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Yvonne Condes

Yvonne Condes

Yvonne Condes is a freelance writer and social media manager living in Los Angeles. She’s also Contributing Editor at Picturing Mexican American, a project that works to uncover the whitewashed history of Mexican Los Angeles, and former editor and co-founder of MomsLA.com. Her articles have appeared in Mom.com, Common Sense Media and CBS Los Angeles.

Yvonne Condes
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An archival photo of Modesta Avila, a young Mexican American woman with her hair pulled back. She is wearing a black long-sleeved collared shirt and is looking directly into the camera. Above her, is the words, "M. Avila. Felony." The numbers, "13793" are written over her chest.
When Modesta Avila placed "a heavy fence post" across a set of railroad tracks with a sign that read, "'This land belongs to me. And if the railroad wants to run here, they will have to pay me $10,000," she cemented herself in California culture as a symbol of resistance against the rich and powerful.
Women in tiered skirts dancing during Cinco de Mayo at Belvedere Park while crowds look on.
Many Latinos know that Cinco de Mayo is about the 1862 Battle and that it's not celebrated in Mexico, but it's widely believed to have been created by Anglos in the late 20th century. In reality, celebrating Cinco de Mayo started right here in California by Mexican Americans 160 years ago.
An illustration of Mária López standing on a podium behind an American flag. She is speaking to a crowd of people below. The background is yellow with faint outlines of a cityscape behind her.
Throughout her life, María Guadalupe Evangelina de López had been fighting for women's rights and busting down societal barriers, but it is only now that her contributions are coming to light.
Photographic portrait of Mrs. Arcadia de Baker; previously Mrs. Abel Stearns, Arcadia Bandini, ca.1885. She can be seen from the waist up turned slightly to the left in an oval cutout. Her long dark hair is parted up the middle and pulled back to her neck. She is wearing a frilly shawl over a frilly dress with a low neckline.
Arcadia Bandini Stearns de Baker was rich, beautiful and connected. This savvy businesswoman would be an important player in early California and helped shape Santa Monica and the west side of Los Angeles.
The Union Mutualista de San Jose members of the Mexican Catholic Church celebrated its 15th anniversary.
Mutual aid societies or mutualistas popped up all over the Southwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to provide support to Mexican American immigrants. Today, the mutualista spirit is alive and well as individuals and businesses find creative ways to help people who have suffered from hardships especially during the pandemic.
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