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L.A. names Aug. 29 Gloria Molina Day. A new mural in Boyle Heights celebrates her legacy
A colorful mural at the intersection of 1st and St. Louis Street celebrates the life and legacy of Gloria Molina.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Aug. 29, 2024.
To take advantage of the cool weather and shadow cast by the early morning sun this summer, muralist Margaret Garcia and her painting crew set up scaffolding and buckets of paint on St. Louis Street at 8 a.m.
Her canvas? The wide, west-facing wall behind CASA 0101, a local playhouse in Boyle Heights. The face she sketched along the wall was taller than her, and the gridlike quilt pattern on the mural required accurate measurements and a steady hand.
Garcia, often joined by her assistant, Arturo Carrillo, and Jessica Mejia, a public school art teacher, were working in tandem to permanently memorialize the late Gloria Molina ahead of a grand celebration in her honor.
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On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council proclaimed Aug. 29 as Gloria Molina Day, a day before L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Kevin De León and other local leaders were set to kick off the celebration with a mural dedication, an art exhibit and the premiere of “A Woman Named Gloria,” a new play by Josefina López at CASA 0101. The date also marks the 54th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.
“How can you not know who Gloria Molina is?” is what Garcia would ask passersby curious as to who she was sketching on the wall. “I’m really happy to put a dedication on the wall in English and Spanish so that people will know who she is. We need women role models in this neighborhood… She got things done, and she protected our community,” Garcia said.
Two women walk by the mural in its early stages on July 16, 2024.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Garcia (left) leads her team in painting her mural honoring Gloria Molina.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Garcia, 73, a longtime friend of Molina, said the two began painting together when Molina retired from politics to explore new skills and talents, including sewing and quilting.
“On a personal level, she was my friend, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to honor her with this work,” Garcia said. Garcia and her team invited community members from Boyle Heights to paint, which she said gave “ownership” of the mural to the community.
Outside of assistants and family members, community members in Boyle Heights also helped complete the mural.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Molina, who died of cancer in 2023 at the age of 74, made unquestionable waves in state, county and city politics. The political pioneer shook the system as the first Latina to serve in the California Assembly, the Los Angeles City Council and on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, representing the majority of the Eastside.
As the county district leader, she was known as a fiscal watchdog committed to government reforms, maintenance of the county’s public health care delivery system and quality-of-life issues. Notably, Molina fought against the forced sterilization of women at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in the 1970s.
“She was a politician, but she’s also an artist, and she had the heart of an artist, you know, about solving problems and being part of the solution,” Garcia said of Molina.
For Jessica Mejia, Molina’s niece, contributing to the mural was often bittersweet. The 43-year-old considered Molina a matriarch of the family who, despite a busy schedule as a politician, always made time for family on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Fighting back tears, Mejia described how the mural’s quilt design was taken from a quilt Molina had sewn, now displayed at her alma mater, East Los Angeles College. Mejia said that her aunt wove themes of culture and tradition into her quilting and shared messages of feminism and strength through her patterns.
Margaret Garcia poses with her mural on August 6, 2024.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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The mural’s completion coincides with the release of “A Woman Named Gloria.”
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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“I just think it would make her really, really happy to know that her love of quilting is on this wall for everyone to see. When you see my aunt’s quilts, they look like this,” Mejia said.
Mejia also acknowledged the significance of having the mural in Boyle Heights because of how much Molina fought for the Eastside community. As she painted along with other artists, she said mail carriers and everyday people walking home from the grocery store would praise the artwork and share stories of the impact Molina had on their lives.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see the community also loving her as much as we do… to see her reach of how many people she has inspired. And for us as a family, we were just so proud.”
A mural dedication ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. on St. Louis Street between 1st and 2nd streets, and will be followed by a private reception and viewing of a new art exhibit titled “Gloria Molina: Madrina of the Eastside” at CASA 0101 Theater. The theater will premiere playwright Josefina López’s “A Woman Named Gloria” at 8 p.m. in the Gloria Molina Auditorium. The play runs through Oct. 6.
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