Born and raised in a segregated community in San Bernardino County, California, Nieto Gómez was exposed to the growing Mexican American student rights movement when she attended Calfironia State University at Long Beach in 1967. Nieto Gómez participated in the first United Mexican Students organization (UMAS), its name was later changed to el Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, (MECHA). Nieto Gómez took an unpopular stand on women’s roles within the student movement. She founded Hijas de Cuauhtémoc which featured articles on sexism within the Chicano movement. “Chicanas Identify!” soon became the target of criticism within MEChA. Following graduation, Nieto Gómez was appointed to Calfiornia State University, Northridge, where she developed and taught the first courses on the Chicana experience. She founded the publication Encuentro Femenil, a forum for issues affecting Chicanas. Issues covered a wide range including childcare, equal rights, political participation, economic and welfare rights. In spite of a record of leadership, Nieto Gómez was denied tenure in 1976, an event she attributed to her political beliefs.

LINKS
Images Videos