221:
El
Congreso. The networking that she made in Hollywood, brought in actors and other celebrities to help raise the revenue for the organization. Fierro de Bright, with Luisa Moreno, actively worked on issues that targeted the needs of lower-income and non-bilingual Mexicans to help them receive basic civil rights in the United States. Although El Congreso did not last very long, Fierro de Bright's activism did not end with its dissolution. In 1942, during the “Sleepy Lagoon” trial, after receiving complaints of cruel punishment from parents of the boys held in custody, Fierro de Bright organized a committee for the defendants. The committee became known as the
232:. She said of the violence, "I never believed that I could see a thing like that... I went downtown and my husband and I were standing there and we saw all these policemen hanging around... and hundreds of taxis with sailors hanging on with clubs in their hands, bullies just beating Mexicans on Main Street. And we went up and asked a cop to stop it: he says, 'You better shut up or I'll do the same to you.' You can't do a thing when you see people and the ambulances coming to pick them up and nobody is stopping the slaughter. It's a nightmare. It's a terrible thing to see."
220:
and founded El
Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española, a Mexican civil rights organization that worked to fight for civil rights of Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans and worker rights as well Fierro de Bright took her and her husband's platform to Hollywood and used it to fund-raise revenue for
182:
migrants to stand up for their rights. In 1939 El
Congreso leaders asked Fierro de Bright to help them to establish a branch in Los Angeles which represented a major effort by the Mexican American generation of the time, to form a working class movement that was aimed at securing basic rights for all
212:
After high school graduation, Josefina Fierro decided to move to Los
Angeles to live with an aunt; there she met and fell in love with Hollywood actor John Bright. Bright, who was blacklisted with several other actors in Hollywood due to allegations of having ties with the Communist Party, inspired
191:
Josefina Fierro had been involved in revolutionary activism from a young age. Her father Plumo Fierro, had been an officer in “Pancho” Villa's revolutionary army, but it was her mother's passion for activism and commitment to helping others that most strongly influenced her life. Fierro had been
196:, she had been taught to speak against injustice, to fight for what was right and to treat everyone with “dignity and respect”. According to Carlos Larralde Josefina's mother would smuggle ammunition inside of Josefina's stroller back and forth from California to Mexico to support the
204:, Josefina realized that she could make money without a form of higher education; leading her to drop out of UCLA. This is a reason that Josefina did not wish to meet with her parents, as well as a very short marriage that lead to an illegal abortion that left Josefina sterile.
39:
161:
took up most of her time and effort. Fierro de Bright gave up her studies at UCLA to become an organizer, and her style was described by veteran longshoremen's leader Bert Corona as "gutsy, flamboyant, and tough".
173:
himself, she began to lead boycotts of companies that did business in
Mexican American communities but did not hire Mexican American workers. These activities brought her attention from a Mexican American group
213:
Fierro's activism further. After marrying Bright, Josefina found herself in the midst of a campaign that defended
Mexican immigrants and Mexican American rights against discrimination during the 1930s.
569:
192:
raised by her mother, who had immigrated to the United States when
Josefina was a baby. Because Josefina's mother's family were followers of the radical Mexican anarchist
554:
149:
Her mother emphasized the importance of education and urged
Josefina to "Rely on yourself, be independent." In 1938 when Fierro was 18 years old, she entered the
175:
574:
150:
77:
579:
396:
444:
431:
257:
515:
471:
200:
Ricardo Flores Magon. Her father Plumo Fierro later gained an inheritance, in turn allowing
Josefina to be able to go to the
166:
107:
52:
272:
201:
193:
66:
216:
In 1938, at the age of eighteen, Fierro de Bright, who would become executive secretary, collaborated with
222:
564:
559:
318:
521:
511:
494:
477:
467:
440:
427:
392:
253:
115:
225:, and raised money so that those on trial could hire a lawyer to represent and defend them.
127:
38:
276:
229:
539:
119:
91:
351:
Larralde, Carlos M. (2005). "El
Congreso in San Diego: An Endeavor for Civil Rights".
548:
460:
386:
309:
Larralde, Carlos (2010). "Josefina Fierro and the Sleepy Lagoon Crusade, 1942-1945".
123:
88:
217:
250:
Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century
178:(Spanish-speaking congress), which was formed in 1938. El Congreso was organizing
131:
17:
143:
135:
525:
498:
481:
197:
158:
338:
The Woman in the Zoot Suit: Gender, Nationalism and the Cultural Politics
269:
179:
170:
154:
95:
322:
139:
462:
Chicanos in California: a history of Mexican Americans in California
388:
Chicanos in California: A History of Mexican Americans in California
228:
Fierro de Bright was in Los Angeles in 1943 at the start of the
372:
Mexican Americans: Leadership, Ideology and Identity, 1930-1960
291:
Latinas in the United States, set: A Historical Encyclopedia
252:(pg. 205-206) Susan Ware, Stacy Lorraine Braukman, editors.
293:. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 259–260.
183:
Mexican and Spanish speaking people in the United States.
146:. She grew up in Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley.
508:
Latinas in the United States: a historical encyclopedia
374:. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 145–162.
83:
73:
59:
45:
29:
459:
289:Ruiz, Vicki L.; Sanchez Korrol, Virginia (2006).
157:, but activism on behalf of the Mexican American
340:. Durham: Duke University Press. pp. 83–84.
506:RuĂz, Vicki; Sánchez Korrol, Virginia (2006).
118:leader who helped organize resistance against
540:Macmillan/McGraw-Hill: California Vistas 2007
248:Mario T. GarcĂa (2004) "FIERRO, Josefina" in
8:
570:University of California, Los Angeles alumni
489:Martin, Waldo E; Sullivan, Patricia (2000).
37:
26:
176:El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española
426:(pg 145-46,147) (1990) Mario T. GarcĂa
241:
555:American activists of Mexican descent
151:University of California, Los Angeles
78:University of California, Los Angeles
7:
304:
302:
300:
466:. Materials For Today's Learning.
169:, a Hollywood screenwriter and an
25:
491:Civil rights in the United States
391:(1 ed.). Boyd & Fraser.
575:People from Calexico, California
439:(pg 96-98) (1998) Vicki L. Ruiz
353:The Journal of San Diego History
223:Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee
336:Ramirez, Catherine S. (2009).
279:- URL last accessed 2006-07-25
1:
311:Southern California Quarterly
510:. Indiana University Press.
493:. Macmillan Reference USA.
596:
458:Camarillo, Albert (1990).
385:Camarillo, Albert (1979).
208:Personal life and activism
130:. She was the daughter of
580:Activists from California
370:Garcia, Mario T. (1991).
112:Josefina Fierro de Bright
108:Mexicali, Baja California
53:Mexicali, Baja California
36:
31:Josefina Fierro de Bright
202:University of California
437:From Out Of The Shadows
153:. She planned to study
67:Los Angeles, California
110:– March 1998), later
165:Aided by her husband
126:Southwest during the
270:Chicanas.com article
194:Ricardo Flores MagĂłn
275:2006-07-14 at the
424:Mexican Americans
101:
100:
16:(Redirected from
587:
529:
502:
485:
465:
410:
409:
407:
405:
382:
376:
375:
367:
361:
360:
348:
342:
341:
333:
327:
326:
306:
295:
294:
286:
280:
266:
260:
246:
128:Great Depression
116:Mexican-American
41:
27:
21:
595:
594:
590:
589:
588:
586:
585:
584:
545:
544:
536:
518:
505:
488:
474:
457:
454:
452:Further reading
449:
419:
414:
413:
403:
401:
399:
384:
383:
379:
369:
368:
364:
350:
349:
345:
335:
334:
330:
308:
307:
298:
288:
287:
283:
277:Wayback Machine
267:
263:
247:
243:
238:
230:Zoot Suit Riots
210:
189:
104:Josefina Fierro
69:
64:
55:
50:
32:
23:
22:
18:Josefina Fierro
15:
12:
11:
5:
593:
591:
583:
582:
577:
572:
567:
562:
557:
547:
546:
543:
542:
535:
534:External links
532:
531:
530:
516:
503:
486:
472:
453:
450:
448:
447:
434:
420:
418:
415:
412:
411:
398:978-0878351282
397:
377:
362:
343:
328:
296:
281:
261:
240:
239:
237:
234:
209:
206:
188:
185:
120:discrimination
99:
98:
92:labor movement
87:leader in the
85:
81:
80:
75:
71:
70:
65:
61:
57:
56:
51:
47:
43:
42:
34:
33:
30:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
592:
581:
578:
576:
573:
571:
568:
566:
563:
561:
558:
556:
553:
552:
550:
541:
538:
537:
533:
527:
523:
519:
513:
509:
504:
500:
496:
492:
487:
483:
479:
475:
469:
464:
463:
456:
455:
451:
446:
445:0-19-513099-5
442:
438:
435:
433:
432:0-300-04246-9
429:
425:
422:
421:
416:
400:
394:
390:
389:
381:
378:
373:
366:
363:
359:(1–2): 17–29.
358:
354:
347:
344:
339:
332:
329:
324:
320:
316:
312:
305:
303:
301:
297:
292:
285:
282:
278:
274:
271:
265:
262:
259:
258:0-674-01488-X
255:
251:
245:
242:
235:
233:
231:
226:
224:
219:
214:
207:
205:
203:
199:
195:
186:
184:
181:
177:
172:
168:
163:
160:
156:
152:
147:
145:
142:to settle in
141:
137:
134:who had fled
133:
129:
125:
121:
117:
113:
109:
105:
97:
94:and a social
93:
90:
89:United States
86:
84:Occupation(s)
82:
79:
76:
72:
68:
62:
58:
54:
48:
44:
40:
35:
28:
19:
507:
490:
461:
436:
423:
402:. Retrieved
387:
380:
371:
365:
356:
352:
346:
337:
331:
314:
310:
290:
284:
264:
249:
244:
227:
218:Luisa Moreno
215:
211:
190:
164:
148:
111:
103:
102:
565:1998 deaths
560:1914 births
167:John Bright
549:Categories
517:0253346800
473:0929651081
417:References
317:(2): 124.
187:Early life
144:California
136:revolution
132:immigrants
63:March 1998
526:896992460
499:607142635
198:Anarchist
159:community
106:(1914 in
74:Education
482:24394643
323:41172517
273:Archived
180:Hispanic
171:activist
155:medicine
124:American
114:, was a
96:activist
404:29 July
122:in the
524:
514:
497:
480:
470:
443:
430:
395:
321:
256:
140:Mexico
319:JSTOR
236:Notes
522:OCLC
512:ISBN
495:OCLC
478:OCLC
468:ISBN
441:ISBN
428:ISBN
406:2020
393:ISBN
254:ISBN
60:Died
49:1914
46:Born
138:in
551::
520:.
476:.
357:50
355:.
315:92
313:.
299:^
268:-
528:.
501:.
484:.
408:.
325:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.