Las Tres Hermanas
Las Tres Hermanas
The Three Sisters is a coloring book and exhibition in the Casita Maria Gallery based on the lives of Evelina López Antonetty, Lillian López and Elba Cabrera; three pioneers of the Puerto Rican community. Evelina López Antonetty the oldest sister was an activist and champion for social causes. She was the founder of United Bronx Parents Inc.; a social service agency established in 1965 to serve the Puerto Rican and Latino parents in navigating the educational system for their children. Presently, United Bronx Parents Inc. serves the community in a variety of areas including providing day care services, GED programs and youth enrichment and leadership programs, among others. Evelina was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Manhattan College.
Lillian López the middle sister was among the first Puerto Rican librarians in the New York Public Library system and was the first Puerto Rican Administrator. She was successful in introducing Spanish language books to the system and in developing innovative programs that served the Puerto Rican and Latino communities. During her tenure, López held several important positions including: Coordinator of the Special Services Office, New York Public Library Bronx Borough Coordinator and was appointed to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences’ Minorities Task Force. Lillian received her BA from Hunter College and a Masters in Library Science from Columbia University.
Elba Cabrera the youngest of the three sisters established herself as an ambassador and advocate for the arts. As such, she became the Assistant Director for the Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA) where she promoted activities for over one hundred arts organizations throughout New York City. Cabrera created the Directory of Hispanic Arts Organizations and was the editor for AHA’s bi-monthly newsletter, Hispanic Arts. She also hosted a weekly television program called Hispanic Arts on WNYC-TV. Elba received her BA from SUNY at Old Westbury in Politics, Economics and Societies.
