Alicia Dickerson Montemayor
Encyclopedia
Alicia Dickerson Montemayor was a Latin-American activist from the United States. She was the first woman elected to a national office not specifically designated for a woman, serving as vice president general of the League of United Latin American Citizens
, the first woman to serve as associate editor of the LULAC newspaper and the first to write a charter to fund a LULAC youth group. Montemayor was an advocate for the inclusion of girls and women in in Latin American activism and also promoted the interests of middle-class Mexican Americans as well. and she is a designated Women's History Month
Honoree by the National Women's History Project
.
to John Randolph and Manuela Barrera Dickerson. Raised within a household of Mexican Texano identity, she also claimed indigenous and Irish heritage and was raised bilingual, a rarity in many La Raza
homes at the time. Her education made her stand out amongst the community, she graduated from Laredo High School in 1924. After graduation, Montemayor sought to study law, but after the death of her father she chose to stay in Laredo with her mother. She attended night school at Laredo Business School for a year. On September 8, 1927 she married Francisco Montemayor, and they would have two sons, Francisco and Aurelio. In 1934 she began work as a social worker for Webb County
, where she investigated cases to place Mexican-Americans on welfare during the Great Depression
. Upon starting this position, she was denied a key to the office and was forced to work under at tree. Some of the white clients refused to work with her, and at one point she was provided a bodyguard
for safety. In 1947 she enrolled in and attended classes for two years at Laredo Junior College. She cited her influences as Marie Curie
, Amelia Earhart
, Carrie Nation
, Frances Perkins
, Eleanor Roosevelt
, Helen Hayes
and Irene Dunne
.
, in Laredo for working class women. A small group ranging from 17 to 34 members, most of the participants were married homemakers
, secretaries and other workers; most also had a high school education. A highly active group, the council encouraged women to vote and to have aspirations to work, not just stay at home. They supported abused children, raised funds for the Laredo orphanage and flood victims, bought school supplies for poor Latino children, and sponsored a column in Laredo's newspaper and in the published edition of LULAC news. Delegates also traveled to conventions and sponsored the Junior LULAC league. They worked independently of the men's LULAC council, not serving as an auxiliary.
In the local chapter, she would serve as the first secretary for most of 1936-1937 and president from 1938-1939. As secretary she would report the chapter news to the LULAC News column "Around the Shield", which focused on local councils. In 1937 and 1938 she was one of two from the Laredo Ladies LULAC to attend regional conventions in Houston and El Paso. In Houston she was the only woman on a five-member finance committee, and in 1937 the majority male nominating committee named her to a national post. After April 1940 her named disappeared from LULAC News, ending her legacy with the organization.
. After Montemayor held the position, and until it was abolished in 1970, women held the position, despite the roll never being gendered specifically for women. In this position, Montemayor promoted the establishment of more Ladies LULAC councils.
As associate editor of LULAC News she advocated for women. She would write an anonymous editorial called "Son Muy Hombres(?)", triggered by two sexist incidents. The first of the two incidents involved a male member of LULAC writing a high official stating, upon Montemayor becoming vice president, "I hope that President Ramon Longoria will get well soon. There are those of us who hate to be under a woman." The second incident took place under President Ramon Longoria as well. Three letters from the El Paso Ladies' LULAC seeking assistance were ignored, so the El Paso group left the league to avoid causing further drama. In the editorial, Montemayor stated: "My honest opinion of those who think in that line, is that they are cowardly and unfair, ignorant and narrow minded." She ended the editorial by asking any member of LULAC to write an article favoring the suppression of ladies councils or supporting the denial of giving them equal rights
.
shop, which would not be successful. She would operate another shop between 1951 and 1956. In 1956 she served as substitute registrar
for the Laredo Independent School District
and would also work at Christen Middle School
until 1972. Montemayor was also active in her local church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. There she served as organist
, a catechism
teacher, organized the first youth choir, and helped with events. At Our Lady of Guadalupe she would receive a pontifical blessing.
After retirement she worked as a folk artist. In 1973 she started raising gourds, which she would paint. By 1976 she was painting with acrylics on tin and masonite
. The League of United Chicago Artists of Austin would sponsor a solo exhibition of her work in August 1978 at Juárez-Lincoln University
. She would go on to exhibit at Instituto Cultural Mexicano in November 1979, and in Chicago, Mission
, Mexico and Riverside, California
. The works, which she signed "Mom" or "Admonty," often depicted women, nature, and Mexican family life. Bright colors, as often seen in Mexican folk art, were her palette of choice and she also produced still lifes, landscape and portraits.
In 1988 Montemayor was a focus of the 59th Annual LULAC Convention at the Smithsonian Institution
. Alicia Dickerson Montemayor died May 13, 1989, and is buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Laredo.
, held within the university library's Benson Latin American Collection.
. She believed that women had common sense
and were "able to see at a glance and penetrate into, in a second, what most men would not see with a searchlight or a telescope in an eternity." She believed women possessed a "super logic" and were more active in seeking the truth than men. She believed that LULAC would never fully flourish until women helped men. She supported women stepping up and becoming active and working, but also stressed the importance of women's roles as child caretakers, believing that female LULAC members were keys grooming their children to be quality adults.
Montemayor's involvement in LULAC was not without it's conflict. In 1937 conflict was noted in LULAC News, without little detail provided, about problems with Laredo chapters. The Laredo LULAC men were described as not wanting the women's chapter around and Ezequiel Salinas, president of LULAC from 1939 to 1940 was stated to have hated Montemayor. Montemayor claimed Salinas and the local men's groups refused to vote for her at national conventions and questioned if they hated her for who she was, or because she was a woman. Overall, Montemayor felt that most other men's groups and members were supportive of her work. She had strong business relationships with many men of LULAC, often well traveled and college educated men; a rarity amongst LULAC members.
League of United Latin American Citizens
The League of United Latin American Citizens was created to combat the discrimination that Hispanics face in the United States. Established February 17, 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas, LULAC was a consolidation of smaller, like-minded civil rights groups already in existence...
, the first woman to serve as associate editor of the LULAC newspaper and the first to write a charter to fund a LULAC youth group. Montemayor was an advocate for the inclusion of girls and women in in Latin American activism and also promoted the interests of middle-class Mexican Americans as well. and she is a designated Women's History Month
Women's History Month
Women's History Month is an annual declared month worldwide that highlights contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. March has been set aside as this month in the United Kingdom and in the United States...
Honoree by the National Women's History Project
National Women's History Project
The National Women's History Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving women's history. Based out of Santa Rosa, California since 1980, it was started by women's history activists Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette...
.
Early life
Alicia Dickerson was born August 6, 1902 in Laredo, TexasLaredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
to John Randolph and Manuela Barrera Dickerson. Raised within a household of Mexican Texano identity, she also claimed indigenous and Irish heritage and was raised bilingual, a rarity in many La Raza
La Raza
In the Spanish language the term Raza translates to "race". Its meaning varies amongst various Spanish-speaking peoples. For instance, in Spain, "Raza" may denote specifically Spanish and often of a something or someone of a European Christian heritage. The Francoist film Raza, from 1944, which...
homes at the time. Her education made her stand out amongst the community, she graduated from Laredo High School in 1924. After graduation, Montemayor sought to study law, but after the death of her father she chose to stay in Laredo with her mother. She attended night school at Laredo Business School for a year. On September 8, 1927 she married Francisco Montemayor, and they would have two sons, Francisco and Aurelio. In 1934 she began work as a social worker for Webb County
Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...
, where she investigated cases to place Mexican-Americans on welfare during the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
. Upon starting this position, she was denied a key to the office and was forced to work under at tree. Some of the white clients refused to work with her, and at one point she was provided a bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
for safety. In 1947 she enrolled in and attended classes for two years at Laredo Junior College. She cited her influences as Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
, Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, Carrie Nation
Carrie Nation
Carrie Amelia Moore Nation was a member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol in pre-Prohibition America. She is particularly noteworthy for promoting her viewpoint through vandalism. On many occasions Nation would enter an alcohol-serving establishment and attack the bar with a hatchet...
, Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins , born Fannie Coralie Perkins, was the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. As a loyal supporter of her friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped pull the labor movement into the New Deal coalition...
, Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
and Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performances in Cimarron , Theodora Goes Wild , The Awful Truth , Love Affair and I Remember Mama...
.
League of United Latin American Citizens
In 1936 Montemayor helped to charter a council, Laredo Ladies LULACLeague of United Latin American Citizens
The League of United Latin American Citizens was created to combat the discrimination that Hispanics face in the United States. Established February 17, 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas, LULAC was a consolidation of smaller, like-minded civil rights groups already in existence...
, in Laredo for working class women. A small group ranging from 17 to 34 members, most of the participants were married homemakers
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
, secretaries and other workers; most also had a high school education. A highly active group, the council encouraged women to vote and to have aspirations to work, not just stay at home. They supported abused children, raised funds for the Laredo orphanage and flood victims, bought school supplies for poor Latino children, and sponsored a column in Laredo's newspaper and in the published edition of LULAC news. Delegates also traveled to conventions and sponsored the Junior LULAC league. They worked independently of the men's LULAC council, not serving as an auxiliary.
In the local chapter, she would serve as the first secretary for most of 1936-1937 and president from 1938-1939. As secretary she would report the chapter news to the LULAC News column "Around the Shield", which focused on local councils. In 1937 and 1938 she was one of two from the Laredo Ladies LULAC to attend regional conventions in Houston and El Paso. In Houston she was the only woman on a five-member finance committee, and in 1937 the majority male nominating committee named her to a national post. After April 1940 her named disappeared from LULAC News, ending her legacy with the organization.
Going national for LULAC
From 1937 until 1940 Montemayor held three national positions with LULAC: second national vice-president general, associate editor of LULAC News, and director general of Junior LULAC. The first national vice-president general was a man, Fidencio Guerra of McAllen, TexasMcAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
. After Montemayor held the position, and until it was abolished in 1970, women held the position, despite the roll never being gendered specifically for women. In this position, Montemayor promoted the establishment of more Ladies LULAC councils.
As associate editor of LULAC News she advocated for women. She would write an anonymous editorial called "Son Muy Hombres(?)", triggered by two sexist incidents. The first of the two incidents involved a male member of LULAC writing a high official stating, upon Montemayor becoming vice president, "I hope that President Ramon Longoria will get well soon. There are those of us who hate to be under a woman." The second incident took place under President Ramon Longoria as well. Three letters from the El Paso Ladies' LULAC seeking assistance were ignored, so the El Paso group left the league to avoid causing further drama. In the editorial, Montemayor stated: "My honest opinion of those who think in that line, is that they are cowardly and unfair, ignorant and narrow minded." She ended the editorial by asking any member of LULAC to write an article favoring the suppression of ladies councils or supporting the denial of giving them equal rights
Equal rights
Equal rights can refer to:*Equality before the law, when all people have the same rights*Human rights, when such rights are held in common by all people*Civil rights, when such rights are held in common by all citizens of a nation...
.
Supporting the Latino youth
In 1937 Mrs. Charles Ramirez of San Antonio's LULAC formed the idea for Junior LULAC and developed a resolution to create it. Ramirez co-organized the first group and in August 1938 Montemayor began a series of essays promoting the youth groups to senior councils. A local sponsor, she also continued to contribute to LULAC News, despite no longer serving as associate editor. She wrote the first charter for a youth chapter and in March 1937 she organized the second Junior council at her house; this chapter would go on to be the most active in LULAC. She recruited both boys and girls for the program, believing that starting young would help them "abandon the egotism and petty jealousies so common today among our ladies' and men's councils." Her son, Francisco Montemayor, Jr., wrote in support of mixed groups, stating he disliked the idea of all girl groups and rallied boys to prevent a majority of girls in the chapter. Montemayor believed that Junior LULAC provided leadership training necessary for youth to become good citizens and future LULAC senior members. The youth would learn debate and acting techniques, public service and expand on their educational skills like literacy.After LULAC
In 1937 Montemayor opened a dressDress
A dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...
shop, which would not be successful. She would operate another shop between 1951 and 1956. In 1956 she served as substitute registrar
Registrar
A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. Registrar may also refer to:-Government records:* Recorder of deeds, government office which maintains public records related to real estate...
for the Laredo Independent School District
Laredo Independent School District
Laredo Independent School District is a public school district based in Laredo, Texas . The district serves the south central portion of Laredo.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency....
and would also work at Christen Middle School
Christen Middle School
L. J. Christen Middle School is a middle school located in Laredo Independent School District in Laredo, Texas. Grades sixth through eighth grade are taught there. It serves students living in central Laredo.-History:...
until 1972. Montemayor was also active in her local church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. There she served as organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, a catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
teacher, organized the first youth choir, and helped with events. At Our Lady of Guadalupe she would receive a pontifical blessing.
After retirement she worked as a folk artist. In 1973 she started raising gourds, which she would paint. By 1976 she was painting with acrylics on tin and masonite
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
. The League of United Chicago Artists of Austin would sponsor a solo exhibition of her work in August 1978 at Juárez-Lincoln University
Juarez-Lincoln University
Juarez-Lincoln University was part of the Mexican-American education movement in Texas beginning in 1969. In that year many Latino students walked out in protest over lack of Latino history in secondary schools in Texas, Latino faculty members and related issues...
. She would go on to exhibit at Instituto Cultural Mexicano in November 1979, and in Chicago, Mission
Mission, Texas
Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,058 at the 2010 census Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mission is located at ....
, Mexico and Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
. The works, which she signed "Mom" or "Admonty," often depicted women, nature, and Mexican family life. Bright colors, as often seen in Mexican folk art, were her palette of choice and she also produced still lifes, landscape and portraits.
In 1988 Montemayor was a focus of the 59th Annual LULAC Convention at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. Alicia Dickerson Montemayor died May 13, 1989, and is buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Laredo.
Legacy
Her papers and archives are in the collection of the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, held within the university library's Benson Latin American Collection.
As a feminist
A prolific writer, Montemayor wrote more articles for LULAC than any other female in its history. In her writing she often stressed the importance of independent thinking for adults and youth. Her first essay was "We Need More Ladies Councils" where she called women to action to help reinvigorate inactive councils. She called her fellow female LULAC members "sisters", noting that at one annual convention there were 71 men's councils and 15 women's councils, however, only 26 and 4 respectively attended. She believed that men engendered a competition between the councils based on allegations that the men were more superior to women. However, Montemayor advocated that women were superior as well. She made public calls for women to join LULAC to empower themselves and help close the gender gapGender gap
Gender gap may refer to:*Gender differences in a general psycho-social context*Gender pay gap*Income disparity by gender in a purely economic context*The Global Gender Gap Report*Father's rights in child custody determinations of family courts...
. She believed that women had common sense
Common sense
Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Thus, "common sense" equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have...
and were "able to see at a glance and penetrate into, in a second, what most men would not see with a searchlight or a telescope in an eternity." She believed women possessed a "super logic" and were more active in seeking the truth than men. She believed that LULAC would never fully flourish until women helped men. She supported women stepping up and becoming active and working, but also stressed the importance of women's roles as child caretakers, believing that female LULAC members were keys grooming their children to be quality adults.
Montemayor's involvement in LULAC was not without it's conflict. In 1937 conflict was noted in LULAC News, without little detail provided, about problems with Laredo chapters. The Laredo LULAC men were described as not wanting the women's chapter around and Ezequiel Salinas, president of LULAC from 1939 to 1940 was stated to have hated Montemayor. Montemayor claimed Salinas and the local men's groups refused to vote for her at national conventions and questioned if they hated her for who she was, or because she was a woman. Overall, Montemayor felt that most other men's groups and members were supportive of her work. She had strong business relationships with many men of LULAC, often well traveled and college educated men; a rarity amongst LULAC members.
Further reading
- Gutierrez, Margo & Matt S. Meier. The Mexican American Experience: An Encyclopedia. Westport: Greenwood (2003). ISBN 0313316430
- Perales, Marian & others. Writing the Range: Race, Class, and Culture in the Women’s West. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press (1997). ISBN 0806129522
- Ruiz, Vicki L. From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2008). ISBN 0195374770