El diecisiete de junio/June 17th
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| Image from portalguarani.com. Click HERE. |
Carmen Casco de Lara Castro, also known as "Coca," was a Paraguayan teacher, leading women's and human rights advocate, and politician. She was one of seven children born into a wealthy, politically liberal family and studied at the Colegio María Auxiliadora. When she was a teenager, her father left to fight in the Chaco War (1932-1935), which was fought between Paraguay and Bolivia over control of the Gran Chaco region. Her uncle, President of Paraguay José Félix Estigarribia, died in a (presumed accidental) plane crash a year after his election. In 1954 Alfredo Stroessner came to power in an army coup, and he would lead Paraguay with an iron first for 35 years. It was under these conditions that Casco de Lara, who saw many in her own family exiled, fought for human rights. In 1962 (only one year after women gained the right to vote in Paraguay) she and several others formed Amparo a la mujer, which helped women in difficult situations and also advocated for salary equality, maternity leave, and other basic rights that women lacked. In 1963 she and others founded the magazine Cuñataí, which aimed at getting women more politically active. She also regularly fought for the release and fair treatment of political prisoners. In 1992 Casco de Lara was honored by the United Nations for her contributions to human rights and humanity (the same year that the so-called "Terror Files," revealing the full extent of human rights abuses under Stroessner's regime, were uncovered). She died one year later. Today, many streets and schools are named for her in Paraguay. The country issued a commemorative stamp in 2000 as well. Click HERE to read (in Spanish) about a 2013 celebration in her honor, and HERE to visit a virtual museum on heroic Paraguayan women (presented by Dove).
For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.
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