63 - Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin Cruz

A leader in an American community that is commonly overlooked, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz is a growing, strong woman that will insist that Puerto Rico is not forgotten. She may bring Puerto Rico into statehood, and I hope to see that day with her at the helm.

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America.


Serving as the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico since 2013, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has dealt with significant issues within her country, and she is the current candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico.

Mayor Cruz graduated Cum Laude from Boston University and received a Master of Science in Public Management and Policy at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. Her service and contributions were a significant part of her life, earning the Spirit Award. She quickly went into politics of her country, winning her first election in 2008, and elevating her to the Ranking Member of the Woman Affairs Committee. She gained support for each of her elections and won more votes than any other House of Representative. 

Her desire to run for Mayor of San Juan peaked in 2012 when the candidate was forced to leave the race and she stepped into be the third woman to win the election, defeating three term incumbent.

In September 2017, the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria, and Mayor Cruz stood up through American national media criticizing the Federal aid inefficiencies. She pleaded with the people of America to insist on support to PR. Her plea was direct and honest. She stated the people were dying. Because they were. 

She is awarded for her humanitarian efforts and fight for the people of Puerto Rico. She fights for the people, and vocalizes their needs.

Why this woman?
The first time I heard Carmen Yulin Cruz speak was during Al Gore’s annual “24 Hours of Reality” conference. She spoke of the issues facing Puerto Rico that was so devastated by the hurricane. They lost lives, resources, tourism, power, ... everything. People were left to fend for themselves with supplies running out and health issues magnifying every day. They were alone for weeks waiting for aid. It ripped my heart out.

I still remember her presentation to the conference. She was clear, strong, and impassioned. She knew she had to be vocal and public to help her communities, and she never hesitated.

When I started the list for my blog, I pushed to acknowledge Puerto Rico because of her. I wanted to share her story. I wanted to have a woman like her representing an American community. Like many of the women I researched, the more I read the more I appreciated her. She is the real deal.

Can’t women like her run for our highest offices of our country? She can bring Latino issues to the forefront of our country. Latino culture is 18% of American people. That is the second highest population in our country. Their voice is growing and women like Mayor Cruz and AOC can be the leaders that revolutionize us.


Location: Puerto Rico

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