Passionate Readers

Jovita Idár

Jovita Idar (1885 – 1946) was a staunch defender of the first amendment, women’s rights and equality in education. Her father edited newspapers, and she was a professional journalist at the young age of 17. Her two brothers also wrote for her father’s paper – a vital source of news for the Mexican American activists. Jovita wrote about racism frequently and was openly supportive of the Mexican Revolution and women’s suffrage. A former teacher, Joviat also believed in education – the first act of Jovita’s organization, La Liga Feminil Mexicaista (the League of Mexican Women), was educating Mexican American students. Jovita continued her activism her entire life, publishing newspapers,  joining the Democratic Party in San Antonio, working for women’s rights, running a free kindergarten, publishing a Spanish language newsletter for the Methodist Church and volunteering as an interpreter at local hospitals – she never backed down from a fight that improved lives.