Carmen Yulín Cruz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carmen Yulín Cruz
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Cruz in 2013
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| Mayor of San Juan | |
| In office January 14, 2013 – December 31, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Jorge Santini |
| Succeeded by | Miguel Romero |
| Member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from the at-large district |
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| In office January 2, 2009 – January 1, 2013 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto
February 25, 1963 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | Popular Democratic (before 2023) Independent (2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto (born February 25, 1963) is a Puerto Rican politician. She was the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 2013 to 2020. Before that, from 2009 to 2013, she served in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto was born in San Juan on February 25, 1963. Her parents were Carmen Irene Soto Molina and Pedro Cruz Vega. She has a brother named Pedro José. The name "Yulín" came from her grandmother, Lutgarda Vega.
Carmen Yulín was a great student. She graduated with honors from Julio Sellés Solá Elementary School. At the University of Puerto Rico Secondary School, she was the president of the student council.
She earned her first college degree, a Bachelor of Arts in political science, from Boston University in 1984. She graduated with honors. In 1986, she earned a Master of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University. There, she was the first student to receive a special award for her service to the college and community.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
In 1992, Carmen Yulín Cruz returned to Puerto Rico. She became an advisor to the mayor of San Juan, Sila María Calderón. She ran for a seat in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico in 2000 but did not win that election.
Serving as a Representative (2009–2013)
Eight years later, in 2008, Cruz ran for the Puerto Rico House of Representatives again. This time, she ran for an island-wide seat. She won and became a representative.
As a representative, she worked on the Women Affairs Committee. She also supported the Dominican American National Roundtable because many Dominican immigrants lived in San Juan.
In 2011, she started her campaign to be re-elected. She was the first candidate from her party to get more than 4,000 signatures, which was twice the number needed. In the 2012 primary elections for her party, she received the most votes among all candidates for the House of Representatives.
Running for San Juan Mayor (2012)
In early 2011, Cruz showed interest in becoming the mayor of her hometown, San Juan. However, she decided not to run at first. Later, the person chosen by her party to run for mayor resigned.
On March 26, 2012, Cruz announced she would accept her party's request to run for mayor. She would challenge the current mayor, Jorge Santini. Many people on social media, like Facebook and Twitter, supported her. Unofficial polls from newspapers also showed her as the favorite.
On March 28, 2012, Cruz was promoted to a leadership role in her party in the House of Representatives. Two days later, she became the new president of her party's San Juan committee.
Cruz has said she believes that eight years is enough time for a mayor to complete their plans. She does not believe in staying in office for too long. In May 2012, she met with Jim Messina, who was working for President Barack Obama's campaign. They talked about healthcare and education funding. During this visit, Cruz also worked to create a partnership between Chicago and San Juan. She has also strongly supported rights for the LGBT community and women.
Mayor of San Juan (2013–2020)
Carmen Yulín Cruz was elected as the new mayor of San Juan on November 6, 2012. She won against the three-term mayor, Jorge Santini. She became the third woman to serve as San Juan's mayor. The others were Felisa Rincón de Gautier and Sila Calderón.
As mayor, Cruz continued plans to improve the Río Piedras area. This included restoring old buildings. An economic plan offered reasons for new businesses to open there. The goal was to bring back the area's importance. She also worked closely with the local community and the University of Puerto Rico.
She was re-elected as mayor in 2016. She did not run for mayor again in the 2020 elections.
Hurricane Maria Response
In September 2017, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Mayor Cruz spoke out often on TV. She said that federal aid was not reaching the people who needed it. She accused President Donald Trump's administration of being slow and inefficient. She asked for help in many interviews.
At a press conference on September 29, Mayor Cruz said that people were "dying" and drinking water from creeks. She asked the media to send a "mayday call" to the world.
Some officials responded to her comments. The head of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Brock Long, said that everyone needed to work together. President Trump tweeted that Mayor Cruz had been told by others to be "nasty" to him. He called her leadership "poor."
Many lawmakers responded to this. Some said they saw racism in the President's remarks. Others called his comments "offensive" and said he should apologize to the people of Puerto Rico. They pointed out that he seemed to focus more on aid efforts in other places.
Running for Governor (2020)
In March 2019, Cruz announced she would run for governor of Puerto Rico. She sought the nomination from her party for the 2020 elections. She finished third in the primary election and did not win the nomination.
Other Activities
On February 21, 2019, Carmen Yulín Cruz joined Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. She was one of four national co-chairs for his campaign.
In 2021, she became a special fellow at Mount Holyoke College.
Awards and Recognition
Carmen Yulín Cruz has received many awards for her work. These include:
- The Martin Luther King Centre Justice, Peace and Freedom Award (2018)
- The Humanitarian Leadership Award (2018)
- The Antonio Villaraigosa Leadership Award (2018)
- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation Humanitarian Award (2017)
- The Puerto Rico Arts Alliance Felisa Rincón Legacy Public Service Award.
She was also recognized by magazines. People en Español named her one of the 50 most Powerful Women in 2017. Time magazine considered her for Person of the Year in 2017. In 2018, Time included her on their list of the 100 most Influential People in the World. This was for her leadership after Hurricane Maria.
In 2018, she received the Ridenhour Truth-Telling Award. She also received awards for inspirational leadership, justice, and economic justice. Essence magazine included her on their "Woke 100 Women" list in 2018.
Personal Life
Carmen Yulín Cruz has a daughter named Marina Yulín Paul Cruz.
See also
In Spanish: Carmen Yulín Cruz para niños
- List of Puerto Ricans
- History of women in Puerto Rico
