Abstract
An oral history with Manuela “Nellie” Caudillo-Kanisky, current Executive Director of the Mexican American Women’s National Association (MANA). This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Oral History Project at California State University, Fullerton. The purpose of this interview is to shed light on Latina activists and/or political leaders in Orange County. The interview discusses Kanisky’s early life in Orange County; describes living conditions with her family, and attending a segregated Mexican school in Santa Ana, California; speaks about living with grandparents, who were migrant farm workers; discusses motivation to join the United States Marines, obstacles she faced for being a woman in the military; speaks about joining the faculty of Santa Ana College where she became involved with her community, especially the female student population; describes her work as a counselor at Santa Ana College, for twenty-nine years until her retirement; mentions the issues faced by students; discusses her role as Executive Director of MANA, its community outreach programs, and how she plans to continue her activism.