The Lie About My Inferiority, Evolution of a Chicana Activist (Our History, Our Words)

Chicanas in the 1960s and 1970s faced special challenges as women and minorities. As women, many doors were closed to them because the fields were dominated by males. As minorities, even doors that were open to women were closed to Chicanas because of the color of their skin. These Chicanas broke into traditional male domains, often at a great expense to their family and emotional health. Inspired by Cesar Chávez and Martin Luther King, Jr., they joined the civil rights movement. And, soon, these Chicanas discovered they were great organizers and leaders. They overcame and dispelled the "lie of their inferiority accepted . . . as truth in the society dominating them." (Martin Luther King, Jr.) They led the way, and today's Latina enjoys greater access to careers and lifestyles; however there is work to be done to open the doors wide enough for the next generation. This is one Chicana's story.