The Courage of Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Briseño and the 1968-69 Kitayama Carnation Strike

Red and pink carnations with protest signs on a green background. Text: Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Briseño and the 1968-1969 Kitayama Carnation Strike. — "This isn't right."

From Migrant Fields to the Greenhouse

Born in Texas in 1933, Guadalupe Villalobos Briseño grew up traveling across Texas as part of a family of migrant farm workers. While her family didn’t have many material belongings, Lupe grew up in a community where migrant workers were valued members of the farming economy. Farmers across the country relied on their labor to bring in crops, and Lupe understood the dignity and importance of hard work from an early age.

In the 1950s, Lupe and her husband, Jose, moved their family to Colorado. Once their four children were all in school, Lupe decided to take a job cutting carnations at the Kitayama Brothers’ Greenhouse, just a few miles from their home.

What she saw at the greenhouse, though, shocked her.

Organizing for Change

Determined to improve conditions, Lupe began organizing a union. She encouraged the workers to stand together and demand higher pay, better working conditions, and basic dignity. Their requests were modest: They were earning just 99 cents an hour, well below Colorado’s minimum wage of $1.25, and they asked for only a five-cent raise along with regularly scheduled bathroom breaks per shift and improved working conditions. Management’s response was swift and brutal. Lupe was fired in May 1968, but rather than back down, she escalated her fight.

In July 1968, Lupe and four other women — Martha De Real, Mary Sailas, Mary Padilla, and Rachel Sandoval (who was pregnant then) — led the Kitayama Carnation Strike. They picketed outside the greenhouse for 221 days, drawing national attention.

Support poured in from across the country. Civil rights leader Corky Gonzales, activist Dr. Benjamin Spock, Senator Eugene McCarthy, and students from the University of Colorado in Boulder all came to stand with the women. But Mr. Kitayama fought back with intimidation, harassment, and legal action.

The Day the Gates Closed

On February 15, 1969, the fight came to a head. In a final attempt to be heard, the women—mostly older workers—chained themselves to the gates of the greenhouse, blocking entry. Weld County Sheriffs were called in. What began as a peaceful protest ended in chaos when tear gas was used to disperse the picketers.

The strike ended. While the union was not recognized and the women lost their jobs, Lupe considered it a victory. Workers were granted bathroom breaks, conditions improved, and wages were raised slightly. The strike also became a defining moment for the Chicano Movement in Colorado — proof that Hispanic workers, especially women, could organize and fight for their rights.

A Lasting Legacy

Lupe Briseño’s courage did not go unnoticed. In 2020, she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame for her role in the Kitayama Carnation Strike and her contributions to workers’ rights.

Her story reminds us that change doesn’t always come in the form of sweeping victories — sometimes it’s the quiet, determined act of standing up and saying, “This isn’t right.”