Introduction:

Many female farm workers were silenced at home and in the workplace which inspired Chicana activists such as Maria Moreno, Monica Ramirez, and Jessie de la Cruz to make the voices of women heard and change the operational structure of the agricultural system in the U.S. These three women were instrumental in the women's movement because they established the first organizations and unions that fought for the rights of farm workers especially women who experienced gender discrimination and sexual assault in the workplace. They organized strikes and protests and gained roles in government positions to change policies and laws that were oppressing migrant/farm workers in the U.S. They helped spread radical ideas to uplift women and provide more resources and opportunities for Chicano communities. Below, there are brief discussions of the backgrounds, goals, and impacts on the movement of Moreno, Ramirez, and de la Cruz. 

Maria Moreno:

Maria Moreno was born in 1920 in Texas to farm workers. A flood occurred in 1958 which destroyed many crops and left many families starving. Moreno's family nearly starved due to being denied food assistance by the federal government. This incident sparked Moreno's activism and she became an organizer for the AWOC (Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee. She was outspoken during a time when rarely any women or even men spoke up about farmers' rights, she was an activist before Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chaves. Moreno organized protests and tried to change political policies to provide more resources to migrants and their families. She unfortunately was removed from her position in the AWOC for outspokenness because many of the people in the union held more conservative views while hers were extremely radical.

Monica Ramirez: 

Monica Ramirez was born in Ohio in 1979 and was the daughter of migrant workers. She organized several projects in the U.S. combatting sexual harassment and other forms of gender discrimination against female farmworkers. Ramirez was the first female Latinx activist to help change polices and create projects that raised awareness about sexual violence in the workplace. She founded an award-winning Bandana Project that discusses sexual violence through art and inspired others to join the movement.

In addition, she served as a deputy director of Centro de los Derechos del Migrante which was the first transnational migrant workers’ rights organization in Mexico. She also found Justice for Migrant Women which which gave a voice to female farm and migrant workers who were victims of sexual assault in the workplace. She empowered women to work together to fight patriarchal standards and create a safe space for women to discuss their issues in the workplace. As an attorney, she fought against injustices against women and migrant workers which helped change lives and inspire change in the legal system in the U.S.

Jessie de la Cruz: 

Jessie Lopez de la Cruz was born in 1919 in California and she began farm work at five years of age. Since the beginning of her life, she lived in poverty and endured harsh working and living conditions. Lopez joined the United States farm workers union to help her people rise above poverty and discrimination. She wanted to stop land monopolies from exploiting her people through unions and creating new policies. She supported women and men working together in the fields and receiving equal treatment. She organized and participated in many strikes and protests to raise awareness to the gender issues and discrimination all migrant and farm workers endured.

Lopez was driven to change the way her people were viewed through spreading information and trying to reduce stereotypes that proliferate discrimination. She knew that many Americans viewed her people as criminals and incompetent which is why businesses and corporations manipulated and exploited migrants. She became a delegate for the U.S. national convention which shows she had influence on the selection of  political leaders which helped change the policies. Working in the government allowed her to make changes and provide resources for farm workers on a national level.