Description
Photographs of Josefina Fierro, a leader in the Mexican American community.
Background
Born in the border town of Mexicali, Baja California during the tumultuous years of the Mexican Revolution, Josefina Fierro
was raised in a familial heritage of revolutionary activism. Her father was an officer in General Francisco "Pancho" Villa's
northern revolutionary army, a fact that made him largely absent from her life. Raised by her mother, who separated from her
husband and immigrated to the U.S. when Josefina was a baby, the language of revolution and social justice was a constant
in her young life. Her mother's family was followers of Ricardo Flores Magon, a Mexican anarchist banished from Mexico for
promoting radical reforms as part of his Partido Liberal Mexicano, a movement he continued while in exile on the U.S. side
of the border. As a "Magonista," Josefina's mother taught her daughter to stand up for the underdog, to speak out against
injustice, and to treat others with dignity and respect. It was no surprise that Josefina would eventually use this background
as a basis for assuming leadership within the Mexican American community in California as she came of age.
Extent
2.0 Linear feet
(114 photographs housed in 1 manuscript box, 1 flat box)
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.