California State University Fullerton in collaboration with the Heritage Museum of Orange County presents Taking a Stand: Legacies of Latina Activism in Southern California. This exhibit at the Heritage Museum in Santa Ana focuses on the legacies of four Latina women active in politics from the late nineteenth century through the mid twentieth century. The partnership between the Heritage Museum and CSUF developed to give CSUF history students experience working directly in the field and giving the local community access to stories relevant to their local history. This exhibit will be launched at the Heritage Museum on Tuesday May 17, 2016 at 5:30 pm. 

Taking a Stand: Legacies of Latina Activism in Southern California focuses on four influential women: Modesta Avila, Emiliia Castaneda, Luisa Moreno and Ana Nieto Gomez. Each of these four Latina women challenged the standards of their time in order to be heard and make changes for their greater community. Modesta Avila, living in Orange County, fought for her property rights in the aftermath of the US-Mexican War. Emilia Castaneda fought on behalf of all those that had been unconstitutionally deported back to Mexico. Louisa Moreno and Ana Nieta Gomez were both influential in political organizations using their voice to further rights for Latina women. This exhibit is led by Dr. Margie Brown Coronel and her class HIST 492 “Practicum in Public History”. Dr. Brown Coronel’s personal research focuses on Latina History and is the advisor for the Public History program at CSUF. 

The Heritage Museum of Orange County is dedicated to the preserving, promoting, and restoring the heritage of Orange County through hands on education.  CSUF Center for Oral and Public History seeks to combine the strengths of oral history and public history in order to build better connections between Cal State Fullerton and thelocal, national, and global communities.