Guadalupe Villalobos Briseño

Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Briseño (1933–2024) was a civil rights activist who led the Kitayama Carnation Strike in 1968-1969. In 2020, Briseño was recognized for her work and was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.

Biography Guadalupe Villalobos was born in 1933 and grew up in a family of migrant workers who traveled around Texas often. Her father was a crew leader to recruit workers for the Libby company.

Lupe and Jose Briseño Sr. married in 1951 and had five children including Jose Briseño Jr. The nurseries had uncovered floors where the high humidity turned dirt to mud, and many workers slipped and fell or caught colds, flu, or pneumonia.

She and Rachel Sandoval, Martha del Rael, Mary Padilla, and Mary Silas created the National Floral Workers Organization (NFWO) and developed a four-step plan of action: Gain employee and community support; Plan for a general strike; Gain political and legal support from the community; Establish specific demands for their strike.

Management began their intimidation tactics when they found out the workers were organizing. During the first informal meeting shared by whisper network, the managers and owner Ray Kitayama attended the meeting to dissuade the workers. Management called police officers into the plant on the day after the NFWO's first meeting.