16 Powerful Luisa Moreno Quotes from the Labor Organizer and Civil Rights Activist

Luisa Moreno was a force of nature in the American labor movement. Born in Guatemala in 1907, she came to the States in her early 20s and dove headfirst into the fight for workers' rights. As one of the first Latina women to climb to the top of national labor organizations, she brought a fresh perspective and a fierce dedication to immigrant workers—it's no wonder there are so many powerful Luisa Moreno quotes that continue to inspire us today!

Her work went beyond the picket lines. In 1939, Moreno pulled together the El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Espa?ola, the first time Latino civil rights leaders from across the country gathered to build a unified movement. She wrote pamphlets, organized strikes and never backed down from a fight.

But Moreno's activism came at a cost. During the Red Scare of the 1950s, she found herself in the government's crosshairs and was ultimately forced to leave the country she'd called home for over 20 years.

Even decades after her death in 1992, Moreno's famous words are a powerful reminder of the world-changing force of nature that she was. Here are some of her most inspirational quotes.

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16 Best Luisa Moreno Quotes

1. "Strange things are happening in this land, and only when the truth is widely known, can we put a stop to them."

2. "I resigned in March 1947, thinking erroneously that I had the right to become a housewife and enjoy the privilege of being a grandmother. But that was a passing fantasy, for out of the blue sky, one early morning I received a summons to appear before Jack Tenney's very un-American Committee. regardless of the Tenney Committee's threats on my then pending citizenship, I refused to answer their $64 question on constitutional grounds. My answer was that the Constitution of the United States was more important to me than citizenship."

3. “These threatened exiles of long time resident are conveniently cloaked with certain legalities. But it's a rather thin coat, made out of some plastic fabric — the brand is the Smith Act of 1940. This was an omnibus bill, that if allowed to stand will eventually completely abolish the Bill of Rights and make drastic constitutional changes — changes, not amendments."

4. "Foreign intrigue plays too big a part in the affairs of Latin America. In most cases the people do not have a chance."

5. "From New York to Florida, from Florida to Texas and California, in several states in many cities and towns I became a part of the struggle to strengthen old AFL locals, to build and extend CIO locals — for better working conditions, for more pay, for improvements in the deplorable conditions of women workers, Negro workers, Mexican workers. Many times we tried and failed partially; but most of the time we were successful. Sometimes the struggle was mean. We fought in the midst of KKK terror. We were jailed for daring to strike. We fought desperately for the right to organize!"

6. "How poor is the memory of those right wing leaders that are blind to reason — who refuse to see that the interests of labor and the people are one."

7. "They fail to see that the attacks against some of us will later be extended to them and their unions. They have forgotten the story of Germany, the story of Spain, the story of France. They have forgotten that united we stand — that all the bona fide union in other civilized countries were crushed, and the labor leaders of the right and left shook hands in concentration camps!"

8. "The new Bridges case is a warning signal for all West Coast labor – that it symbolizes a desperate effort to tear down union conditions built in 15 years of struggle."

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9. "Fear that slowly brews into terror as the Smith Act blankets the land, covering under its legal cloak, persecutions unheard of in America."

10. "The golden carrot that dangles, from the hands of reaction, covers a vicious rattlesnake; for no scab, stoolpigeon or renegade has ever been known to serve the interests of the people."

11. "The words of the great American socialist, Debs, comes to my mind: 'THE COURT OF FINAL RESORT IS THE PEOPLE, AND THAT COURT WILL BE HEARD FROM IN DUE TIME . . .'"

12. "We are created to serve others. The sad thing is that we die only for ourselves."

13. "One person can't do anything; it's only with others that things are accomplished."

14. "The beauty of the city made me forget the stupidity, ignorance, prejudices and paranoia of the world."

15. "These people are not aliens — they have contributed their endurance, sacrifices, youth and labor to the Southwest. Indirectly, they have paid more taxes than all the stockholders of California's industrialized agriculture, the sugar beet companies and the largest cotton interests that operate or have operated with the labor of Mexican workers."

16. "I could detect the harshness and cruelty of the system everywhere."

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