Background
Her father was an experienced artisan who also worked in the tobacco fields.
Her father was an experienced artisan who also worked in the tobacco fields.
Cordero (birth name: Celestina Cordero y Molina ) was second of three children born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Lucas Cordero and Rita Molina. Cordero"s father, a former slave, was a "Freeman." In 1789, the Spanish Crown issued the "Royal Decree of Graces of 1789," also known as El Código Negro (The Black Code). In accordance with El Código Negro a slave could buy their freedom and thus a former slave would become known as “freeman” or “freewoman.”
Cordero"s family moved to the town of San German.
Inspired by her mother"s teachings, Cordero developed the love of teaching others
During the Spanish colonization of the island, Puerto Rico, which depended on an agricultural economy, had an illiteracy rate of over 80% at the beginning of the 19th century. Most women were home educated.
The first library in Puerto Rico was established in 1642 in the Convent of San Francisco, and access to its books was limited to those who belonged to the religious order. Those who were poor had to resort to oral story-telling in what are traditionally known in Puerto Rico as Coplas and Decimas.
Despite the fact that she was subject to racial discrimination because she was a black free woman, she continued to pursue her goal of teaching others regardless of their race and or social standing.
In 1820, Cordero founded the first school for girls in San Juan, the first of its kind in Puerto Rico. Cordero also presented herself as a public speaker in favor of women"s public education. After several years of struggle, the Spanish government officially gave her the title of teacher and accredited her school as an official educational institution.
Cordero never married and died penniless in her home in San Juan on January 18, 1862.
However, her contributions to the educational system of the island are seldom mentioned. In 2012, the library of the Doctor.José Celso Barbosa Junior.
High School dedicated its "Women Day" to Celestina Cordero.
