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Brown Berets
The Brown Berets were formed at the Mexican American youth conference in East L.A. where students gathered to discuss Chicanx issues facing the community. The Brown Berets were a militant Chicanx civil rights group that partially modeled itsself from the Black Panther's. The Brown Berets opened a free clinic, fought against police brutality, and started publishing a newspaper titled La Causa. -
Alicia Escalante: Welfare Rights Movement
Alicia Escalante along with a group of welfare recipients formed the East Los Angeles Welfare Rights Organization due to the fact that most recipients in this area were Chicana women. Escalante and ELAWRO fought against degrading and oppressive policies such as culturally insensitive social workers, staff, and a lack of local offices in the Chicano community. Overall the welfare rights movement was instrumental in creating a connection between poor minority communities. -
Maria Varela
Maria grew up with an interest in the Catholic social service movement, in 1967 she moved to New Mexico and started her first project establishing a health clinic and later adding the first rural birthing center in the state. To this day she is still a community organizer working for Ganados del Valle a community ranching cooperative. -
El Grito
El Grito: A Journal of Mexican-American Thought was the first focused journal in America focused on chicanx issues. It provided a safe space and an open outlet for activists, writers, and artists to spread their awareness at a more national level. As the journal grew more popular it helped individuals to spread their ideas about Chicana identity. It targeted school and challenged them to include Chicanx history and literature in their classrooms. -
National Youth and Liberation Conference in Denver, CO.
1500 Chicanx youth from all over the nation gathered to discuss socialo issues such as racism, oppression, and injustice that their communities face. At the conference, the idea of cultural nationalism was adopted, cementing the "Chicanx" as a unified identity for Mexican and Mexican American individuals to adopt. -
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan
Following the Youth Conference in Denver, over 100 Chicanx individuals met up at Cal State Santa Barbara to discuss Chicanx issues in higher education. MECha was formed and revealed the political connectedness among student activists. It transformed scattered and disorganized groups and activists by creating a unified student movement for Chicanx issues and to implement Chicanx studies in schools -
Las Adelitas de Aztlan
Women of the Brown Beret Movement decided that they needed a lead role in the movement so they separated themselves from the Chicano's of the Brown Berets. Las Adelitas de Aztlan felt that women had a role that was more than to aid the men and family unit. The goal was to tear down stereotypes about the role of Chicana women. -
Mujures Por La Raza
Mujures por la Raza was a caucas within the Raza Unida Party that focused on making sure that women has equal access to public office and leadership. Mujures por la Raza held conferences to promote women's educational and political opportunities. Individuals from all around Texas joined the caucus to support female candidates. -
Chicana Rights Project
The Chicana Rights Project was established by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The project was a "feminist civil and legal rights program that served to encourage Chicana self sufficiency in education, employment, health, and housing." By providing litigation, research and community education to help the Chicana community better understand and be able to fight for their rights. -
Founding of the Mexican American Women's National Association (MANA)
MANA is a national grassroots membership organization with members across the United States. It is focused on the interests of Latina women, youth, families, and communities. This program has been instrumental in helping organize communities as well as to help minorities achieve access to higher educational opportunities as well as community building programs. -
Inez Garcia
Inez was a farm worker who's husband was imprisoned. One day she was raped, and in turn killed her rapists accomplice. Her trial became widely known and a spotlight for women's rights activists, it was a unique chance for intersectional feminism in history to fight for the rights of this Chicana woman. She was released 5 years later, after many demonstrations and rallying for her freedom. -
Madrigal V. Quilligan
10 plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in federal court under the claim that the LA county USC Medical Center was performing sterilization on mothers who were Spanish speaking or of Latin descent. The hospital won the case which came down to a matter of "misunderstanding", but Madrigal was able to get state laws changed and the California Department of Health changed its guidelines on sterilization and published an information booklet in Spanish on the topic. -
Anna Nieto-Gomez
A Chicana feminist in the 70's, Anna Nieto-Gomez was a student who became heavily involved with the Chicana rights movement. She was instrumental in founding the journal Encuetro Femenil, and she also scripted a film titled "Chicana" which challenged the domination of masculine representation. Later she would experience sexism and racism directly when she worked at Cal State Northridge and was denied tenure due to her political nature. -
Gloria Anzaldua: Borderlands
This book published by Gloria Anzaldua was instrumental in identifying the need for intersectionality or a recognition of the issues of women of color. It cemented the idea that women of color are different and face different struggles than white women, introduced the idea of both physical and mental borders. In this book she questions issues of how both culture and the church call women to be obedient to males. This book set a foundation for later critical race theory and studies. -
MaestraPeace Mural
MaestraPeace is a mural on the Women's Building in the mission district of San Francisco. The Women's Building was an important meeting ground for Chicana women who were at a disadvantage when it came to access to social services, technology, and legal advice. The Chicanx movement has heavily instrumentalized the use of art and murals to spread word of the movement and to depict history through the use of art. -
La Virgen se Guadelupe
Lady of Guadalupe is a symbol of being humble but also a strong symbol of womanhood in Catholic faith. In the past 25 years Chicana artists have re-depicted La Virgen in ways that are different from the traditional version. Over time the depiction of La Virgen has changed, and with it the portrayal of Mexican women and their role and depiction has also changed. This is a good example of how art, religion, and feminism have been juxtaposed by Chicanx women as a platform for resistance. -
Instagram: Veteranas and Rucas
Guadelupe Rosales recently started an Instagram @veteranas_and_rucas which serves as an online archive of So Cal's party and gang scene dedicated to women in SoCal raised from the 90's and earlier. Social media has recently allowed a unique platform for Chicanx individuals to learn about and keep in touch with their roots and culture. These pictures serve as a reminder that there were strong communities and groups of Chicanx women who thrived even while fighting for their rights.
