Corona, Bert (1918-2001), was a Mexican American civil rights activist, labor union organizer, and educator. He worked to protect the rights of Mexican Americans and immigrants from Mexico.
Corona was born on May 29, 1918, in El Paso, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles in 1936 to study at the University of Southern California, but he left without graduating.
During the 1930’s and 1940’s, Corona was active as a labor organizer. In 1960, he cofounded the Mexican American Political Association, which worked to increase Mexican American political activity in California. He served as the organization’s president in 1966. In 1968, Corona organized a chapter of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional (Mexican National Brotherhood, or HMN)—later renamed Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana (Mexican Latin American Brotherhood). The group worked to assist undocumented Mexican immigrants. As the organization grew, Corona established local Centers for Autonomous Social Action (CASA’s) that provided legal and social services.
Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, Corona and HMN sought legal status for immigrants who had entered the country illegally. The organization’s work influenced the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which granted legal status to millions of immigrants. Corona also taught in the Chicano Studies program at California State University in Los Angeles. He died on Jan. 15, 2001.
