Maggie McLemore

Margarita Solórzano

 También puedes leer este artículo en español, La Organización de Mujeres Hispanas de Arkansas Hace Historia.

Since July 19, 1999, the Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas has grown and grown. On November 4, 2021, it will be inducted into the Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame.

HWOA was created when “the Hispanic population was changing,” says executive director and co-founder Margarita Solórzano, referring to the growing number of Latinos in the state “There were no services or resources for the Hispanic community because, prior to that time, there wasn't a large Hispanic population in the area,” she says.

There were 16 women who started the organization, and Solórzano remembers the hateful calls she and her 15 co-founders received in the early days after forming the organization.


Then the year 2006 came with the marches for comprehensive immigration reform. The ones in Springdale, on April 10 and May 1, were the largest ever seen in the region. They had a great impact on the entire community, not just the Hispanic community, Solórzano says.

“During the rest of 2006 we received only eight hateful calls. Now they come much more sporadically,” she says. "I felt that Latinos felt empowered and at the same time the other groups saw us with more respect; there were changes in people's attitudes."


HWOA has given 513 scholarships since 2000. "Ninety percent of the youth that receives the scholarships are the first in their families to access an education higher than high school," Solórzano says. Many of these young people left Arkansas to go to college. "Currently we are looking to give scholarships to young people who want to study in educational centers in the state," she added.

Scholarship funds are obtained through the Cinco de Mayo Festival and donations. The Festival is a tradition in Northwest Arkansas and includes music, dance, food and shows. It is generally held at the Jones Center in Springdale.

Another event held by HWOA is an annual conference in which issues concerning the Hispanic community at the national level are discussed, such as access to higher education, basic education, LGBTQ and feminist issues, among others. Speakers are brought in at lunchtime and they include the national census director, the president of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary for Housing and Urban Development.

This year's conference will be held as a hybrid virtual and in-person event, October 8, 2021, centering on life in the era of COVID.

"People are concerned about their children's education, community safety and health, which are issues that worry the Hispanic community more than migration," Solórzano said, adding that another important issue for the community is sexual harassment in the workplace.

In addition, HWOA offers a citizenship processing program called Reaching the American Dream (RAD) for eligible individuals. It also offers free computer classes and parenting school.

Solórzano, born in Guanajuato, Mexico, chose to stay in Arkansas for the tranquility of the region. One of her daughters has a doctorate and is a professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and another has two master's degrees and is a program director at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

"We help people do their job; they have to do their part," she concluded.