At twelve, Escalante ran away in search of her mother, eventually reuniting with her in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles.
She also advocated for new rights in relation to English Translation, Child Care and Job Training and implementing Affirmative Action.
She participated in the 1969 Catolicos Por Mi Raza at Saint Basils Church, Mid-Night Mass Demonstration along with her children and was arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
[1][3] In 1973, Encuentro Femenil published Escalante's essay entitled "A Letter from The Chicana Welfare Rights Organization".
[5] In that same year, she was depicted in a mural created by Ruben Reyna and Mario R Gonzales at the University of Houston, entitled The Chicano Mural, alongside other Chicano Movement leaders like Corky Gonzales, José Ángel Gutiérrez and Reyes Lopez Tijerina.