Waco's Latina Changemakers

“Waco’s Latina Changemakers”

As part of Women’s History Month, members of Baylor’s History Department, in collaboration with the John and Nancy Jackson Chair for Baylor in Latin America, have organized a panel featuring perspectives from Latina “changemakers” whose activism and careers have made the city of Waco a more just and equitable place. This event is the product of conversations with the university’s community partners about the prospect of connecting students to the city’s Hispanic community.

Anchored in a new class on “Waco’s Mexican American Experience,” the panel will be open to members of the Waco community and all Baylor students, faculty, and staff.

Partners include Waco’s Hispanic Leaders Network and the Mayborn Museum, along with on- campus co-sponsors such as the College of Arts and Sciences, the Baylor Women’s Colloquium, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and the Division of Spanish and Portuguese.

Please consult the following information to learn more about our speakers:

Alma Canales: Born in La Rosita, Texas, Alma Canales worked with her family as a seasonal migrant farm worker from a young age. She was recruited to the University of Texas Pan America on a journalism scholarship, and it was there that she became involved with the Mexican American Youth Organization. As a journalist and community organizer, Canales learned to advocate for the needs of the Mexican and Mexican American community in the Rio Grande Valley. She attended El Colegio Jacinto Treviño in Mercedes, Texas and later moved to Austin to become involved in state-wide campaigning for La Raza Unida, a Hispanic political party established in 1970. At twenty-four years old, she was the youngest and first Chicana to run for Lieutenant Governor of Texas under the La Raza Unida ticket. After settling in Waco, Texas, Canales continued her advocacy work through LULAC and the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project.

Linda Fraga: Since the early 1980s, Linda Fraga has pursued meaningful service in the Waco community, serving on numerous community and city-wide boards and commissions. In 1986, she established the Waco chapter of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (HWNT), hosting the HWNT statewide conference in 1990. For thirty-six years, Fraga worked with her husband, Ernesto, to publish Tiempo newspaper, a local Spanish and English weekly. She and Ernesto used Tiempo to represent Hispanic families. They promoted Hispanic-owned businesses and raised awareness about vital issues to Waco’s Hispanic community. For nearly a decade, Fraga hosted Ya Es Tiempo, a Sunday morning TV show on KXXV Channel 25. She served as the first female board member of the Cen-Tex Mexican American Chamber of Commerce of Waco, which has since been renamed as the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Elizabeth Palacios: A native of San Antonio, Dr. Elizabeth Palacios earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Baylor University. She earned her doctorate from UT-Austin and, after 2002, began teaching in Baylor’s School of Education. She was the first Latina member of the Baylor faculty. She was also the first in many other positions at Baylor, including those related to diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism, retiring from Baylor in 2022 and serving as a Board Member on the McLennan Community College Board of Trustees.

Alice Rodríguez: Re-elected to the Waco City Council on November 2, 2021, councilwoman Alice Rodríguez has previously served as the representative for District II for a combined total of twenty-four years beginning in 1991. Additionally, Rodríguez served as Waco’s Mayor Pro Tempore in the years of 1992-1993, 1999-2000, 2007-2008, 2012-2013. Rodríguez retired from Waco Independent School District where she worked to recover drop-out students as a School Completion Liaison. She has been awarded the 2016 TAMACC Women of Distinction Award, the 1992 YMCA Pathfinder Award, and the Girl Scouts-Bluebonnet Council Women of Distinction Award, recently being recognized by the National Hispanic Leadership Association and the International Sumando Sueños Award in Mexico City. As a council member, Rodríguez serves on various boards and committees, including vice-chairing the National League of Cities University Communities Council. She is also a member of the Community and Economic Development Committee, the Council on Youth Education and Family, and organizations like Hispanic Elected Local Officials and Women in Municipal Government. Rodríguez has been active in the Texas Municipal League’s Association of Hispanic Municipal Officials (AHMO), having served as AHMO’s Treasurer and a member of its the Executive Board. Additionally, she holds positions on the City Council Boards and Commission Committee, the City of Waco ISD Intergovernmental Relations Committee, the Waco-McLennan County Joint Airport Board, and the Board of Adjustments Board. Rodríguez is the Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Council and Vice President for the Heart of Texas Council of Government Executive Committee. She serves as President of the Waco chapter of the League of United Latin American Council (LULAC) and is a member of the Sociedad Mutualista Mexicana De Jornaleros and the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Host or Publisher Hispanic Leaders' Network - Waco, Texas