Juana Gutierrez

Who is Juana Gutierrez?

Juana Gutierrez is an American political activist and community organizer.

Gutierrez was born in Mexico. In 1954, she married Ricardo Gutierrez and in 1956 the couple moved to Los Angeles where they had nine children.

She founded Madres de Este Los Angeles which defeated a proposal to build a prison near her home, and later a proposal to place a toxic dump and oil pipeline nearby. According to the National Women's History Project, MELASI also helped with the problems of "crime, unemployment, failing schools, dangerous working conditions, and pesticide-filled foods". They established a scholarship fund, giving more than $300,000 to local students, and a water conservation program that employed 22 people and built a community garden.

Gutierrez’s work has been featured in the former Soviet Union, Australia, and Europe. Her archives are in the Urban Archive Collection at the California State University, Northridge.