went to, El Monte High School, and the police would come into the halls of the high school on their motorcycles and just arrest the Chicanos. They never arrested the white students". [3] It was for these reasons that Arellanes looked toward the Brown Berets for a sense of structure, security, and community organization that many other young Mexican Americans were striving for. Arellanes recalls " There was something there that attracted us, and so I wanted to know more”. The Brown Berets sent a strong message in the communities that they were active in, and gave young Mexican Americans a new avenue of expression and a political voice, but this same organization would, unfortunately, alienate many of the people that were involved, most notably women. This caused great concern for Arellanes and would eventually cause her to leave the organization altogether and create her own. Important contributions The Las Adelitas de Aztlan advocated heavily for women's reproductive rights and care, such as having access to free or reduced birth control, abortions, sex education, and even childcare. Much of this stemmed from the creation of health clinics in Mexican-American communities across the American Southwest. While still under the banner of the Brown Berets Arellanes worked closely in the establishments of the barrio Free Clinic in East Los Angeles in 1969, one of the first free clinics in a Spanish speaking neighborhood in Los Angeles. The establishment of free clinics was important for Arellanes, and she would carry on this sentiment into the Las Adelitas de Aztlan. The group would attend the Conferencia de Mujeres por la Raza or National Chicana Conference, the first of its kind in 1971 in Houston on May 28–30, 1971. Here along with other Mexican-American civil rights organizations Chicana women " gathered to organize stronger positions regarding women's roles. Gender discrimination, abortion, and birth control were given as much importance at the conference as inadequate educational opportunities, racism, welfare support, and employment discrimination, issues always at the heart of the Mexican-American civil-rights agenda. In addition, conference speakers urged the participants to work to change society". Expressions of femininity The rise of Second-wave feminism coincided with that of the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and would have a critical impact on the creation of Las Adelitas de Aztlán. The organization's goal, alongside the promotion of Mexican-American civil rights, was to provide a safe space,