Yvonne Condes
Yvonne Condes is a freelance writer and social media manager living in Los Angeles. She’s also Contributing Editor at Picturing Mexican American, a project that works to uncover the whitewashed history of Mexican Los Angeles, and former editor and co-founder of MomsLA.com. Her articles have appeared in Mom.com, Common Sense Media and CBS Los Angeles.
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When Modesta Avila placed "a heavy fence post" across a set of railroad tracks with a sign that read, "'This land belongs to me. And if the railroad wants to run here, they will have to pay me $10,000," she cemented herself in California culture as a symbol of resistance against the rich and powerful.
Many Latinos know that Cinco de Mayo is about the 1862 Battle and that it's not celebrated in Mexico, but it's widely believed to have been created by Anglos in the late 20th century. In reality, celebrating Cinco de Mayo started right here in California by Mexican Americans 160 years ago.
Throughout her life, María Guadalupe Evangelina de López had been fighting for women's rights and busting down societal barriers, but it is only now that her contributions are coming to light.
Arcadia Bandini Stearns de Baker was rich, beautiful and connected. This savvy businesswoman would be an important player in early California and helped shape Santa Monica and the west side of Los Angeles.
Mutual aid societies or mutualistas popped up all over the Southwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to provide support to Mexican American immigrants. Today, the mutualista spirit is alive and well as individuals and businesses find creative ways to help people who have suffered from hardships especially during the pandemic.