A Tejana journalist and activist who fought for civil rights, education, and free speech is honored on a new U.S. quarter. Jovita Idar, who is also the inspiration for the IDAR/E channel at WMC online, is the ninth woman to be featured in the American Women Quarters Program. The coin shows her image and the many roles she played to defend her community.
Jovita Idar was a Tejana journalist and activist who dedicated her life to championing the rights of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the early 20th century. She was a teacher, a nurse, a leader of women’s organizations, and a fierce defender of free speech. She is now honored on a new U.S. quarter that was released on August 14, 2023.
The quarter is part of the American Women Quarters Program, a four-year initiative that aims to celebrate women who made significant contributions to U.S. history across various fields and backgrounds. Jovita Idar is the third Latina to be featured in the program, after Cuban singer Celia Cruz and Mexican American voting rights activist Nina Otero-Warren.
The coin depicts Jovita Idar’s portrait with clasped hands and inscriptions on her blouse that include “teacher,” “journalist,” “Liga Femenil Mexicanista” and “La Cruz Blanca,” which describe her, the Mexican women’s organization she helmed, and the nurses brigade she belonged to during the Mexican Revolution. The coin also has the words “Mexican American Rights,” “evolución,” “astrea,” “el heraldo Cristiano,” “La Crónica” and “el progreso,” which refer to some of the newspapers she wrote for or edited.
Jovita Idar was born in Laredo, Texas on September 7, 1885. She was one of eight children of Nicasio and Jovita López Idar, who were both journalists and activists themselves. She grew up in a bilingual and bicultural environment, where she learned about the struggles and aspirations of her community.
She became a schoolteacher in a segregated school for Chicano students, where she witnessed the lack of resources and opportunities for her students. She then joined her father’s Spanish-language newspaper La Crónica, where she published articles in support of civil rights, education, suffrage, and economic equality for Mexicans and Mexican Americans. She also criticized U.S. actions along the southern border and intervention in Veracruz, Mexico.
In 1911, she participated in the First Mexicanist Congress in Laredo, where she organized Mexican-American activists to address issues such as racism, violence, lynching, and discrimination. She also helped form La Liga Femenil Mexicanista, a political and charitable organization that empowered Mexican American women and provided education and health services to the poor.
In 1914, she confronted the Texas Rangers who tried to shut down El Progreso, another newspaper she worked for after it published an opinion against U.S. intervention in Mexico. She stood in front of the door and invoked the First Amendment to prevent them from entering. The next day, they returned and destroyed the printing press.
She also served as a nurse during the Mexican Revolution, joining La Cruz Blanca, a volunteer nurses corps that tended to the wounded on both sides of the conflict. She later moved to San Antonio, where she continued her journalistic and activist work until her death on June 15, 1946.
Jovita Idar was a courageous and visionary woman who fought for justice and dignity for her people. She was a pioneer of Tejana feminism and journalism, who used her voice and pen to challenge oppression and inequality. She is an inspiration for IDAR/E, a channel at WMC online that covers stories of Latinas in Texas and beyond.
She is also an inspiration for all Americans who value democracy, diversity, and human rights. Her legacy lives on in the new U.S. quarter that honors her achievements and contributions.
Follow Tejano Nation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with everything Tejano. Listen to new Tejano music first with our Spotify playlists and iHeartRadio podcast.
