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Elaine Lewinnek

A headshot of writer Elaine Lewinnek. They have short, curly light brown hair. They're wearing a patterned green and blue top and they're standing in front of an orange tree.

Elaine Lewinnek is professor of American Studies and chair of the Environmental Studies program at California State University, Fullerton. She has a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University and is the author of The Working Man’s Reward: Chicago’s Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl.

A headshot of writer Elaine Lewinnek. They have short, curly light brown hair. They're wearing a patterned green and blue top and they're standing in front of an orange tree.
A black and white photo of police officers in riot gear standing side-by-side holding batons in front of the Disneyland castle. Another police officer in the foreground is holding a bullhorn.
The Yippie Invasion of Disneyland and Other Acts of Activism in the Happiest Place on Earth
Activists have questioned issues of working conditions, cultural representations, freedom of expression, and wider politics at Disneyland.
A commercial street corner at a major intersection. Cars wait at the light. The commercial plaza has a sign that reads, "Diamond Plaza."
Vietnamese American Teens Resisted Racial Profiling at Cafe Chu Lun
Neither model minority nor gangster: Asian American youth resist racial profiling by the police in the 1990s.
A black and white photo of two protestors walking away from camera. They are both holding picket signs and are walking towards a larger crowd of protestors off in the distance. The woman's picket sign reads, "No more lies, no more lives, no more nukes."
San Onofre: The Epic Journey to Close a Nuclear Plant
Four decades of activism led to shutting down this nuclear plant in 2013.
A woman in traditional Juaneno Acjachemen regalia stands in front of a crowd of people seated and gathered around her. She is holding a microphone and is speaking to a crowd, out of frame. The people seated behind her have their arms stretched out towards her and look happy.
New Orange County Park Space is a Gathering Space for Indigenous Americans
After years of activism, this central village of Orange County's Indigenous people recently opened as a park space for the Acjachemen people.
A black and white photo of thirteen plain-clothed, half of them sitting and the other half standing behind them. They're surrounded by deputies. A man on the far left is holding a large gun as he looks over at the thirteen young men, mostly men of color. Behind the group is another deputy holding a bat or baton.
How Farmworkers Fought for Their Rights in OC's Last Orange Groves
Pressel Orchard, one of the few remaining citrus groves in Orange County, was also the starting point for a long-forgotten but influential orange-picker strike.
A housing complex featuring a beige and cream exterior color palette. In the foreground, a sign reads, "Verano Place Parking Lot 23."
UC Irvine Student Housing Fight Makes Inroads in LGBTQ Rights
Sit-ins, demonstrations and shantytowns were all activist strategies for gay and lesbian rights on a university campus in supposedly conservative Orange County.
A wooden sign mounted on cobble-stone reads, "Woman's Civic Club of Garden Grove." Below that, "9501 Chapman Avenue." Off in the near distance is a parking lot and a one-story bungalow-style building.
The OC Community Center That Launched a National Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
A small community center became the unlikely launching pad for multiple extremist movements that profoundly changed American politics.
Two women dressed in traditional garbs for Indigenous Americans dancing in ritual.
Republicans and the Resistance: Orange County's Surprising Political Contradictions
While Orange County is famed for its conservative activists, it is also home to civil rights activists, environmentalists, labor activists, LGBTQ activists and many more whose victories may surprise you.
A black and white photo of a woman being pinned with an honorable pin. In front of her are various microphones. Behind her are her family members.
Who Were the Masudas? This O.C. Middle School Hides a Legacy of Japanese American Resistance
A public middle school in Orange County celebrates the military heroism of Kazuo Masuda, without also publicizing the anti-discrimination battles his family won.
Worn and slightly dilapidated beach cottages along a beach, some mounted on a hill that overlooks the ocean, not in frame. The setting sun casts an orange-y golden hue over all the houses.
Crystal Cove: When Coastal Housing in Orange County Was Affordable
Who should have the right to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in Orange County? Early residents of Crystal Cove fought for public access to the coast.
A sign that reads, "Huntington Continental" made out of stone tile and brick stands in front of a dark blue wood paneled building. Palm trees and a manicured lawn and landscape surround the sign and building.
Giving Up Your Rights to Live in a Planned Community? Yes, It Started in Orange County
A new privatized form of residential government was developed here and now affects half the housing for sale in Orange County.
A foreground of produce with a background of buildings
When Disney Wanted to Build a Parking Lot on Their Berry Farm, the Fujishiges Said No
After displacements due to racist land laws and Japanese incarceration, the Fujishige family held on to their strawberry farm for years despite Disney's offer to buy it for $90 million.
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