Gloria Arellanes facts for kids

Gloria Arellanes (born March 4, 1946 - October 12, 2024) was a brave and important activist who worked for human rights. She is well-known for her part in the Brown Berets during the Chicano Movement. This was a time when Mexican Americans fought for their rights and better treatment. Gloria Arellanes also helped start Chicana feminism, which focuses on the rights of Mexican American women.

As the first female leader of the Brown Berets, Gloria worked hard to make sure women's voices were heard. She fought for Mexican American rights in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. Because of some unfair treatment within the Brown Berets, Gloria and other women left the group. They then started their own organization called Las Adelitas de Aztlán. Like the Brown Berets, Las Adelitas de Aztlán helped their community. They worked to get better bilingual education in Los Angeles. They also protested against the Vietnam War. Gloria Arellanes was also a key person in the National Chicano Moratorium Committee. She led Las Adelitas de Aztlán in marches against the violence of the Vietnam War.

Gloria Arellanes has been an activist for over 50 years. She continues to focus on human rights for everyone.

Gloria Arellanes' Early Life

Gloria Arellanes was born in East Los Angeles. A few years later, her family moved to El Monte, California. Gloria's father, César Barron Arellanes, was an immigrant from Mexico. Her mother, Aurora Arellanes, had Indigenous Mexican roots from Azusa. When Gloria was a child, she was not taught about her Indigenous background. Her mother felt it was easier for Gloria and her brother, William, to identify as Mexican.

Gloria went to El Monte High School from 1960 to 1964. This is where she started to think about social issues and fairness. Her high school had many white and Chicano students. The Chicano students, even from different neighborhoods, often stuck together. They supported each other. Fights sometimes happened at school. A counselor started a Human Relations Club. This club helped white and Latino students work through their problems. Through this club, Gloria's identity as a Chicana grew stronger.

She noticed many unfair things at her high school. For example, Chicano students were sometimes arrested unfairly. Teachers sometimes ignored Chicano students. Also, Chicano students were often put into vocational classes instead of college prep classes. Gloria became interested in fighting unfairness. She knew what it felt like to be treated differently because of her skin color and Mexican background.

After high school, Gloria went to East Los Angeles College. But she left after one year. She then started working in the community. She got a full-time job with the Neighborhood Adult Participation Project. This program helped fight poverty. She helped organize Black and Chicano communities. She also worked on getting people to register to vote.

Joining the Brown Berets

In 1967, Gloria Arellanes and her friends visited La Piranya. This was a coffeehouse run by the Brown Berets. There, Gloria met David Sánchez, who would become a leader of the Brown Berets. He encouraged her to join the group. She started going to community meetings and events. Soon, she decided to become a member.

In 1968, Gloria Arellanes became the Minister of Finance and Correspondence. She was the first woman to hold a leadership role in the Brown Berets. Early in her time with the group, she represented them when they won the Ghetto Freedom Award. This award was given by the Greater Los Angeles Urban League in 1968.

The Brown Berets worked to improve their community. They asked for better education and more jobs. They demanded more help for the Chicano movement. They also spoke out against unfair treatment by police towards Mexican-American people.

One important action by the Brown Berets was their involvement in the 1968 East L.A. blowouts. These were student protests. Gloria was not able to join the protests herself because of her job. She learned that her friend Andrea Sánchez was arrested. The police thought they were arresting Gloria. This showed that the police were watching her because of her work with the Brown Berets.

Gloria organized marches while she was with the Brown Berets. These marches supported the East L.A. Blowouts. They also protested unfair police actions against Chicanos. And they supported the El Barrio Free Clinic. In 1969, she arranged for the Brown Berets to use a tank for their float in a parade. She also helped raise money for the Berets. For example, she organized a "Zoot Suit Party" to sell drinks and fund their activities. Gloria and other women Berets also put together a newsletter called La Causa. This paper was for Mexicans and Chicanos to read. But it was hard to make and share the paper because they didn't have much money or supplies.

Helping the Community: The Free Clinic

In 1969, David Sanchez told Gloria about the Barrio Free Clinic. Gloria was given the job of organizing it. The Brown Berets started the East L.A. Free Clinic, which later became El Barrio Free Clinic. It was located on Whittier Boulevard. The clinic had trouble raising money. This was partly because it offered support for young people. Even with money problems, the clinic was a safe place. Young people in Los Angeles could get important health services there. It even helped those who were worried about getting health care because of their legal status.

By coordinating El Barrio Free Clinic, Gloria Arellanes helped improve the Brown Berets' image. Some people saw the Brown Berets as a radical group, like the Black Panthers. But the clinic showed their positive community work. In July 1969, Gloria Arellanes became the official Clinic Director. Gloria called El Barrio Free Clinic "the most important thing the East L.A. Brown Berets did."

While the clinic helped the Brown Berets' reputation, it also led to many women leaving the group. This was because of how tasks were divided between men and women. Gloria had to keep the clinic clean and welcoming for families. But the men often used it as a place to socialize. She often had to clean up their messes.

Standing Up for Women's Rights

The women in the Brown Berets generally got along with the men. However, the women were expected to work at the clinic. The men did not volunteer or help much with the daily tasks. At first, the women didn't fully realize they were treated as "second-class" members. This was because the men didn't openly show a "macho attitude." But working at the clinic made the women see the difference in roles.

Gloria Arellanes said that many women left the Brown Berets around February 1970. They left because they felt the male Brown Berets treated them unfairly. She said they "found that the Brown Beret men have oppressed us more than the pig system has." They told the group they were leaving. They also wrote letters to other chapters explaining why. The letters were signed "Con Che!" This was a reference to Che Guevara's belief in equality for all people.

Brown Beret women march in step, 1970.

Forming Las Adelitas de Aztlán

After leaving the Brown Berets, Gloria Arellanes and other women formed a new group. In 1970, they created "Las Adelitas de Aztlán." This group included Gracie and Hilda Reyes, Andrea and Esther Sánchez, Lorraine Escalante, Yolanda Solis, and Arlene Sánchez. Las Adelitas de Aztlán worked for both Mexican-American rights and women's rights.

The group's name comes from La Adelita, a brave woman who fought alongside men in Mexico's revolution. Las Adelitas de Aztlán brought together women from the Brown Berets and other groups. They supported each other in their fight for Chicano rights. They also helped each other with the challenges they faced as women in the Chicano movement. The group's main goal was not to be a formal organization. Instead, it was a "discussion and support group."

Protesting the Vietnam War

While she was leaving the Brown Berets, Gloria Arellanes joined the National Chicano Moratorium Committee in 1969. Many Mexican-American young people in Los Angeles were against the Vietnam War. They wanted to focus on problems at home, like social justice issues, instead of the war.

The East L.A. demonstrations were led by Ramsés Noriega and Rosalio Muñoz. They protested the war and the unfairness it caused for Mexican Americans. For their first protest, Gloria was still with the Brown Berets. She was asked to get permission from the LAPD for the march in East Los Angeles.

Las Adelitas de Aztlán, led by Gloria Arellanes, took part in these demonstrations. This was one of the first times a Chicana group protested on their own. The women marched in the second protest, called the "March in the Rain," on February 28, 1970. They carried white crosses with the names of Chicano men from L.A. who had died in the war. Gloria carried a cross for her own cousin, Jimmy Vásquez.

The Big March of 1970

Gloria Arellanes was very involved in planning the biggest march by the Chicano Moratorium. Between 20,000 and 30,000 people took part. On the Moratorium Committee, Gloria did office work, like taking phone calls. She also helped with outreach in the North California Bay Area. She traveled there to encourage Chicanos to join the Moratorium. She also went to community centers in East L.A. to hand out flyers. Gloria helped thousands of people from out of state find places to stay for the march.

The march on August 29, 1970, became chaotic when police got involved. This led to arrests and deaths. After this event, Gloria Arellanes stopped participating in the Moratorium. She was hit by a tear gas canister. She then fled from the stage and went back to the Brown Beret Office. This event marked the end of Gloria's involvement with the Moratorium Committee and the Chicano Movement.

Continuing to Help: New Clinics

Gloria Arellanes found a passion for helping her community through the Barrio Free Clinic. After leaving the Chicanx organizations, she opened another clinic. She worked with former female Brown Berets and Adelitas de Aztlán. La Clínica Familiar del Barrio opened on Atlantic Boulevard on March 15, 1971.

Gloria coordinated the clinic. It offered free medical services to the community. The Brown Berets' Barrio Free Clinic had closed after the Chicana women left the group. The success of La Clínica Familiar del Barrio made Gloria happy. However, she left the clinic in 1972. This was because of "pressure from some board members." Today, La Clínica Familiar del Barrio still serves the East Los Angeles community as AltaMed.

Fighting for Native American Rights

Later, Gloria Arellanes focused on fighting for the civil rights of Native American people. Her experience coordinating free clinics helped her. She became a community health advocate. She also spoke out about issues affecting the Tongva people.

Her Life Today

Gloria Arellanes lived in El Monte, California. She had two sons and a grandson.