“I learned to take risks even though I was afraid…That experience was responsible for the strong commitment I have to help my Puerto Ricans.” Angelina Cabrera. Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia.

Angelina (Angie) Cabrera was born to Puerto Rican parents in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Upon graduation from high school during World War II, she became a secretary at Fort Hamilton Army Base in Brooklyn. From 1952 to 1954 Angie Cabrera worked for H. J. Heinz Company, as its official Spanish translator. Cabrera attended Fordham University and completed a baccalaureate degree in political science. She was employed at the Office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and graduated to confidential executive secretary to the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín. In 1965 Cabrera was the New York secretary for Senator Robert F. Kennedy and special staff assistant on Hispanic affairs. In 1972 Cabrera was national director for public relations and community affairs at the National Puerto Rican Forum. She was a member of several organizations among them, ASPIRA, and the Puerto Rican Family Institute. She was advisor to the First Women’s Bank and the Citizens’ Union. Cabrera served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1972 and was vice-chairperson of the State Democratic Committee. In May 1984 Cabrera became the business development specialist in the New York State Department of Economic Development’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development and later assistant deputy commissioner for that division. In 1998 Cabrera was appointed as a commissioner in the Equal Employment Practices Commission. Cabrera has been honored on countless occasions for her service and dedication to the city, the state, and the Latino community.