Juanita Rieloff1931 - 2000 Juanita Rieloff, born in Chile in 1931 and a resident of the United States since 1955, was active in many social justice organizations and dedicated her life to the struggle for human rights. Even as a young child she was outspoken against the physical and psychological humiliation at her Catholic boarding school and was expelled at the age of 14. During Juanita’s teenage years, the Communist party became banned with the ironically named “The Defense of Democracy Act” which drove its members, including poet Pablo Neruda underground. In 1955, on Juanita’s third day in the U.S., she refused to cross a picket line and instead joined the striking workers. She worked as a floor girl, carhop, seamstress and nanny in Florida and California until she moved to New York. She was a waitress in the Greenwich Village, then co-owned the Gaslight Café with Robert Milos, where they featured yet unknowns such as Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary. During the ‘60s and ‘70s Juanita founded a community-controlled day care center, “The Child Flower Day Care Center” in the Lower East Side which became a 24-hour community center for families in crisis and a hub of artistic activity. Juanita became active in the struggle for bi-lingual education as well as organizing for the March on the Pentagon against the Vietnam War. After September 11, 1973 Juanita was a tireless activist for the liberation of Chile’s political prisoners and in denouncing the dictatorship and the U.S. role in Chile. In New York and Cambridge, she fought alongside the Puerto Rican community in its struggle for independence. Juanita also co-founded Centro Hispano Americano de Cambridge to defend against police brutality and to fight for better living conditions. She also fought for effective legal representation for many Puerto Rican and Dominican youth in the criminal justice system and started peer sex education classes among young Latinas. In the ‘80s Juanita came to San Francisco where she participated in the Central American solidarity movement through Casa El Salvador “Farabundo Marti”, CISPES, and Casa Chile. Juanita formed another day care center, “Ninos Lindos” where she instilled in the children a love for justice and for their culture and language. During the ‘90s, Juanita worked with CURAS, a Latino AID’s organization to help Latino homosexuals. She also organized Community Health Promoters and MAS Media to document the struggles against imperialism. Juanita loved the Cuban Revolution and participated in bringing humanitarian aid to Cuba. Juanita was also an active member of the Board of Directors of the Mission Cultural Center. Until the end of her life, Juanita continued working to improve the lives of people in her community. On May 1st, 2000, Juanita Rieloff’s large funeral procession had guitars, banners and flowers to celebrate her rich and wonderful life. Honored by Manolo Davila and Elizabeth Milos |
