Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) - Essay Example

Summary al Affiliation Summary The chapter concentrates on the Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) to illustrate how women emerge to become transformative forces in the society (Pardo, 1998). The MELA society was formed primarily as one of the activists opposing the construction of a prison in a small low-income community in California made predominantly of Mexican Americana and Afro-Americans (Pardo, 1998). Since then, the group has been instrumental in championing the rights if the community.

The group is made predominantly of women aged 40 to 60 years, Mexican American origin and possessing a high school education (Pardo, 1998). The chapter illustrates transformation facilitated by women in the context of the group’s core activists. For starters, women have transformed social networks and organising experiences arising from gender related roles to political resources (Pardo, 1998). In this regard, women used various strategies to draw women into the group by giving them the president’s position (Pardo, 1998).

The activism process transformed the previously invisible and inactive women to being the focus of public attention by giving them a chance to air and fight for their opinions. The women in the MELA have facelifted the transformation of the definition of the word ‘mother’ to incorporate political opposition to government-advised projects that are deemed detrimental to the society’s welfare. The MELA story also portrays how class and ethnic identity have undergone changes (Pardo, 1998). In the construction of a coalition, different classes have to be able to communicate on equal terms.

The core activists in the women’s group tell the stories that illustrate the individual change and a new sense of entitlement for speaking for the society (Pardo, 1998). They have facilitated the transformation of the unspoken sentiments of the people into a collective community voice. The people in the developing countries and minority communities in the United States are living in an increasingly degraded environment. This mandate the need to fight aggressively against the vice. References Pardo, M. S. (1998).

 Mexican American women activists: Identity and resistance in two Los Angeles communities. Philadelphia, Pa: Temple Univ. Press.