Graciela Olivarez

Who was Graciela Olivarez?

Graciela Olivarez was a lawyer who advocated for civil rights and for the poor.

In 1970, Olivarez became the first woman and the first Latina to graduate from the Notre Dame Law School. She was offered a scholarship to the school while she was serving as director of the Arizona branch of the federal Office of Economic Opportunity, despite the fact that she lacked a high school diploma. The Notre Dame Hispanic Law Students Association presents an award in her name annually.

Olivarez served as the chair of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and was one of the first two women on its board.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her the director of the Community Services Administration. She thus became the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the Carter administration.