Anna Ochoa O’Leary
Organizations
University of Arizona, Morenci Miners Women’s Auxiliary Group
Location
Clifton, Arizona
Biography
Anna Ochoa O’Leary grew up in Clifton, Arizona, where her father worked in the Phelps-Dodge mine. She became involved with the mining strike as a member of the Morenci Miners Women’s Auxiliary to the labor union. Her group gained national attention for their work, which expanded the traditional boundaries of women’s labor movement activities. During the strike, when labor members lost their healthcare, she assisted her husband in operating the “People’s Clinic.” After the strike, she entered graduate school to pursue her M.A., and eventually her Ph.D. She is currently chair of the Mexican American Studies department at the University of Arizona.
Audio Clips
Interviewed by Jennifer Nájera on October 27, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona
O’Leary discusses two points of political awakening during her childhood and adolescence.
Tensions rose between the union and the women’s auxiliary, and the women continued their activism.
The women’s auxiliary activism kept O’Leary on the road, and that resulted in tension with her husband.
Digital Archive
O’Leary and Bruce Springsteen backstage during his “Born in the USA” tour, 1985. Springsteen donated $10K to the People’s Clinic, and the Morenci Miners Women’s Auxiliary was invited to attend the concert and collect the money.
O’Leary and other women in front of the People’s Clinic in Clifton.
Anna and Jorge O’Leary leading a protest. Photo from Arizona Daily Star.
O’Leary with her children Adrian and Mandy. Cesar Chavez visited Clifton in 1986, and the 13 striking unions and the MMWA hosted a gathering in honor of his visit.
Arizona Daily Star article featuring Anna O’Leary during the strike.
Newspaper article about Morenci Miners Women’s Auxilary attending the Chicago Coalition Labor Union convention in 1984.
O’Leary was selected to attend the Decade for Women conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1985.
Flyer for Anna Ochoa O’Leary’s lecture on gender and mining communities.