Born: 12 August 1887, Colombia
Died: 26 April 1967
Country most active: Colombia
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
María de los Ángeles Cano Márquez was a pioneering Colombian poet, writer, and the country’s first female political leader. Known as the “Labor Flower,” she championed civil rights and workers’ rights, leading strikes and co-founding the Socialist Revolutionary Party.
María de los Ángeles Cano Márquez emerged as a pivotal figure in Colombian politics, influenced by the Bolshevik Revolution, eventually embracing socialism. Transitioning from a writer to a passionate activist and revolutionary, she provided aid to the needy, conducted enlightening readings at the library, and fearlessly exposed unjust labor conditions through factory visits and strikes.
On Colombia’s Labor Day, May 1, 1925, Cano earned the moniker “Labor Flower of Medellín,” an honorary distinction typically reserved for charitable individuals, which she harnessed as a potent political platform. A symbol of defiance, especially for women, her influence was so profound that parents in Antioquia actively deterred their daughters from following in her footsteps.