María Urquides facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
María Urquides
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| Born | December 8, 1908 Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
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| Died | June 16, 1994 (aged 85) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
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| Occupation | Educator |
| Years active | 1928–1977 |
| Known for | Bilingual education proponent, federal education committees |
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Notable work
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The Invisible Minority (1966) |
María Luisa Legarra Urquides (born December 8, 1908 – died June 16, 1994) was an American teacher. She strongly supported bilingual education, which means teaching in two languages. María Urquides lived in Arizona, but her ideas helped shape education rules across the United States.
She worked in local schools and for the government. She also received many awards for her leadership in education and her community work. People often called her the "Mother of Bilingual Education" in the United States. In 2002, she was honored by being added to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
María Urquides was born in a neighborhood called Barrio Libre in Tucson, Arizona. She was the youngest of five children. Her parents, Mariana Legara and Hilario Urquides, came from Mexican families who had lived in Tucson for a long time.
Her father, Hilario, was adopted by an Irish American family after his parents passed away. He helped start a group called Alianza Hispano-Americana in 1894. This group worked to protect Mexican people from losing their power to White American settlers. Hilario was also involved in local politics and held several city jobs, like constable and deputy sheriff. For nearly 30 years, he was the superintendent of city streets and parks.
When María was in school in Tucson, students were only allowed to speak English. If they spoke other languages, they could be punished. This was part of a bigger plan called "Americanization." At Tucson High School, María was good at theater and singing. Some of her Mexican classmates called her a "gringacita" because these activities were seen as more "American." She also faced challenges visiting her White friends' homes. This was due to rules for Mexican girls and because some White families did not welcome her.
While in college, María faced unfair treatment when looking for jobs. She was given cleaning jobs until she found work singing at a restaurant.
She earned her teaching certificate in 1928 from Tempe State Teachers College, which is now Arizona State University. She was the top student in her class. María said her high school teacher, Mary Balch, encouraged her to go to college and become a teacher. Later, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arizona. She also took more classes at the University of New Mexico and the University of California, Berkeley. She did this to improve her skills in creating school lessons.
Teaching and Community Work
María Urquides taught for 46 years at three different schools. For her first 20 years, she taught at Davis Elementary. This school was separate and served Mexican American and Yaqui children. She tried hard to help her students learn and make the school better. However, her ideas were often ignored.
In 1948, she moved to Sam Hughes Elementary. This school had mostly White students from wealthier families. At this new school, she saw big differences between schools. She started to question how decisions were made about education.
Beyond her teaching, María also helped improve her community. She worked with local women to clear an unused piece of land. They turned it into Oury Park in the Barrio Anita neighborhood. This park was later renamed David G. Herrera and Ramon Quiroz Park in 2001. They even got money from the Works Progress Administration to add a community swimming pool.
Later, several Mexican American women formed a group called Club Adelante. María led this group to work on projects, like building a local library. In 1960, she supported Senator John F. Kennedy in the local Spanish newspaper.
Leading Bilingual Education
In 1955, María Urquides was asked to work at the new Pueblo High School. There, she taught English and worked as a school counselor. She found it strange to teach Spanish as a foreign language. For years, students who spoke Spanish had been punished for using it.
She became very interested in helping students who spoke Spanish well but couldn't read or write it. María worked with other teachers to create new lessons. These lessons included teaching about Mexican American culture. They also had a program for Spanish-speakers and advanced Spanish classes. In 1965, Pueblo High School won an award for their efforts.
María became very involved in designing bilingual lessons and shaping national education rules. She asked for money to study how to best teach Mexican American students. Her request was approved, and she led a special committee. This committee visited 58 schools across the Southwest United States. They studied different ways to teach in two languages.
In 1966, they published an important report called The Invisible Minority – Pero No Vencibles. This report explained the challenges faced by Spanish-speaking students. It also showed successful bilingual programs in different cities.
María and her team often went to Congress to talk about bilingual education. They also held a meeting in Tucson about "The Spanish-Speaking Child in the Schools of the Southwest." This meeting and their report helped push for a new law. This law was the 1967 Bilingual Education Act. Many important leaders attended the meeting, including senators and representatives.
María Urquides' leadership still affects bilingual education today. The way Tucson handled bilingual education is often called its "cradle." And María herself is known as the "Mother of Bilingual Education" in the United States. A fellow educator, Adalberto Guerrero, said in 1985 that María led all these efforts. He said, "It was she who moved and fought in order that bilingual education could become a reality in the United States."
María officially stopped teaching in 1978. But she continued to work with many groups until she passed away in 1994. She was buried at the Holy Hope Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleum.
Awards and Honors
Several US presidents asked María Urquides to serve on education committees. She was appointed to the White House Conference on Children and Youth by Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Richard M. Nixon. She also served on committees for civil rights and Mexican-American education.
María received many awards from her community and national groups. In 1977, an elementary school for students with disabilities was named after her. She was the first Mexican American woman in Arizona to have a school named in her honor. The University of Arizona gives an award in her name each year to teachers who support bilingual education. They also offer scholarships in her name.
Her life story was shared in books like This Land, These Voices and Arizona Memories. She was also featured in a textbook called The Story of the Mexican Americans.
María Urquides was part of many community and education groups, including:
- American Red Cross
- Arizona Association of Mexican American Educators
- National Association for Advancement of Colored People
- Pima Community College Board of Governors (as founding chair)
- YWCA
She also received many special awards:
- Arizona Women's Hall of Fame (2002)
- Distinguished Citizen Award (1972), University of Arizona Alumni Association
- Distinguished Service Award (1970), National Education Association
- Honorary law degree (1983), University of Arizona
- Human Relations award (1968), National Education Association
- Medallion of Excellence, Arizona State University
- Medallion of Merit (1984), University of Arizona
- Pioneer Award (1990), National Association for Bilingual Education
- Woman of the Year (1965), League of Mexican American Women (Los Angeles)
- Woman of the Year in Education (1965), Tucson Daily Star
- YWCA Lifetime Achievement (1989)
