Bonus Episode: How Does a Chicana Activist Find Her Place in History?

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are sharing a special bonus episode featuring Chicana activist and artist Irma Lerma Barbosa. Her legacy will be preserved for years to come in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Collections.

Irma attended college at a time when the Chicano movement was just gaining momentum – and she jumped right into fighting for her community. Picture this – a legacy that includes being welcomed into Cesar Chavez's family home through her time in the United Farm Workers Movement, leadership with the Brown Berets, spearheading a free breakfast program to help her community, and eventually founding her own woman-led arts collective.

Listen to our first episode with Irma Lerma Barbosa and Smithsonian Curator Veronica Mendez here. 

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Show Notes:

(00:00) - Introduction to Irma Lerma Barbosa, Chicano Movement, and Royal Chicano Air Force

(3:42) - Being a Woman in Male-dominated Spaces

(5:45) - Irma’s Place in History

(7:04) - RCAF Women’s Mural named “Women Hold Up Half the Sky”

(9:18) - Art as a Tool for Activism

(10:47) - Co-Madres Artistas

(13:30) - Standing Up Against Sexual Harassment

(15:13) - Feeling Freedom with Art

(15:58) - Closing Thoughts