MILWAUKEE — Maria Isabel Rodriguez is one woman making a stamp on Milwaukee.
In 1999, she received a United States Postal Service award for being one of the women leaving their stamp on the city.
And that’s just the start.
Rodriguez’s involvement in the community started right after graduating from South Division High School when she joined the Latin American Union of Civil Rights.
"Getting involved in Milwaukee wasn't hard at the time," Rodriguez said.
She helped provide educational services for migrant and monolingual Spanish-speaking children. It was there she realized her passion for helping others.
In 1990, Rodriguez went on to become the first Latina Executive Director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission.
“It allowed me in assisting smaller communities on providing information about demographics," Rodriguez said. "I felt so good that I was able to help them formulate districts and calculate numbers."
But as the first Latina in office, the role wasn't met without criticism. She says she would often get hate mail.
"I think of all the people that came before me and got that kind of hate mail, but it’s more out of what it had been," Rodriguez said. "It had always been a man’s position. It had always been a white man’s position. I was even criticized for how I dressed."
But the hate didn't stop Rodriguez. She was a staff assistant to former Mayor John Norquist and spent many years as a resident services manager with the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee.
Retired now, Rodriguez remains involved in several community organizations like United Way, Latinas en Acción, and the Comité por el Voto Latino.
The committee helps spread the word about elections and voting, especially to the Latino community. A coordinator of the group, Eloisa Gomez, said Maria helped launch the committee five years ago.
"She was one of seven or eight other men and women to say 'Let's do it. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get the work done'," Gomez said.
With another election on the horizon, Rodriguez says the work they do is more important than ever.
"It's really getting the word out to individuals—at the grocery stores, at the churches— that there’s an election, and it's an important election," explained Rodriguez.
One of the things Rodriguez is most proud of is her family. She is a mother and grandmother and says she hopes to pave the way for future generations.
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