Mexican American and Puerto Rican women have long taken up the challenge to improve the lives of Chicagoans in the city's Latino/a/x communities. Rita D. Hernández, Leticia Villarreal Sosa, and Elena R. Gutiérrez present testimonies by Latina leaders who blazed new trails and shaped Latina Chicago history from the 1960s through today.
Taking a do-it-all attitude, these women advanced agendas, built institutions, forged alliances, and created essential resources that Latino/a/x communities lacked. Time and again, they found themselves the first Latina to hold their post or part of the first Latino/a/x institution of its kind. Just as often, early grassroots efforts to address issues affecting themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods grew into larger endeavors. Their experiences ranged from public schools to healthcare to politics to broadcast media, and each woman's story shows how her work changed countless lives and still reverberates across the entire city.
An eyewitness view of an unknown history, Chicago Latina Trailblazers reveals the vision and passion that fueled a group of women in the vanguard of reform.
Contributors: Ana Castillo, Maria B. Cerda, Carmen Chico, Aracelis Flecha Figueroa, Aida Luz Maisonet Giachello, Mary Gonzales, Ada Nivia López, Emma Lozano, Virginia Martinez, Carmen Mendoza, Elena Mulcahy, Guadalupe Reyes, Luz Maria B. Solis, and Carmen Velasquez
|Foreword
Frances Aparicio
Preface
Introduction
Rita D. Hernández, Elena R. Gutiérrez, and Leticia Villarreal Sosa
1. Yo Soy India: A Native, a Fighter, an Indigenous
Guadalupe Reyes, 1918–2020
written by Mary Gonzales, daughter
2. CARPE DIEM "Seize the Day and Exploit Your Opportunities"
Mary Gonzales, 1941–Present
3. Mother to Family and Community
Carmen Mendoza, 1925–2000
written by Jim Hecimovich, son-in-law
4. The Accidental Public Servant: A Voice from Chicago's Southeast Side
Carmen Chico, 1929–Present
written by Carmen Chico and Cynthia Chico, daughter
5. Siempre en la Lucha
Maria B. Cerda, 1934–2020
written by Marta Cerda, daughter, and Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Ada Nivia López, Aracelis Figueroa, and Rita D. Hernández
6. If You Survive the Teas, You Can Survive Anything
Aracelis Flecha Figueroa, 1936–Present
7. The Journey
Elena Mulcahy, 1939–Present
8. Being Mexican Is Who I Am!
Carmen Velásquez, 1939–Present
9. Latina Health Visionary
Aida Luz Maisonet Giachello, 1945–Present
written by Rida D. Hernández
10. Unfinished Business
Ada Nivia López, 1947–Present
11. Chicana Lawyer
Virginia Martínez, 1949–Present
12. Ripples of Advocacy
Luz María B. Solis, 1951–Present
13. Creating a World without Fronteras
Emma Lozano, 1953–Present
written by Emma Lozano, Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Luz María Solis, and Rita D. Hernández
14. The Audacity of a Dream
Ana Castillo, 1953–Present
written by Leticia Villarreal Sosa
15. Weaving the Tapestry: Legacies, Intersections, and the Future
Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Elena R. Gutiérrez and Rita D. Hernández
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Index
|Rita D. Hernández is a former instructor of education and human development at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. Leticia Villarreal Sosa is the associate dean for research and faculty development and a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas Rio...