Description
In her work,
Mexican American Woman Activists, Dr. Mary S. Pardo focuses on East Los Angeles,
emphasizing the important role played by females, and the powerful influence of cultural
symbols like motherhood and the Church. She suggests how such activism has innervated
cultural identity and protected the Mexican American community. The records of the Mary
Santoli Pardo Collection document her research and predominantly consist of correspondence,
newspaper clippings, photographs, interviews (three related audio cassettes), and various
newsletters and flyers.
Background
Mary Pardo is Professor of Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSU
Northridge). She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Los
Angeles, in 1990 and has authored several articles on the influence of women in populist
movements. Her work Mexican American Woman Activists, which
focuses on East Los Angeles, emphasizes the important role played by females and the
powerful influence of cultural symbols like motherhood and the Church, and suggests how such
activism has innervated cultural identity and protected the Mexican American community. In
addition to her scholarly publications, Dr. Pardo has been actively involved with the
Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) and interviewed members such as Erlinda Robles and Juana
Gutierrez. Her close ties to the community have allowed her to capture the reactions of MELA
to deleterious state projects. Through her community activism and insightful scholarly work,
Mrs. Pardo has contributed to the growing presence of Chicana studies programs at schools
like CSU Northridge.
Restrictions
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Availability
The collection is open for research use.