BOOK

The Fight For Equity in the Bronx

THIS INSPIRATIONAL MEMOIR CHARTS DR. ELAINE RUIZ LÓPEZ' JOURNEY from enduring a challenging childhood in the embattled South Bronx to becoming an advocate for equality in education. After overcoming teen pregnancy and adversity, Dr. Ruiz López earned advanced degrees and was drawn to uplift children from backgrounds like hers. Despite a system underserving minorities, she opened a pioneering Bronx charter high school. Battling constant interference, Dr. Ruiz López and supportive parents proved their visionary academy - providing rigorous academic and college preparation - could thrive. Once facing closure, the school now graduates over 95 percent of students who continue to higher education. This triumph spotlights the transformative power of education to help low-income students of color succeed. Beyond one woman's odyssey, this is a chronicle of community resilience, Puerto Rican traditions, and hard-won victories in the quest for social justice.

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Praise for Dr. Elaine Ruiz López and The Fight for Equity in the Bronx

"Dr. Elaine Ruíz López speaks in an authentic voice support­ing students struggling to keep up, encouraging advocates working in hard-pressed neighborhoods, as well as parents seeking inspiration for their children. Dr. López’s lived expe­rience will take you to her childhood Bronx block where you will feel the pulse of a struggling community in transition. Discover how the author could drop out of high school, get a GED, and then press on to get her Ph.D. Along the way, Dr. López earned national recognition from US News and World Report Bronze Award Recipient for Best High Schools for a school she developed. The Fight for Equity In The Bronx: Changing Lives and Transforming Communi­ties One Scholar at a Time is a must read for social change agents, educators, academics, researchers, as well as individu­als seeking examples of effective leadership."
—Reverend Dr. Alfonso Wyatt
Founder, Strategic Destiny: Designing Futures Through Faith and Facts

"What an impactful book Dr. Elaine Ruíz López has written. I urge everyone who is involved in educating Black and Latinx children in places as rich as the South Bronx and similar communities throughout the country to read this book. The Fight for Equity in the Bronx is an inspirational account of the extraordinary challenges that this visionary and leader and woman of color confronted in order to provide a quality college prep high school education for Black and Brown children."
—Miriam Raccah
Chief Executive Officer, Black Latinx Asian Charter Coalition (BLACC)

"Dr. Elaine Ruíz López recounts her very storied life from humble beginnings as a child in the South Bronx through an astounding history of self-discovery. She describes how the school system failed her, the racism she experienced in her early years of teaching. We also get a glimpse of her community activism with National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR) led by former members of the Young Lords Party (YLP), which provided a platform for fighting for civil and human rights, education reform, and ultimately starting a school of choice in the Bronx. This compelling story is truly an inspiration for all aspiring Latinx leaders who are in the front lines for social justice and leading schools of choice in Black and Brown communities."
—Dr. John Paul Gonzalez Gutierrez
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, CUNY

"Dr. Elaine chronicles her journey as a young, disempowered student to becoming a champion for high-quality education for all disenfranchised students. That journey has resulted in empowering hundreds of children’s lives. This book is the story of the making of a champion.”
—Dr. Vasthi Acosta
Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, Amber Charter Schools