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"To be fully alive is to work for the common good."
"To be fully alive is to work for the common good."
-Carmela G. Lacayo
-Carmela G. Lacayo
Carmela Gloria Lacayo was born on June 28, 1943 in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Soon after, she and her family immigrated to east Los Angeles County, where she spent her youth.
Carmela G. Lacayo pictured in Diane Telgen's Notable Hispanic American Women (1993)
Early Life & Education
Early Life & Education
Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles County, California, c. 1950s. One of the neighborhoods Lacayo grew up in.
Carmela's parents, Mary Louise and Enrique Lacayo, recognized the importance of education. They worked hard to put Carmela through parochial schooling, where much of her community-centered attitude and activism originated.
In a telephone interview with Julia Edgar in September 1992, Lacayo explains the importance of education for herself and the Latine community at large.
Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College
In 1961, Lacayo graduated from Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and theology.
The progressive teachings of her school encouraged her to focus on social services.
Missionary Work
Missionary Work
Following her college graduation, she became a missionary, hoping to be sent to Mexico to perform community work.
Instead, her church sent her to an impoverished area of west Oakland.
There, she recognized that the basic needs of seniors were being completely ignored, sparking her eventual life-long dedication to this overlooked group.
Homes in West Oakland neighborhood, 1974
From Community to National Organizing
From Community to National Organizing
Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores
Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores
(National Association for Hispanic Elderly), est. 1975
(National Association for Hispanic Elderly), est. 1975
Following years of grassroots work with underserved communities, Lacayo reoriented her work to the national level by founding the National Association for Hispanic Elderly in 1975.
The association aims to achieve social change for low-income minority elders through economic development programs, health education, housing, employment, and training programs.
Carmela has dedicated her life to this personal and professional passion, as she continues to act as the President/CEO of the organization to this day.
Carmela Lacayo pictured at the National Women's Conference, 1977, second from the left.
The National Women's Conference in Houston, 1977
The National Women's Conference in Houston, 1977
Lacayo attended the National Women's Conference as an official of the Democratic National Committee and engaged in a Hispanic caucus.
She and her fellow group members discussed and recognized that Hispanics in the United States suffered from monolingual English education and health and social services.
Refocusing on the Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores
Refocusing on the Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores
Lacayo did not exactly enjoy her time within the Democratic National Party.
She explains...
"I'm happier being in a constituency-based organization where I can demand from either parties issues that need to be represented."
"I'm happier being in a constituency-based organization where I can demand from either parties issues that need to be represented."
Lacayo has not returned to party politics since her role as Vice-Chairperson of the National Democratic Party, focusing instead on her nonprofit agency and other local and state organizations.
Recognizing Carmela G. Lacayo
Recognizing Carmela G. Lacayo
Carmela's association is now the largest non-profit organization that caters to the needs of low-income elderly and elderly minorities.
Additionally, the work performed outside of her organization has gained Lacayo national and community recognition, including:
Latin American Woman of the Year, Latino Media, 1977
Honorary Mayor of San Antonio, 1977
First Hispanic fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, 1981
"Outstanding Professional of the Year Award," National Society of Fundraising Executives, 1991
SAGE award in Consumer Education, 1991
Sources
Carmela Gloria Lacayo in the U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3458701:5247?pid=&queryId=d2b461949c358942cad5e6f842c788c6&_phsrc=iUQ2244&_phstart=successSource.
“Carmela G. Lacayo.” Siena College. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.siena.edu/alumni-and-friends/alumni-relations/awards-recognitions/honorary-degree-recipients/carmela-g-lacayo/.
Telgen, Diane. Notable Hispanic American Women. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993.
The Spirit of Houston: The First National Women's Conference. Washington, D.C.: National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, 1978.
Image Sources
*Awaiting Permission for Images
Carmela G. Lacayo: Diane Telgen, Notable Hispanic American Women (1993): https://books.google.com/books?id=unqDuQEACAAJ
Sunland-Tujunga: https://foursquare.com/v/sunland/4dc84f63d164a2d2c17e44a5
Immaculate Heart College: https://www.flickr.com/photos/65359853@N00/5633218533
Homes in West Oakland: https://www.bygonely.com/oakland-vintage-photos-1970s-1980s/
National Association for Hispanic Elderly: https://anppm.wordpress.com/
Carmela at the NWC: The Spirit of Houston: The First National Women's Conference. Washington, D.C.: National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, 1978.
National Women's Conference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_National_Women%27s_Conference#/media/File:Rosalynn_Carter_with_Betty_Ford_and_Ladybird_Johnson_at_the_National_Womens_Conference._-_NARA_-_176924.jpg
Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores: https://anppm.wordpress.com/
Carmela Lacayo: https://www.asaging.org/web-seminars/best-practices-serve-culturally-and-ethnically-diverse-older-workers
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