Soledad "Chole" Alatorre was a Chicana labor activist who was active in the Greater Los Angeles Area, and was known for her work with the Centro de Accion Social Autonomo and for her advocacy of civil rights among the Chicano community.
13 Facts About Soledad Alatorre
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Soledad Alatorre's father was an officer in the union of railway workers.
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Soledad Alatorre married into a wealthy family when she was 19.
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Soledad Alatorre worked as a supervisor in the same factory, and her husband worked in the garment industry as well.
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Soledad Alatorre separated from her husband in the late 1950s, and never had any children: she spent most of her time with her work in labor organizing.
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Soledad Alatorre lived with her sisters, who worked with her.
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Soledad Alatorre died in March 2020; the causes of her death were unknown.
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Soledad Alatorre's father had raised her on stories of labor activism, and she was radicalized by the plight of migrant workers that she observed when traveling to the United States.
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Soledad Alatorre became further involved with labor organizing, and worked with several unions, including the Teamsters, the United Auto Workers, the Maritime Union, and the United Farm Workers.
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The HMN was facing difficulties due to the activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee, so Corona and Soledad Alatorre took charge of the organization, and in 1968 moved it to Los Angeles, where its local chapters came to be known as Centro de Accion Social Autonomo, or CASA.
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Soledad Alatorre played a significant role within CASA, being responsible for administrative tasks and choosing to remain largely "behind the scenes".
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In 1968, Corona and Alatorre became involved in Robert F Kennedy's primary campaign for California's Senate seat.
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Soledad Alatorre participated in renter's strikes, protested the Ku Klux Klan in San Diego, and advocated for more Latino representation on television.