Mujeres Latinas en Acción
"MLEA traversed three potential minefields in the neighborhood—religious, generational, and cultural conventions…. They claimed a space to specifically address Chicana and Latina issues, develop women's leadership, becoming visible members of their community, and claim resources to improve the lives of poor women… MLEA recognized that the conditions of women, girls and mothers affected the well-being of the community as a whole." (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City, 243)
MLEA’s organizational goals were to “improve the lives of women in the Latino community through educational programs and social services, to allow their greater participation in decisions that affect the community, and to provide space and resources where women could seek solution to their various problems.” (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City, 249)
"The visionaries who planted the seeds of Mujeres Latinas en Acción … in Pilsen... probably never imagined that it would blossom into the national model of empowerment for Latinas that it is today.” (“Mujeres Latinas en Acción,” 52)
Mujeres Latinas en Acción (MLEA) was founded in 1973 in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, which had transitioned from a Central European to a mostly Mexican immigrant enclave the prior decade. By the early 1970s, women were already an important force in Pilsen organizing and service. However, the visible leaders of the Chicano movement were men, and services for the struggling community focused on men and boys through programs such as gang prevention (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City). Problems facing females behind closed doors such as domestic violence and teen pregnancy were “either ignored, concealed, or cast aside” (Espinosa, “Mujeres Latinas en Acción,” 505). Latinas needed a platform to address their issues as women and girls.
In 1972, Mexican and Puerto Rican women had traveled from Chicago to Indiana to attend the “Adelante Mujer'' Conference, the first leadership development conference for Latinas across the Midwest. By the end of the gathering, University of Illinois Chicago Circle student Maria Mangual of Pilsen and Hilda Frontany of Humboldt Park became Illinois delegates, charged with politicizing women and making their issues central in their respective Mexican and Puerto Rican neighborhoods. With support from women including “Socialists, Brown Berets, students, housewives, and working mothers'' (Espinosa, “Mujeres Latinas en Acción,” 505), they began to mobilize to establish the first Latina agency in Chicago.
Drawing from feminism and Chicanismo, their work “reshaped its cultural contours to fit the local context” (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City, 252). Most women involved in the organization did not call themselves feminists and practiced what Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa have called “a politic born out of necessity” (“Theory in the Flesh,” 23). Although it was located in a predominantly Mexican immigrant neighborhood, its founders chose the word “Latina” to include other ethnicities and nationalities. They embraced a collaborative style rather than replicate the hierarchies they faced in institutions including schools, the Catholic Church, and politics (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City).
With community support, MLEA also faced early opposition from some church leaders and Chicano activists. Like other feminist groups at the time, they were labelled "communists, bra burners, men-haters” and subject to lesbian-baiting that presumed lesbian deviance. Volunteer Maria “Maruca” Martinez became MLEA’s first staff member in 1974. That year, Luz Maria Prieto (in photo above), the daughter of prominent physician Dr. Jorge Prieto (in photo above), became the first executive director and MLEA opened its doors after fixing up an abandoned rectory. They launched initiatives that required few financial resources: GED and English classes, a toy lending library, and a food co-op where Diana Solís’ mother was inspired to volunteer. After their space burned down under suspicious circumstances, they raised money to rent a storefront in 1975 which became a drop-in center for runaway teenage girls facing generational clashes over culture and gender roles. By 1976, the organization, which was solidifying community support and stability, purchased a dilapidated property for $1 at 1823 W 17th St. from the Community Renewal Society for rehab by the 18t St. Development Corporation. Maria Mendoza was one of the carpentry interns who worked on the new Mujeres building (“Mujeres en Accion [sic] Project”). In these photos taken by MLEA staffer and Festival co-organizer Diana Solís, we see images from the 1977 Open House for its new storefront office.
During the 1970s, MLEA tackled other issues including what is now known as reproductive justice. MLEA has continued to expand and offer more services to women, including Latinas facing domestic violence and sexual assault. To challenge their marginality in city power and build their organizational skills, the early women of MLEA joined the boards of other organizations. This strategy helped it become one of the longest established Latina organizations in the country and embedded them in robust networks throughout the city (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City).
The organization celebrates its 50th year anniversary in 2023. “Perhaps more than any other entity in the city, MLEA nurtured and developed Mexican American women’s leadership and participation in civic life (Fernández, Brown in the Windy City, 260).
Watch an interview with Puerto Rican activist Hilda Frontany, who was especially active in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago's North Side.
SOURCES
Martha Espinosa. “Mujeres Latinas en Acción.” In Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia, edited by Vicki Ruíz and Virginia Sánchez Korrol, 505-506. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006.
Fernández, Lilia. Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Postwar Chicago. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2012.
Moraga, Cherrie and Gloria Anzaldúa. “Theory in the Flesh.” In This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, 1st ed., edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa, 23. Watertown, MA: Persephone Press, 1981.
"Mujeres Latinas en Acción." Diálogo 6, no. 1 (February 2002): 52-53.
“Mujeres en Accion [sic] Project: Transform Old Building Into Community Center.” West Side Times, January 20, 1977.