[1] Deborah Mora Espinosa was born in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1951 to parents Gilbert Mora-Durán and Calletana Mora-Adargo.
The Mora family had three boys and four girls, and all received their high-school diplomas.
[3] Espinosa faced discrimination based on class and her Chicano heritage.
Because of their student newspaper, they joined many of the major events as journalists such as Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, the La Raza Unida Party in Texas, and the Crusade for Justice with Corky Gonzalez in Denver.
[3] Espinosa and other activists challenged CU's curriculum which excluded Chicano subjects, and protested discrimination.
[3] The Espinosas, David Martinez, and Pablo Mora started the Pueblo-based newspaper, La Cucaracha.
Under her guidance, the museum moved from an old airplane hangar to a historic location in downtown Pueblo.