In 1968 she participated in the Salvador Castro's East Los Angeles Walkouts. She was arrested. In 1969 she participated in Ricardo Cruz's Catolicos por la Raza's demonstration. Escalante’s activism and involvement in the Chicano Movement made her friends with other activists: Gloria Arellanes and poet Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzalez. She taught Spanish and Welfare rights at Gonzalez’s Escuela Tlatelolco. She also created a bilingual Spanish and English newspaper, La Causa De Los Pobres. The newspaper helped Spanish speakers understand the government and Welfare rights. She wrote for several other newspapers to try to enable people to create change. Escalante wrote a lot of speeches, articles, and letters. She also protested police hurting people, the Vietnam War, and world hunger. Escalante also participated in the Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington. 