About a month ago a woman that I respect very much walked into my office and shared with me her great news. She had been quoted in a book. To some this is not a big deal, but to some of us, this is a huge accomplishment, especially when we think the work we have done for our community goes unnoticed. The book is an academic text used to teach about the similarities and differences between Black, Chicana and White feminist movements.
I think I made a bigger deal than she expected. As I reflect back to that afternoon, I think my excitement had more to do with her sharing with me her college experience. She is very modest and often times leaves pieces of her successes out. Well, this time the situation wasn’t any different, she didn’t quite tell me the whole story behind the “quote”. I had to dig it out of her!
During my research, I found a few textbooks with her quote. That afternoon, we ordered two books and two weeks later, there it was Leticia Hernandez, founding member of Las Hijas de Cuahutemoc at Cal State Long Beach. I had to practically interrogate her about Las Hijas de Cuahutemoc. I can tell she was a little uncomfortable sharing information about this group of women. I read a few reviews about this group of Latina Feminists and was amazed to learn about the important impact they made in history. Talk about breaking the glass ceiling!
“Las Hijas de Cuahutemoc” was founded at Cal State Long Beach and was the group that was instrumental in the Chicano movement. “In 1971, they published three editions of a newspaper that set a critical historical movement in the development of Chicana feminist theories and practices.” Maylet Blackwell emphasizes the publications gendered a shift in the print culture of the Chicano movement.
Leticia gave an interview to a PhD candidate in the early 90s. During the interview, she stated:
“We [the women] don’t want to take over and we don’t want to wear the pants, we don’t want balls…we want to be side by side and be equal partners…” Leticia Hernandez (Roth, Benita, p.157).
I have shared the quote with men and women in my circle of friends and I would add that a vast majority of them relate to her perspective.
Thank you “Hijas de Cuautemoc” for your leadership and the important impact you’ve made in our history. I would say that because of women like you, I have an opportunity to be the only woman of color writing freely for the Long Beach Post and offer a Latina’s perspective!