[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 122 (Monday, September 9, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. ANTONIA PANTOJA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 1996

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Antonia 
Pantoja who will be honored today by President Bill Clinton with the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  Dr. Pantoja is the first Puerto Rican woman to receive this 
Presidential award. She is being honored for her lifetime achievements 
in the creation and development of numerous organizations to serve the 
Puerto Rican community.
  Dr. Pantoja was born in San Juan, PR. She lived with her grandfather, 
a cigar maker, in the workers' neighborhood of Barrio Obrero. From her 
grandparents she learned the value of workers' unions and their ability 
to achieve common goals. She witnessed first hand a successful strike 
of cigar makers that helped improve working conditions.
  Pantoja's parents taught her the importance of education. Young 
Pantoja completed a 2-year degree at the University of Puerto Rico and 
soon afterward she started teaching in the rural neighborhoods of 
Puerto Rico. Although she loved teaching, the pay was very low.
  In 1944, she came to New York City in search of a better economic 
future for her family. She moved to the Bronx and started working as a 
welder in a factory. Soon she witnessed the struggles of the Puerto 
Rican community and the lack of opportunities to improve their economic 
conditions.
  She found a job at a community center, which enabled her to attend 
Hunter College and complete her bachelor's degree in social work. Full 
of aspirations for her Puerto Rican community, Pantoja founded the 
Puerto Rican Forum, an organization that would assist in the creation 
of Puerto Rican institutions.
  The Puerto Rican Forum led to the creation of ASPIRA, an agency to 
help Puerto Rican youth focus in their studies and obtain higher 
education. Under Pantoja's leadership, ASPIRA grew fast and is now one 
of the most influential organizations helping the Hispanic community. 
Currently, ASPIRA has chapters in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Florida, and Puerto Rico.
  Pantoja's work was just starting. She went to teach at the Columbia 
University School of Social Work as an associate professor. Later on 
she worked on her doctorate project, the establishment of a university 
in Washington, DC, to serve Puerto Rican students in the United States. 
Universidad Boricula served as a repository of information on Puerto 
Rican studies--its history, culture, and the community itself. Most 
recently, Dr. Pantoja established the organization Producir to help in 
the community development of the workers' neighborhoods or barrios in 
Puerto Rico.
  Her desire to serve the community is demonstrated in many committees 
and boards on which she has served throughout her career. Dr. Pantoja 
was a member at large of the Constitutional Convention of New York 
State. At the convention, she was the chairperson of the subcommittee 
that wrote the article on education opportunities and the article on 
job economic development. She also worked on the decentralization of 
New York City schools.
  Among many other memberships, Dr. Pantoja also served as a 
commissioner for the Study Commission for Undergraduate Education and 
the Education of Teachers. She was a member of the Evaluation Committee 
of the National Endowment for the Arts and of the National Endowment 
for the Humanities. She was awarded a doctorate degree, Honoris Causa, 
from the City University of New York, Queens College School of Law.
  Dr. Pantoja has been honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Liberty, 
the National Puerto Rican Coalition Life Achievement Award, the 
Hispanic Heritage Award, the U.S. Hispanic Congress Hero Award, and the 
John W. Gardner Leadership Award from Independent Sector, among other 
awards.
  Dr. Pantoja has dedicated her life to the advancement of the Puerto 
Rican community, to education and the betterment of community 
relations. Her extraordinary life is an example of achievement through 
leadership, perseverance, and faith in your own abilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. 
Antonia Pantoja, for her life of achievements helping our Puerto Rican 
community, New York, and the Nation.

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