Jovita Idár

Jovita Idár (born September 7, 1885, Laredo, Texas, U.S.—died June 13, 1946, San Antonio, Texas) Mexican American journalist, teacher, and activist who devoted her life to fighting the racism and discrimination that she witnessed during her life in Texas. She was also a staunch advocate for women’s rights, including the right to vote.

Early years

Jovita Idár was one of eight children born to Jovita and Nicasio Idár, who taught their children about the value of education and the importance of social justice. Her father was the editor of the local Spanish-language newspaper La Crónica and was notable for believing that women should have an expanded role in public and political life.

Nicasio Idár used the pages of his newspaper to highlight the issues Mexican Americans in Texas faced. In doing so, he exposed his daughter to journalism and the importance of activism at an early age. She attended Methodist schools and in 1903 earned a teaching certificate from the Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas. When Idár began teaching at a school for Mexican American students, she was shocked by the poor condition of the buildings and the lack of books for the children. She was also disappointed that Mexican children were not learning about their history and heritage. “Mexican children in Texas need an education. But if they are taught the biography of Washington but not Hidalgo, the exploits of Lincoln but not Juárez, that child will be indifferent to his heritage,” she said of the importance of her teaching.

Journalist and activist

At this time, Idár also came to see the ways in which white people in South Texas sought to discriminate against Mexican Americans, who were subject to segregation and to harassment by the police. She decided she could do more to change these conditions by going into journalism. She wrote articles for her father’s newspaper about the discrimination and civil rights abuses faced by Mexican Americans. Those issues included inferior housing and schools, horrible working conditions, and lynchings of Mexican Americans. Idár also wrote articles about the importance of educating women and allowing them to vote.

In 1911, in response to the lynching of a 14-year-old boy in Texas, the Idár family organized El Primer Congreso Mexicanista (the First Mexican Congress), which was the beginning of the modern civil rights movement for Mexican Americans. The meeting brought together Mexican American men and women who wanted to work together to fight injustice, focusing on economic and educational inequality. Idár and other women at the congress formed La Liga Femenil Mexicanista (the League of Mexican Women), and she was chosen as its first president. The organization encouraged women to join the feminist movement and to work outside the home. In addition, La Liga opened free bilingual schools for children and raised money for poor families. During the Mexican Revolution, Idár traveled to Mexico to help care for the injured. She worked with La Cruz Blanca (the White Cross), a group that helped Mexican American women cross the border to volunteer as military nurses.

Standing up for the First Amendment

When she returned to Texas, Idár began working at the newspaper El Progreso. By some accounts, when she was 29 years old, the newspaper published an editorial that criticized U.S. Pres. Woodrow Wilson’s sending troops to the Texas-Mexico border. In response, the state governor sent the Texas Rangers to shut down the newspaper. When the Rangers arrived, Idár stood in the doorway and refused to move, defending the First Amendment right to freedom of the press. She turned the Rangers away that day only for them to return later with sledgehammers to destroy the printing press.

Idár returned to La Crónica and took it over after her father’s death in 1914. In 1916 she and one of her brothers formed another newspaper, called Evolución. In keeping with her fearless nature, she said of this venture: “I bought a press worth more than a thousand dollars and plenty of type. I can make a seven-column newspaper and we’ll start soon.” She continued to write about the importance of women’s rights in politics.

Idár married Bartolo Juárez in 1917, and they moved to San Antonio, Texas. There she focused on the importance of education, establishing a free kindergarten, working as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients at a hospital, and teaching infant care courses for women. She also remained active in journalism, editing El Heraldo Cristiano, a Methodist church newspaper. Idár died in San Antonio on June 13, 1946.

Posthumous honours

Idár is commemorated by a Texas historical marker in Laredo as well as by a park, walking trail, and mural. In addition, an elementary school in Chicago is named after her. In 2022 the U.S. Mint named Idár one of five women chosen for the 2023 American Women Quarters Program. The program honours women who have made a contribution to the country in a variety of fields. Idár’s quarter, designed by artist John P. McGraw, features a portrait of her with her hands clasped in front of her chest. Her body is made up of words representing some of her greatest accomplishments and of the newspapers for which she wrote.