Luisa Moreno

Luisa Moreno, born Blanca Rosa López Rodríguez on August 30, 1907, in Guatemala City, emerged as a pivotal figure in American labor activism. In the 1930s and 1940s, she championed the rights of Latina and Latino workers in the United States. Moreno played a key role in organizing the United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA), where she fought for better wages and working conditions. In 1939, she orchestrated the first national Latino civil rights assembly, El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española, in Los Angeles. Her efforts culminated in significant labor reforms and heightened awareness of Latinx civil rights. Moreno was deported in 1950 due to her activism during the Red Scare.