Curriculum Guide — Chicago Latina Trailblazers

The book

Chicago Latina Trailblazers

Discover the testimonios of fourteen women whose leadership, advocacy, and community work helped to improve the lives of Latinos in Chicago. Use the curriculum guide and chapter study materials to bring their stories into the classroom.

Explore the curriculum guide (PDF)

The editors

The three scholars who brought the testimonios together.

Lead editor

Rita D. Hernández, Ph.D.
Her life and work
- Provided the vision for the book.
- A community-based scholar with a longstanding interest in community activism and history.
- Initiated documentary projects including A Portrait of Eight Mexican Leaders from South Chicago (1978) and Latino Murals of Chicago (1979), with the artist and educator Vicente Mendoza.
- Co-curator of the Museum of Mexican Culture and History of Chicago.
- Held Chicago's first Hispanic Civil Rights Conference in 1994.
- Initiated the annual Mexican and Chicana Educational Summits, 2002 to 2006.
- Author of The Silent Minority: Mexican Americans in CPS, 1970–2001.
- Currently a board member of the national organization Mexicanos 2070.
Introduction materials
Editor

Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Ph.D.
Her life and work
- Born and raised in Illinois. Lived in a Chicago barrio for 29 years and now resides in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
- Took part in the May 5, 1992 protests at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, as an undergraduate, that led to the Latina/o Studies Program.
- BSW from UIUC; MA and PhD from the University of Chicago, SSA, as its first Mexicana graduate.
- Focuses on Latina feminisms, school equity, and community-based participatory projects.
- First Mexicana promoted to full professor in executive leadership at Dominican University.
- Now full Professor and Associate Dean at UTRGV, and nominated for an endowed professorship.
Editor

Elena R. Gutiérrez, Ph.D.
Her life and work
- Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan.
- Chicana feminist scholar and reproductive justice activist.
- Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies and of Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago for 23 years.
- Author of Fertile Matters: The Politics of Mexican Origin Women's Reproduction, and of Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organize for Reproductive Justice.
- Director of the Chicana Chicago Documentation Project.

The Fourteen Trailblazers

Each set of study materials includes a summary, timeline, vocabulary, worksheets, and quizzes for that chapter.

Chapter 1
Yo Soy India: A Native, a Fighter, an Indigenous

Guadalupe Alcalá Reyes

1918–2020
Her life and work
- Daughter of immigrants, she grew up in poverty as part of a migrant farmworker family.
- Had 11 children. One, Bobby, was disabled.
- Founder of Esperanza, a school for children with disabilities.
- Founder of El Valor, serving children and adults with disabilities and their families.
- Founder of Fiesta del Sol.
- Organized seniors and led the campaign for a new field house at Harrison Park in Pilsen.
- Served as a Trustee of the Chicago Transit Authority.
Chapter materials
Chapter 2
Carpe Diem: Seize the Day and Exploit Your Opportunities

Mary Gonzales

1941–present
Her life and work
- A disciplined professional organizer whose working life turned on three skills: to agitate, to strategize, and to train.
- Co-founder of Gamaliel, a national leadership development organization.
- Co-founded Esperanza School and El Valor with her mother, Guadalupe Reyes.
- Co-founder of the United Neighborhood Organization.
- Director, and later Board President, of Pilsen Neighbors Community Council.
- Led the campaign with other Trailblazers to open Benito Juárez High School.
- Now retired, and mentors young Latinx community organizers, exemplifying the idea of lifting while climbing.
Chapter materials
Chapter 3
Mother to Family and Community

Carmen Mendoza

1925–2000
Her life and work
- Born on the Southeast Side of Chicago.
- Acted on behalf of Latino immigrants for the Cardinal's Committee.
- District Director of AFL-CIO District Council 19.
- Fought for the rights of healthcare workers in Chicago hospitals.
- Launched the development of Claretian Medical Center in South Chicago, now the Chicago Family Health Center.
- Consultant on the development of Alivio Medical Center.
- Instrumental in developing Villa Guadalupe, 53 units of senior housing in South Chicago.
Chapter materials
Chapter 4
The Accidental Public Servant: A Voice from Chicago's Southeast Side

Carmen Chico

1929–present
Her life and work
- South Chicago roots.
- A bilingual educator who fought for equity in Chicago Public Schools.
- Strong supporter of the steelworkers' unions.
- Entered politics and ran for Ward Committeewoman.
- Became a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention.
- Ran for statewide office as an Illinois Representative.
Chapter materials
Chapter 5
Siempre en la Lucha

María B. Cerda

1934–2020
Her life and work
- Born in Lares, Puerto Rico, seat of the independence movement known as el Grito de Lares.
- Helped bring ASPIRA to Illinois.
- Marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park.
- In 1969, became the first Latina appointed to the Chicago Board of Education.
- Introduced bilingual education to the Chicago Public Schools.
- Established the Latino Research Institute as its Executive Director, the first national policy institute for Latinos in the Midwest.
- Served on Mayor Harold Washington's transition team, and was appointed by him to head the Office of Employment and Training.
- Mentored many Latinx leaders, exemplifying the idea of lifting while climbing.
Chapter materials
Chapter 6
If You Survive the Teas, You Can Survive Anything

Aracelis Flecha Figueroa

1936–present
Her life and work
- Born in Collores de Humacao, Puerto Rico.
- A grassroots educator who challenged the system alongside the organizations, parents, and students fighting for equity.
- One of the first Puerto Rican principals in Chicago, at Avondale Elementary School in 1977.
- Became a District Superintendent in the Chicago Public Schools.
- Produced, directed, and co-hosted radio and television programs, including Oiga, Amigo on ABC-TV.
- Co-chair of Mayor Harold Washington's Transition Team on Hunger.
- Board member of Humboldt Park Social Services.
- Mentored many Puerto Rican educators, exemplifying the idea of lifting while climbing.
Chapter materials
Chapter 7
The Journey

Elena Berezaluce Mulcahy, Ed. D

1937–present
Her life and work
- Born and raised in Chicago.
- Director of the Bureau of Multilingual Education, and at the time the first and highest-ranking Latina/o administrator in the Chicago Public School system.
- Institutionalized bilingual education and the recruitment of bilingual teachers, and pushed to let teachers decide the best program for their children.
- Held several positions at Truman College promoting equity for Latinx students.
- Mentored many Latina and Latino educators, exemplifying the idea of lifting while climbing.
Chapter materials
Chapter 8
Being Mexican Is Who I Am!

Carmen Velásquez

1939–present
Her life and work
- A fierce advocate for the rights of undocumented immigrants.
- Founding Director and CEO of Alivio Medical Center, a federally qualified health center.
- Founder of the Healthy Illinois Campaign, working toward health coverage for every Illinois resident regardless of immigration status.
- First Mexican American member of the Chicago Public Schools Board, lobbying at state level for bilingual and bicultural education.
- Co-owner of Décima Musa, a restaurant that doubled as a gathering place for community activism, art, and music.
Chapter materials
Chapter 9
Latina Health Visionary

Aida Luz Maisonet Giachello, Ph. D

1945–present
Her life and work
- Born in Puerto Rico and raised, from ages three to ten, in Spanish Harlem, New York City.
- Organized Latinx communities around health through activism, politics, and community mobilization.
- Formed numerous local, regional, and national health organizations.
- Established the UIC Midwest Latino Health Research, Training and Policy Center, which she led from 1993 to 2015.
- Developed Community-Based Participatory Action Research to address health disparities and health equity.
- Recipient of more than 45 awards. Named by TIME in 2005 as one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in America.
Chapter materials
Chapter 10
Unfinished Business

Ada Nivia López

1947–present
Her life and work
- Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and came to Chicago in 1953.
- Developed community organizing tools to address social justice.
- First Latina to win a statewide election to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
- Former President of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women.
- Co-chair of the Education Committee of the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago.
- Board member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
- Author of Así Somos / Who We Are.
Chapter materials
Chapter 11
Chicana Lawyer

Virginia Martínez, J.D.

1949–present
Her life and work
- Born and raised in Chicago.
- One of the first Latinas to become a lawyer in Chicago.
- A strong advocate for women and children.
- Co-founded DePaul University's Latino Law Student Association.
- Co-founder of the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
- Helped bring the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund to the Midwest, and was its first Regional Counsel.
- Currently writing the children's book series Adventures with Abuela.
Chapter materials
Chapter 12
Ripples of Advocacy

Luz María B. Solís

1951–present
Her life and work
- Born in Durango, Durango, Mexico, and raised in Chicago.
- An advocate for young Mexican and Latino children and their families.
- Helped spearhead early childhood dual language and bilingual education in the Chicago Public Schools.
- Launched the Reggio Emilia approach in the Office of Early Childhood Education across 13 CPS schools.
- Produced the award-winning series Mi Escuelita, the first Spanish-language educational television show for young children in the United States.
- Founder and Chairperson of the Chicago Día de los Niños Parade, which awards scholarships to DACA recipients.
Chapter materials
Chapter 13
Creating a World without Fronteras

Reverend Emma Lozano

1953–present
Her life and work
- A champion of immigrant rights and a social and political activist.
- Born in Harlingen, Texas. Moved to Gary, Indiana, and then to the Pilsen community in Chicago.
- Came of age during the Black Panther movement and alongside the activism of her brother Rudy.
- Founded Centro Sin Fronteras.
- Gave sanctuary to Elvira Arellano.
- Now a pastor at Lincoln United Methodist Church in Pilsen, still working for long-standing immigrants in Chicago.
Chapter materials
Chapter 14
The Audacity of a Dreamer

Ana Castillo, Ph.D

1953–present
Her life and work
- Born, raised, and educated in Chicago.
- Novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, and translator.
- An internationally distinguished Chicana feminist author, independent scholar, and activist.
- Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Bremen, Germany, 1991.
- Author of Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma, and of seven books of poetry including My Book of the Dead.
- Author of the memoir Black Dove: Mamá, Mi'jo, and Me.
- Recipient of the Fuller Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, and a Carl Sandburg Award.
Chapter materials
Chapter 15

Weaving the Tapestry

Culmination

Bringing the Trailblazers' stories together.
Chapter materials