Chicanas of 18th Street : narratives of a movement from Latino Chicago

Overflowing with powerful testimonies of six female community activists living and working in the Pilsen neighbourhood of Chicago, Chicanas of 18th Street reveals the convictions and approaches of those organizing for social reform. In chronicling a pivotal moment in the history of community activism in Chicago, the women discuss how education, immigration, religion, identity, and acculturation affected the Chicana Movement. Chicanas of 18th Street underscores the hierarchies of race, gender, and class while stressing the interplay of individual and collective values in the development of community reform. Highlighting the women's motivations, initiatives, and experiences in politics during the 1960s and 1970s, these rich personal accounts reveal the complexity of the Chicana Movement, conflicts within the Movement, and the importance of teatro and cultural expressions to the movement. Also detailed are vital interactions between members of the Chicana Movement with leftist and nationalist community members and the influence of other activists groups such as African Americans and Marxists.*