Luisa Capetillo

Puerto Rican activist and writer

• Born: October 28, 1879
• Birthplace: Arecibo, Puerto Rico
• Died: April 10, 1922
• Place of death: Río Piedras, Puerto Rico

Best known as a labor leader and champion of the working class, Capetillo also was a pioneer feminist in Puerto Rico. As a writer, Capetillo denounced religion, capitalism, the exploitation of workers by political parties, and the patriarchal system that kept women from full economic and social independence.

Early Life

Luisa Capetillo Perone (kah-peh-TEE-yoh) was born to Luisa Margarita Perone, a domestic worker, and Luis Capetillo Echevarria, an unskilled laborer, on October 28, 1879, in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Although they were members of the working class, Capetillo’s parents ensured that she had an education and exposed her to many forms of literature. In addition to her education, Capetillo assisted her mother in domestic service to wealthy families in Arecibo. Capetillo’s mother’s passion for literature and experience as a domestic worker no doubt influenced Capetillo’s later work.

In 1898, having fallen in love with and been courted by Manuel Ledesma, Capetillo gave birth to her first child, Manuela. Ledesma was the son of a wealthy dignitary, and his family never approved of the relationship. Shortly after the birth of their second child, Gregorio, Ledesma and Capetillo separated.

While working as a reader in a cigar factory, Capetillo became deeply involved with the Free Federation of Workers (Federacion Libre de Trabajadores, or FLT). Her position as a reader exposed Capetillo to important political and philosophical works as well as news from around the world. At this time, her activism flourished as she traveled throughout Puerto Rico to participate in strikes and speak at rallies. Her knowledge and eloquence allowed Capetillo to emerge as a leader in the male-dominated labor movement.

In 1904, Capetillo began writing for newspapers and magazines, which eventually led to the publication of her first book, Ensayos libertarios (Libertarian Essays, 1907), which employs socialist and anarchist rhetoric to advocate for an equal society free from exploitation of laborers and women.

Life’s Work

By the early 1900’s, Capetillo’s articulate perspectives and skilled organizing had made her the best-known woman labor leader in Puerto Rico. As an active member of the FLT, Capetillo used her prominence to reach female workers by publishing a magazine called La mujer. In an effort to raise money to sustain the magazine, Capetillo published her second book, La humanidad del futuro (Humanity’s Future, 1910). La humanidad del futuro depicts Capetillo’s vision of a utopian society and advocates for a reform of social services including health and education, as well as free love, vegetarianism, and communal responsibility.

In 1911, Capetillo gave birth to Luis, her third child, who was the result of a brief relationship with a married pharmacist. The same year, she published her most renowned book, Mi opinión sobre las libertades derechos y deberes de la mujer (My Opinion About the Freedom, Rights, and Duties of Women), which is considered the first feminist treatise in Puerto Rico and possibly Latin America. In a collection of essays, the book provides a comprehensive feminist analysis of issues such as sexual exploitation, domestic and other women’s work, education, politics, motherhood, and religion. Capetillo’s work concludes that education is the key to women’s emancipation.

In 1912, Capetillo began working as an international labor organizer. Her work brought her to New York, where she wrote for a Hispanic labor newspaper and other labor publications. Her labor work eventually took her to Ybor City, a section of Tampa, Florida. While in Florida, Capetillo collaborated with a variety of cigar workers to organize for better working conditions, higher wages, and the right to unionize.

Three years later, Capetillo moved to Havana, Cuba, to participate in labor rallies and strikes. In 1915, she was arrested in Havana for wearing pants in public. This incident and her anarchist activities led to her deportation to Puerto Rico in 1916.

While in Puerto Rico, Capetillo published her final book Influencias de las ideas modernas (Influences of Modern Ideas, 1916).The work reiterates many of the same subjects in Mi opinión sobre las libertades, derechos, y deberes de la mujer in a compilation of letters, a three-part play, and a number of personal reflections. After the publication of Influencias de las ideas modernas, Capetillo continued to write for labor publications and promote her books. From 1919 to 1920, Capetillo lived in New York City, where she worked as a reader in a cigar factory, ran a hostel, and wrote.

In 1920, Capetillo returned to Puerto Rico to start an education project called Escuela Granja Agricola (Agricultural Farm School). The project would teach children agricultural and leadership skills in addition to a traditional education. However, before that dream could come to fruition, Capetillo died on April 10, 1922, from tuberculosis.

Significance

Capetillo’s work as a labor organizer and feminist activist not only brought together the working class of Puerto Rico but also revealed gender disparities within progressive movements and political revolutions. As the first feminist treatise in Puerto Rico, her Mi opinión sobre las libertades, derechos, y deberes de la mujer captured the social history and experiences of Puerto Rican women in the early twentieth century. Furthermore, her prominence as an international labor leader revealed a commonality among working women throughout North America. Capetillo’s legacy has given generations of labor and feminist activists a historical context in which to base their work.

Bibliography

Capetillo, Luisa. A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out—Mi opinión sobre las libertades, derechos, y deberes de la mujer. Edited with an introduction by Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. Houston, Tex.: Arte Público Press, 2004. Matos Rodríguez provides a short biography of Capetillo and a historiography of her works. This text also includes a translation of Capetillo’s landmark feminist treatise.

Hewitt, Nancy A. “Luisa Capetillo: Feminist of the Working Class.” In Latina Legacies: Identity, Biography, and Community, edited by Vicki L. Ruia and Virginia Sanchez Korral. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Includes a brief biography, historical context, and an analysis of Capetillo’s significance.

Valle Ferrer, Norma. Luisa Capetillo, Pioneer Puerto Rican Feminist. New York: Peter Lang, 2006. Valle Ferrer provides an in-depth biography and study of Capetillo’s life. Appendix includes selections from Capetillo’s final book, Influencias de las ideas modernas