Martha Bernal, born April 13, 1931 in San Antonio, Texas to Mexican immigrants. Overcoming racism about her ethnicity she received her Bachelor's Degree from Texas Western College, now University of Texas at El Paso in 1952. After getting her Master of Arts degree in 1955 from Syracuse, she transferred to Indiana University where she was faced with sexism. She wanted to quit her studies but a teacher persuaded her to finish her doctorate, which she did in 1962, becoming the first Latina in the U.S. to obtain a PhD in psychology.
She contributed significantly to the field, especially for her work on children's behavioral problems, and to develop organizations that focused on ethnic groups to combat issues of racism, sexism, discrimination, etc.
She passed away in September 2001 after losing her fourth battle with cancer.
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