A farewell to ‘the mother of La Villita,’ Manuelita Garcia, an activist who cared for the community until her last breath

For the last decades of her life, Manuela Garcia dedicated her time to advocating for the people — particularly the youth — of the Little Village community in Chicago. Even in her old age, “Manuelita,” as many call her, still watched for those in need by helping to feed homeless people and giving rides to work or doctor appointments to people who didn’t have a car.

“Era como la madre de La Villita,” said Doris Hernandez, a longtime friend and a neighbor of Garcia. The two worked side by side, participating in various actions advocating for immigrant rights and resources for parents and teens in the neighborhood to fight street violence.

On May 29, Garcia died at the age of 96 after having a stroke, leaving a void not only in her family’s heart but a whole community, said her granddaughter Andrea Guzman.

Days after her grandmother died, Guzman slept in an unwashed rebozo (shawl) of hers. But Guzman is grateful for the time she spent with the woman who raised her since she was 5 years old.

“I’m grateful for the community she left me,” Guzman said.

Though Manuelita had been involved with community organizations throughout her life while living in the community, she was recognized for spearheading a hunger strike in 2001 at Camp Cesar Chavez that led to the construction of Little Village Lawndale High School on 31st and Kostner Avenue.

Guzman lived with her grandmother most of her life. From her she learned to be a fighter when she joined the hunger strike alongside her when she was only 17 years old.

The grandmother, who was in her late 70s at the time, was the oldest parent and one of the most outspoken activists during the movement, recalled Hernandez. During the 19-day strike, the group demanded that Mayor Richard M. Daley and other local officials keep their promise of building a new school for the youth already suffering from gang violence.

“My mother was always a strong advocate for education even though she didn’t have one,” said one of her sons, Francisco Garcia. His mother only got to fourth grade, he said. “But education and wisdom are not synonymous.”

Just before the pandemic hit in 2020, on the eve of her 95th birthday, Manuelita was honored for her life and work with a City Council resolution presented by Ald. Michael Rodriguez, in front of a mural with a portrait of her face at the high school she fought for. Now, Rodriguez plans to introduce a resolution to name a street in Little Village after the woman who served as the block club president for more than 30 years, he said.

“The recognition means that city council and all the residents of the city of Chicago recognize Manuela Garcia as leader, not just for the Little Village community but for our region as someone who deserves recognition,“ said Rodriguez. But importantly, he said, as a Latina leader.

“We disproportionately recognize what females of color mean to our society and she is so emblematic of a group of people (who) are undercounted, underrepresented and under-celebrated.”

Rodriguez was one of the many community leaders and politicians who attended a recent mass and wake that honored Manuelita’s life. Hundreds of other community members also attended, and paid tribute to her life with a caravan that made a stop at every home in which she lived in the neighborhood.

“She was a forceful presence during the movement while also having a very humble monolingual Spanish speaking background, she represented the best of us,” Rodriguez added.

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia also attended the ceremony, and honored Manuelita in Congress last week.

“Manuelita Garcia was a force to be reckoned with, a fierce advocate for justice, a true fighter for the community, and a longtime Little Village resident,” he said during his speech.

Manuelita began her work to advocate for education while working with ENLACE, a local organization that advocates for the well-being of the residents of Little Village in health, immigration and violence prevention.

Her family hopes that her legacy of love and solidarity will forever remain in the hearts of Little Village residents.

Manuelita began getting more involved in the community shortly after her husband died in 1985, recalled Francisco Garcia. And after raising her nine children and some grandchildren, the matriarch turned to help other mothers and youth in need, often speaking up against injustices, he said.

She was born in the small border town of Roma, Texas, but moved to the Chicago area in 1953 after marrying her husband, her family said. Through her youth, she worked as maintenance personnel at General Motors in suburban Chicago and often had side jobs cleaning other homes and washing clothes for others.

“She never retired,” her son smiled. “She got her second or third wind, she became even more active.”

His mother, he said, enjoyed talking to people and helping out. In the late ’60s, Manuelita and her husband hosted an AM radio show where they would help promote businesses in the area and the work of democratic politicians and leaders working for the community.

“She was an incredible and credible figure,” Garcia said.

Although painful for Guzman, he believes that Manuelita’s passing is not necessarily a goodbye, but a “homegoing.”

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com