One of the founders of the New York Women’s Foundation, Alice Cardona, was a formidable woman. One of the most important activists of the Puerto Rican community, she dedicated her life to the service of others. For more than a decade, she was the Deputy Director of the Women’s Division of New York and a fierce campaigner against domestic violence and the impact of Aids in the Hispanic community. An advocate of bilingualism, Cardona was recognized internationally and was considered one of the most notable of Hispanic women. Yet, above all this, Cardona felt she was simply a woman blessed.

"The daughter of Luis Cardona and María Cruz has been blessed. I have done it all. I am happy with my life. I have fulfilled my dreams," she said. One of nine children, she was born in East Harlem 80 years ago, but she was raised in the Bronx. Those were the streets that shaped her and where she learned to fight. "I would never have survived if I didn’t have fists. You need to know how to look someone in the eyes. You have to know how to walk the street," she said. She told how, as a young girl, she rebelled against the sexist attitudes toward women. She explained that she used to greet the boys of El Barrio with a swift punch in the stomach. "I was as tough as they were. I had to show them that they couldn’t mess with me," she said, smiling.

Cardona lived first hand the social issues that affected Hispanic woman. "I remember the poverty. We had to go on welfare. I remember being hungry. But I also remember the people that helped me along the way," she said. Early on, she realized that in order to solve a problema, you had to organize. "You have to determine if what is at hand is worth fighting for, or if it is better to stand back, and let it happen," she said.

For Cardona, her fiercest battle was for women’s rights, with an emphasis on domestic violence. "I understood the women that would sit back and let men dictate. But I also understood that that was the root of the problem," she stressed.

Her life as an activist began in 1970 in ASPIRA of New York, organization that is dedicated to the education and leadership development of young Hispanics. From the beginning, she had two rules that she believes led to her success. "First, I never threw a telephone number away. Second, when there is an issue, organize," she said. These two cardinal rules took "the Super’s Daughter" to the office of the governor of New York City. The formula also helped her lead organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women and The New York Women’s Foundation, which honors her this month with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

"When we started, we were not powerful women, executives or politicians," she explained. "We were simply a group of women who came together to organize around an issue." If Cardona had a mantra, it was, "If there is an issue, the solution is to organize, from the ground on up." Her formidable will took Cardona from the Bronx to China. She, together with now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, formed part of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, an historic event.

Late last year, Cardona was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. She didn’t miss a beat. "My calendar is full. It is full of my experiences. What more do I want? I went to China," she said. A life well lived.