IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Artist
Frank Espada, 21 Dec 1930 - 16 Feb 2014
Sitter
Evelina López Antonetty, 19 Sep 1922 - 19 Nov 1984
Date
1980
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 21.5 × 14.7cm (8 7/16 × 5 13/16")
Sheet: 25.4 × 20.4cm (10 × 8 1/16")
Mat: 45.7 × 35.6cm (18 × 14")
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Necklace
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Interior\Office
Evelina López Antonetty: Female
Evelina López Antonetty: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist
Portrait
Place
United States\New York\Kings\New York\Bronx
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Known as the “mother of the Bronx,” community organizer and education leader Evelina Antonetty was a driving force behind the efforts that transformed the Bronx from a symbol of urban blight in the 1960s and 1970s into a livable place in the 1980s. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the United States, Antonetty found herself frustrated by the inferior services the public school system provided to poor Puerto Rican and African American children. In 1965 she founded United Bronx Parents (UBP), an organization that fostered quality education and community control of schools. In the 1970s UBP became a model of urban grassroots organizing. Expanding to include a bilingual care center, an adult education program, and a youth leadership center, it empowered residents to fight against the social ills caused by failed urban and economic policies.
This portrait of Antonetty was taken by fellow organizer Frank Espada, photographer of the Puerto Rican diaspora.
Conocida como la “madre del Bronx”, la organizadora comunitaria y líder educativa Evelina Antonetty fue una fuerza motriz tras los esfuerzos que transformaron al Bronx —símbolo de deterioro urbano en las décadas de 1960 y 1970— en un lugar habitable durante la década de 1980. Antonetty, quien nació en Puerto Rico y creció en Estados Unidos, estaba decepcionada con los servicios mediocres que el sistema de escuelas públicas ofrecía a los niños puertorriqueños y afroamericanos de clase pobre. En 1965 fundó United Bronx Parents (UBP), organización para fomentar la educación de calidad y el control de la comunidad sobre las escuelas. Durante la década de 1970 la UBP se convirtió en modelo de organización de base comunitaria. Estableció un centro de cuidado bilingüe, un programa de educación para adultos y un centro de liderazgo para jóvenes, logrando empoderar a los residentes para luchar contra los males sociales causados por políticas urbanas y económicas fallidas.
Este retrato de Antonetty fue tomado por su compañero activista Frank Espada, fotógrafo de la diáspora puertorriqueña.
