Josefina Fierro de Bright
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Josefina Fierro de Bright born, in 1920 as "Josefina Fierro", was a Mexican American who helped organize resistance against discrimination in the American Southwest during the Great Depression.
She was the daughter of migrants who had fled revolution in Mexico to settle in California. Fierro Grew up during the Great Depression which had a profound effect on her, as with many children of the depression her life was very unstable, her family moved quite often that she attended 8 schools.
Her mother emphasized the importance of education and urged young Josefina to "Rely on yourself, be independent." In 1938 18 year old Josefina entered the University of California at Los Angeles. She planned to study medicine, but activism on behalf of the Mexican American community took up most of her time and effort.
Aided by her husband John Bright, a Hollywood screenwriter and an activist himself, she began to lead boycotts of companies that did business in Mexican American communities but did not hire Mexican American workers. Enlisting the financial support from a few well known movie stars, Josefina also started a radio program for Spanish-speaking audiences.
These activities brought her attention from a Mexican American group called El Congreso, which was organizing Hispanic migrants to stand up for their rights. In 1939 El Congreso leaders asked Josefina to help them to establish a branch in Los Angeles. Over the next few years, she worked tirelessly, leading marches and hunger strikes, lobbying for expanded relief programs, and encouraging bilingual education for migrant children.
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