To understand the María C. Sánchez awards banquet, first, you must know who she was.

“María Sánchez is what we call la Madrina of the Puerto Rican community here in Hartford,” CICD Puerto Rican Parade Board of Directors member Amilcar Hernandez said.

Sánchez was honorably given the title "The Godmother" because she was an advocate, listener and leader for many Puerto Ricans and Latinos in Hartford.

“We want to celebrate her legacy, we want to make sure people understand the importance of the work that she did so we can continue doing that work in many different ways,” Hernandez said.

The list of accolades is immeasurable, but to name a few, Sánchez was the first Hispanic woman elected to the Connecticut General Assembly. She co-founded the Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade and in 1994, she was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.

“She was definitely a pioneer of change and someone that advocated for us,” Hartford Fire Department District Chief Mario Oquendo Jr. said.

Sánchez is most remembered for advocating for bilingual education. To honor her work, the María C. Sánchez Elementary School was dedicated in 1991.

“That tells you a lot about what she meant to this community, what she continues to mean for Hispanic communities that come from so many countries,” Hernandez said.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the Connecticut Institute for Community Development Puerto Rican Parade will host the annual awards banquet in her honor. The recipients are picked based on their contributions in the community.

Oquendo Jr. is one of the awardees.

“As I accept this award, it’s not just an award for me, I think it’s an award to all the Latino firefighters in the Hartford Fire Department,” Oquendo Jr. said.

Oquendo Jr. has been with the fire department for over 25 years and actively volunteers through a church.

“Whether it is community clean up, helping out with giving out food, helping out homeless population, basically anything where there is a void,” Oquendo Jr. said.

The chief holds Sánchez in the highest regard. She advocated for Puerto Ricans and Latinos to join the fire department after a tragic accident in 1979 that killed a 12-year-old boy named Julio Cesar Lozada.

Oquendo Jr. said at the time, there were no Spanish-speaking first responders to help the family.

“Communication was cited as a significant contributing factor to that incident,” Oquendo Jr. said. “As a result of that in 1980, they hired a class of 50 and half of that class, 25, were of Latino descent.”

Oquendo Jr. is humbled to receive the award and hopes to continue spreading Sánchez’s commitment.

“Continue to share the impact, continue to be part of that legacy, right. María Sánchez isn’t here but she lives within each one of us and it’s our responsibility to continue to share the story and share what she meant to us,” Oquendo Jr. said.

Three students from the María C. Sánchez Elementary School will also be awarded scholarships for participating in an essay contest.

Cielo Ramirez-Vasquez is one of the winners, so, of course, she knows all of the history.

“She was known as the Godmother and she helped a lot of people, and she opened a school called La Escuelita,” fifth grade student Cielo Ramirez-Vasquez said. “I am so proud of myself; my family is proud of myself, and I am so excited.”