“We need health, but above all we need to create a grounding for healthy public policy that redresses and salvages the growing inequities. We cannot achieve a healthier us without achieving a healthier, more equitable health care system, and ultimately, a more equitable society.”
– Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias (July 7, 1929 – December 27, 2001) Pediatrician, Educator and Woman’s Rights Activist
——————————————————–
By Carlos “Carlito” Rovira
Below is my latest portrait of a true revolutionary in every sense of its meaning. Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias’ life was filled with greatness. A passion for science and empathy for humanity. She always demonstrated an attraction for the anti-racist cause and Puerto Rico’s struggle for independence. Dr Rodriquez -Trias was also a proud feminist, always promoting the cause for the equality of women.
As a child, Dr. Rodriquez-Trias showed great academic abilities. However, despite having good grades and being bi-lingual, she was placed in a class for children with learning disabilities. The NYC public school system in the 1930s has many stories of open and systemic racism. It wasn’t until Helen participated in a poem recital, that a teacher realized how intellectually gifted she was.
As Dr. Rodriquez-Trias grew older, her interest in medicine became a priority. She moved to Puerto Rico and received a scholarship in Medicine from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) . It was there where she became drawn to the Puerto Rican independence struggle and decided to join the student component of the Nationalist Party.
Despite family opposition to her political involvement, in 1960 having earned her doctorate in medicine with the highest honors, Dr. Rodriquez-Trias stayed in Puerto Rico for several years working to help eradicate the widespread community health issues due to the lack of basic health care.
The decision to stay in Puerto Rico combined with her passion for justice defined the special kind of medical professional she became. Dr. Rodriguez-Trias is credited for establishing the first center for the care of newborn babies in Puerto Rico. As a result of her efforts, the death rate for newborns decreased by 50 percent within three years.
In another well documented genocidal act against the Puerto Rican people, between the 1930s and 1980s, one-third of the child-baring female population was secretly sterilized. This strategic genocidal project was designed by the notorious Dr. Cornelius P. Roades.
Dr. Rodriguez-Trias was an adamant, tireless and outspoken activist against United States colonialism using Puerto Rico for birth control pill experimentations as well.
After Dr. Rodriguez Trias moved back to New York City in 1970, she became active in the fight for patient-worker’s rights, specifically at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx where she was employed as head of its Pediatrics department.
Upon her arrival at Lincoln Hospital, Dr. Rodriquez Trias was so appalled to witness first-hand the racist healthcare reserved for poor, Black and Latino people that it inspired her to attend meetings of the Health Revolutionary Unity Movement (HRUM), an entity of hospital workers and community activists.
On July 14, 1970, the Young Lords staged the dramatic seizure of Lincoln Hospital. The aim was to expose the deplorable conditions there. Dr. Rodriguez Trias was among many doctors throughout the country who supported this action.
Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias was recognized for her efforts by many in the medical profession, esteemed organizations and government entities. She was the first Latina director of the American Public Health Association. In January 8, 2001, Dr. Rodriquez Trias was awarded with the Presidential Citizen’s Medal.
This portrait is 20” X 24”, acrylic paint on canvas. It was inspired by my Queen, Lisa B. Jones who urged me to paint the image of Dr. Rodriguez -Trias for several years by educating me about this outstanding heroine.
I also wish to thank Sister Cleo Silvers who helped me with the facts of this article. Cleo Silvers was a member of HRUM and worked at Lincoln Hospital with Dr. Trias in the 1970s.
Long live the legacy of Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias!
carlitoboricua 