Free Exhibit Highlights Pioneers of Change Who Have Paved The Way For New Yorkers to Follow In Their Footsteps

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Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy today announced that a new 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit is now open to the public on the New York State Capitol’s second floor.

“OGS invites the public to stop by the Governor’s Reception Room to visit this exhibit highlighting the work of nine Hispanic trailblazers who have directly contributed to New York’s long legacy of championing social justice and equity for all,” Commissioner Moy said. “¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana! Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!”

National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins on September 15 and ends on October 15, was officially designated in 1988. This period was chosen to mark the independence days of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and Chile and celebrate Día de la Raza on October 12, which recognizes Latin America's heritage and cultural diversity.

This year’s exhibition features Hispanic and Latino pioneers of change who have improved educational standards, increased access to health care, fought for civil rights, and brought new forms of entertainment to New York State. Their inspirational stories resonate with many Hispanic and Latino New Yorkers who are following in their footsteps and contributing to New York’s multicultural ingenuity.  

Among those featured in the exhibition are:

• Fernando “Frank” Caldeiro, the first NASA astronaut of Argentinian descent. In 2002, he was appointed to serve as a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
• Rafael Viera, founder of El Diario NY, the oldest continuously published Spanish-language newspaper in the United States.
• Laudelina Martinez, owner of the Martinez Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Troy, NY.
• Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize in literature.
• Marta Moreno Vega, founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and the Global Afro-Latino Caribbean Initiative.
• Johny Pacheco, Grammy award-winning pioneer of salsa music.
• Antonia Pantoja, the first Puerto Rican woman awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work in education, pioneering efforts in community development, and role in developing several seminal Puerto Rican institutions.
• Casimiro D. Rodriguez Sr., founder of the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York Inc.
• Helen Rodríguez-Trías, the first Latina director of the American Public Health Association.

The free Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition will be on view in the Governor’s Reception Room from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays through Friday, October 18. For additional information, visit the exhibit’s webpage.