Sara Estela Ramirez (1881–1910) was a poet, journalist, and political activist who was involved with the Mexican Revolution and the latina feminist movement in Texas. During her time in Laredo, she taught Spanish and was a supporter of the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) a progressive party just before the Mexican Revolution. She was a publisher for two Spanish language newspapers, “La Corregidora” (”The Mayor’s Wife”) and “Aurora” (“Dawn”). She was part of “Regeneración y Concordia” (Regeneration and Harmony), a Mexican feminist group. Her entire collection of known poems, 21 total, were published in various Spanish Newspapers of the area. Among them “Surge!” (Arise!) is an early feminist rally cry for women to arise and take their place in the world. Upon her death, journalist Jovita Idar wrote her eulogy in “La Cronica” and called Ramirez the “La Musa Texana" (“The Muse of Texas”). Her life and poetry is considered foundational to the Chicanismo movement and the Chicano Literary Renaissance.
Sources:
Ramirez’s last poem "¡Surge! A la mujer" (Arise! to Women) was published in La Cronica August 9, 1910. SuffragetteCity100 could not locate a copy of the newspaper and could only find snippets of the actual poem in “An Abstract of a Dissertation Presented toThe Faculty of the Department of Hispanic Studies University of Houston by Maria D. Mendiola May 2014” pages 37-44 It’s in Spanish. (Used Google Translate)
¡Surge! surge a la vida, á (sic) á (sic) la actividad, á (sic) la belleza de vivir realmente; pero surge radiante y poderosa, bella de cualidades, esplendente de virtudes, fuerte de energías [...
Tú, la reina del mundo, Diosa de la adoraciónuniversal; tú, la soberana á (sic) quien se rinde vasallaje, no te encierres así en tu templo de Dios, ni en tu camarín de cortesana triunfadora [...]
¡Surge!, surgió “a la vida y a la actividad [...], bella de cualidades, esplendente de virtudes y fuerte de energías”.
Translation
Arise! life arises, á (sic) á (sic) activity, á (sic) the beauty of really living; but it emerges radiant and powerful, beautiful of qualities, splendid of virtues, strong of energies ...
You, the queen of the world, Goddess of universal worship; you, the sovereign to (sic) who surrenders vassalage, do not lock yourself like this in your temple of God, or in your courtesan dressing room [...]
Arise !, arose "to life and activity, [...] beautiful qualities, splendid virtues and strong energies".