Marie “Keta” Miranda was born in Los Angeles, California during a time of— in her words — “urban removal,” not “urban renewal.” Her mother was very involved in church organizing activities, from charities to fiestas. It is through her mother that Keta understood the church to be a place for women where they can “laugh out loud and have a good time with each other.” Her mother was a housewife putting in a lot of labor and love raising eight children, six girls and two boys. Her father worked first as a general laborer, then a postal carrier, and then a tile-setter.