“It is important that the cultural evolution resulting from the Civil Rights Movement, our participation in the Women’s Movement, and the emergence of women as heads of families shall be incorporated into the ideological fabric of our intellectual expression.” Martha Cotera. Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia.

This politically active educator was born in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico but migrated as a child to El Paso, Texas, where she was raised and educated. In 1962 Cotera earned a degree in English, and later a master’s degree in education from the Antioch Graduate School of Education. In 1964, Cotera began her career as a political activist for the Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations and advocated for the farmworkers’ movement and the upholsterers’ union. A founder of Texans for Educational Advancement of Mexican Americans (TEAMS), composed primarily of teachers who supported the student walkouts in 1969, three years later Cotera was a candidate for the Twenty-third Congressional District on the La Raza Unida ticket. Cotera’s groundbreaking works include Diosa y hembra: The History and Heritage of Chicanas in the U.S., The Chicana Feminist, and Multicultural Women’s Sourcebook: Materials Guide for Use in Women Studies and Bilingual/Multicultural Programs.