, *The Women's Caucus, *The National Order of Women Legislators, and *The New York City Commission on the Status of Women Arroyo's daughter,

Maria del Carmen Arroyo Maria del Carmen Arroyo is the former Council member for the 17th district of the New York City Council. She is a Democrat. The district includes Belmont, Claremont Village, Clason Point, Concourse, Concourse Village, Crotona Park East, Hu ...

has followed in her mother's footsteps and ran for a seat in New Yorks City Council and was sworn in on March 21, 2005, representing District 17 of the Bronx. On April 23, 2004, New York State Governor

George E. Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

presented Arroyo with the Champions of Housing Award in a reception held in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. NY State Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo has been sued by the state Board of Elections 21 times since 2006 for failing to file her campaign finances. The nondisclosure is a violation of state election laws that often results in heavy fines, but little else. Arroyo has an established record of ignoring the deadlines. The Board of Elections has sued the lawmaker 21 times since 2006—for a total of $12,700—for failing to file campaign financial disclosures. It is speculated that her failure to report is due to misappropriation of campaign funds in connection to gambling. Board of Elections Officer Risa Sugarman referred Arroyo to the state attorney general in 2015 due to numerous financial irregularities. Including a number of 'loans' allegedly made in 2014" by the campaign committee to Arroyo. At least one of the loans appeared to have been paid directly to Empire City Casino in Yonkers, Sugarman wrote.
' New York Daily News, Daily News'', Bronx, 2 MAY 2016. Retrieved on 30 AUGUST 2018. In total, $3,322 in campaign funds were either withdrawn from an ATM located at the casino or used to make at least one direct purchase at the facility, Sugarman found. According to a footnote in the letter, a January 2015 bank statement from Chase indicates that a "loan" of $518 made on Jan. 2 of that year was a "card purchase" made to Empire City Casino. In addition in 2013, it was found that individuals who worked on Arroyo's daughters campaign in 2013 had forged petition signatures for ballot access in her reelection to council. She also came under fire for paying her son over $55,000 from her campaign account for a part-time advisory role.
' observer.com, Observer'', 23 NOVEMBER 2015. Retrieved on 30 AUGUST 2018.

Currently

Carmen Arroyo currently continues to hold her political position and has published her autobiography titled "''Carmen Arroyo: Puertorriqueña en Nueva York, mujer de armas tomadas''" (Carmen Arroyo: Puerto Rican Female in New York). She also published a book of poems titled "''Mis Poemas''" (My Poems). Assemblywoman Arroyo currently serves as Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Effective Treatment of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Bilingual Education, Chair of the Assembly Office of State and Federal Affairs, and Chair of the Assembly and Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.

References

External links