Maria Varela was born on January 1st, 1940, to a Mexican father and an Irish mother. After being raised in several cities around the United States, her family decided to settle in Chicago. In the city, she attended St. Louis Academy where she learned typing, and went on to attend Alverno College in Milwaukee. It was during her time in Chicago that Varela became heavily involved in different social justice groups, specifically the Young Christian Students organization (YCS).

Dr. Osa Hidalgo de la Riva (aka “Dr. Eagle Bear”) is a Queer, Chicanx filmmaker and visual artist who has been creating and collaborating across the world–with a focus on the Southwest–since the mid 1960s. Osa is part of a larger familial legacy dedicated to social justice which is rooted in feminism, Indigeneity, and queer celebration. The history of the de la Riva women is emblematic of the ways mixed-race and Latinx families have navigated race, class, sexuality, gender, and colorism within their family and society.