| Alicia Dickerson Montemayor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alice Dickerson August 6, 1902 Laredo, Texas, United States |
| Died | May 13, 1989 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Political activist Community organizer |
| Known for | Vice President of the League of United Latin American Citizens |
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.[1] and she is a designated Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.[2]
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Alicia Dickerson was born August 6, 1902 in Laredo, Texas to John Randolph and Manuela Barrera Dickerson.[3] 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[3] in 1924.[1] After graduation, Montemayor sought to study law, but after the death of her father she chose to stay in Laredo with her mother.[3] She attended night school at Laredo Business School for a year.[1] On September 8, 1927 she married Francisco Montemayor, and they would have two sons, Francisco and Aurelio[4]. 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.[3] 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.[1]
In 1936 Montemayor helped to charter a council, Laredo Ladies LULAC, 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.[1]
We have always said and we still maintain that at the back of progress and success the ladies take a leading hand.
- Alicia Dickerson Montemayor, on the Laredo Ladies LULAC.[1]
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.[1]
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, Texas. 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.[1]
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.[5] 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.[1]
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.[1]
In 1937 Montemayor opened a dress 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.[3]
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.[3]
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.[3]
Her papers and archives are in the collection of the University of Texas at Austin, held within the university library's Benson Latin American Collection.[4]
Women wish to mother men just because it is their natural instinct and because they see into the men's helplessness.
- Alicia Dickerson Montemayor[1]
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 gap. 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.[1]
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.[1]