Festival de Mujeres 1979

How did Latinas empower themselves, their families and communities in 1970s Chicago? We explore this through the 1979 Festival de Mujeres, a street fair in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, the cultural and activist heart of the Mexican Midwest. The Festival was organized by Pilsen’s Mujeres Latinas en Acción, an important, early Latina women’s organization. It was intergenerational, connected with Puertoriqueña, Anglo and Black feminists, engaged with health, labor and arts groups, and included the seeds of lesbian visibility and alliances. We address the challenges of conducting this historical research and introduce our digital exhibit on the Festival.