During the 1960s, the Chicano Movement or "El Movimiento" gave way for Chicano artists, designers, and printmakers to emerge. The Chicano Movement united Chicanos, Americans of Mexican heritage who chose that label, in a new shared identity to fight for social and political empowerment. One of the creatives that made their mark in support of this movement was Yolanda Margarita López, a feminist painter, printmaker, educator, and film producer. She was best known for her works focusing on the experiences of Mexican-American and Chicana women, often challenging the harmful ethnic stereotypes associated with them. López is most known for the Guadalupe series, where she reimagines Our Lady of Guadalupe in the image of the everyday Chicana woman. López was essential to the case of Los Siete de La Raza, or The Seven of the Hispanic Community. In this case, seven Latino youths were falsely accused of killing police officer Joseph Brodnick in San Francisco on May 1st, 1969. The political art and design work she produced in support of the seven falsely accused helped rally the San Francisco community together in support and led to the acquitting of the seven youths. López, through her activism, challenged stereotypes of Chicana women and advocated for the Latino community as well as other marginalized communities over the course of her creative career.  

TIMELINE

1942 – Born on November 1 in San Diego, CA
1968 – Third World Liberation Strikes
1969 – Los Siete de La Raza
1971 – Enrolled at San Diego State University
1975 – Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting and drawing
1977 – ¿A Donde Vas, Chicana?
1978 – Start of Guadalupe Series
1979 – University of California, San Diego, receiving a Master of Fine Arts
2021 – Yolanda dies of complications from Liver Cancer 

REFERENCES

Daly, C.-S. (2021) Yolanda López, artist who painted the iconic Virgen de Guadalupe series, dies at 79, Mission Local. Available at: https://missionlocal.org/2021/09/yolanda-lopez-artist-who-painted-the-iconic-virgen-de-guadalupe-series-dies-at-79/ (Accessed: November 27, 2022). 

Davalos, K.M. (2008) Yolanda M. López. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press. 

Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute (no date) Chavez, the UFW and the "wetback" problem, News RSS. Available at: https://humanrights.fhi.duke.edu/chavez-ufw-and-wetback-problem/ (Accessed: November 27, 2022). 

Genial generating engagement and new initiatives for ... - exploratorium (no date). Available at: https://www.exploratorium.edu/sites/default/files/Genial\_2017\_Terms\_of\_Usage.pdf (Accessed: November 28, 2022). 

Seth Combs Oct. 10, 2021 5:15 A.M.P.T.F.T.S.more sharing optionsS.C.extra sharing options F.T.L.I.E.C.L.U.R.L.C.P. (2021) The art and activism of Yolanda López, Tribune. Available at: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/story/2021-10-10/the-art-and-activism-of-yolanda-lopez (Accessed: November 27, 2022). 

¡Printing the revolution!: The rise and impact of Chicano graphics, 1965 to now (no date) ¡Printing the Revolution!: The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now | Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Available at: https://www.cartermuseum.org/exhibitions/printing-revolution-rise-and-impact-chicano-graphics-1965-now (Accessed: November 27, 2022).