Enriqueta Morales

Enriqueta Morales (29 March 1891 – 10 November 1986) was a Panamanian nurse and feminist, who was instrumental in creating social service organizations in the country. Trained abroad in Belgium, she returned to Panama and founded feminist organizations aimed at improving the socio-economic and political status of women in the country. Becoming the superintendent of the Red Cross in the mid-1920s, she oversaw the creation of medical facilities and institutions to help women, children and the poor. Spending the years of World War II assisting the Allied Forces, she returned to Panama and served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Labor and Public Health until 1950. She was a recipient of the medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, for her dedication to Catholic causes.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Morales and the second or maternal family name is Bermúdez.

Enriqueta Morales
Born	Enriqueta Ramona Morales Bermúdez (1891-03-29)29 March 1891 Panama City, Republic of Gran Colombia
Died	10 November 1986(1986-11-10) (aged 95) Panama City, Panama
Nationality	Panamanian
Other names	Enriqueta Morales Bermúdez
Occupation	nurse, feminist
Years active	1922–1950

Early life

Enriqueta Ramona Morales Bermúdez was born on 29 March 1891 in Panama City, during the time when Panama was part of the Republic of Gran Colombia to Enriqueta Bermúdez and Eusebio A. Morales.[1][2] Her father was an economist and noted politician and her mother raised their three boys and three daughters in a liberal home, encouraging the children's education.[1] Morales attended the school run by the Sisters of San Vicente de Colón and then completed her schooling at the private school Colegio de San José, run by Marina Ucrós and her sisters, Josefa and Teresa, in Panama City.[1][3] After Panama gained its independence from Colombia, Morales became one of the first group of women who were granted scholarships by the national government to further their education abroad. She moved to Brussels, Belgium and studied pedagogy at the Ursuline Institute in nearby Wavre-Notre-Dame.[1]

During her studies in Belgium, she became involved in feminist causes and social reforms, and attended training courses to become a nurse with the Belgian Red Cross. After completing her schooling, she moved to the United States, where her father was serving as an ambassador.[1]

Career

Returning to Panama in the early 1920s, Morales directed the kindergarten at the School Annex of the Normal Institute. In 1922, she became one of the founders of the Feminist Renewal Center Foundation (Spanish: Fundación del Centro Feminista Renovación),[1][4] which aimed to reform the socio-economic and political spheres of Panamanian women. The following year, the center led the way for the creation of the National Feminist Party, by Clara González and founding members included Morales, Otilia Arosemena de Tejeira, Elida Campodónico, and Sara Sotillo. The aim of the political organization was to not only attain the vote, but to establish laws to protect and provide for women and children. They focused on issues such as education and equal pay for women, the need for juvenile courts and laws to address prostitution. Also in 1923, this same group of women founded the National Society for Women's Progress (Spanish: Sociedad Nacional para el Progreso de la Mujer, to further their ideals of social maternalism—improving the family and society as a whole using the nurturing instincts of mothers.[4]

After two years at the kindergarten, around 1924,[1] Morales became the secretary of the Panamanian branch of the Red Cross, which had been founded by Matilde Obarrio de Mallet in 1917. She also worked as the head nurse of the Hospital Santo Tomás. When Obarrio retired and moved to England with her husband, the British diplomat Claude Conventry Mallet, Morales became the Red Cross superintendent.[5] In 1926, she attended the Pan-American Conference of Women as a delegate from the Red Cross.[1] As superintendent, Morales coordinated charitable activities of institutions which received state subsidies and through her initiative successfully created school lunch rooms, prenatal and postnatal clinics, and free pharmacies. She also founded the Red Cross kindergarten and daycare center known as the Casa Cuna, as well as institutions to care for tubercular and leprosy patients, orphans, and the poor. Morales was awarded the medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Pius XI for her dedication to Catholic causes and public service and remained as Red Cross Superintendent until 1940.[1]

In 1941, Morales moved to the United States, serving as a nurse for the Allied Forces during World War II, remaining until 1944. During this time, she also became a contributor to numerous newspapers, writing regular chronicles for Diario de Panamá, El Tiempo, and La Estrella de Panamá. Returning to Panama, she was elected as president of the Ladies Federation of Catholic Action and the following year in 1945, she worked with the Feminine Patriotic League to encourage women to utilize their newly attained right to vote. In 1947, Morales was appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Labor and Public Health and retained the post until 1950, when Arnulfo Arias became the President of Panama.[1]

Death

Morales died on 10 November 1986 in Panama City.[1] She is remembered for her dedication to women and children, as well as the pivotal role she played in the Red Cross.[6]

References

Citations

1. United Nations Children's Fund 1996, p. 176.
2. Panamanian Baptisms 1891.
3. Vergara 2004.
4. Marco Serra 2013.
5. Méndez 2017.
6. La Estrella de Panamá 2010.

Bibliography

• Marco Serra, Yolanda (1 September 2013). López Arias, Ricardo (ed.). "Feministas, transgresoras y luchadoras" [Feminists, sinners and fighters]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Panama City, Panama. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Méndez, María del Pilar (19 March 2017). "La Cruz Roja Panameña a través del lente de Carlos Endara" [The Panamanian Red Cross through the lens of Carlos Endara] (in Spanish). Panama City, Panama: La Estrella de Panamá. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• United Nations Children's Fund (1996). "Mujeres que cambiaron nuestra historia— Panamá" [Women who changed our history—Panama]. bdigital.binal.ac.pa (in Spanish). Panama City, Panama: Biblioteca Nacional de Panamá. p. 176. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Vergara, Aylin (22 September 2004). "Marina Ucrós Recuero, una vida por la educación" [Marina Ucrós Recuero, a life for education] (in Spanish). Panama City, Panama: Panamá América. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "Panamá, bautismos, 1750–1938: Enriqueta Ramona Morales". FamilySearch (in Spanish). Ciudad de Panamá, Panama: Arquivo Nacional. 1 November 1891. FHL digital folder #1094126, Book 145, page 68. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
• "Rol histórico de la mujer panameña" [Historical roles of the Panamanian woman] (in Spanish). Panama City, Panama: La Estrella de Panamá. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.