Special Collections is delighted to end the Spring Semester with over twenty newly processed collections! We'll be featuring them in groups here on New and Notable for the next few weeks.First in the spotlight are a set of collections processed as part of the Chicano Studies Archives Project, made possible by a grant this year from the President's Leadership Fund. Future collections to be processed as part of this grant include the papers of Enriqueta Chavez, the Mexican-American Women's National Association, Leonard Fierro, the Chicano Studies Department at SDSU. All of these important collections will add significantly to Special Collections' holdings documenting Chicano/a heritage in San Diego County, and will help tell the captivating story of local leaders in the Chicano Movement.
Chicano Federation of San Diego County Records, 1968-1980 (MS-0085)
The Chicano Federation of San Diego County Records (1968-1990) document the activities of the Chicano Federation during the 1970s. Highlights include meeting minutes dealing with the Federation's involvement with Chicano Park and the Federation's expansion of services, particularly in affordable housing. The collection primarily consists of meeting minutes, which discuss Federation policies, services, reports, social conditions, education, health, and politics; however articles of incorporation and by-laws are included in the collection as well.
Rene Nuñez Memorial Collection, 1968-2008 (MS-0434) The son of immigrants, Rene Nuñez was born in 1936 and raised in San Diego. In 1969, Nuñez became Director of the Centro de Estudios Chicanos at SDSU. He formally joined the faculty in 1971, and helped to develop the curriculum for the Chicana and Chicano Studies department. The Rene Nuñez Memorial Collection, assembled after Nuñez's death, documents his work in promoting educational equity and parent involvement, and his help in founding the Chicano Studies Department at SDSU.
Arturo Casares Papers, 1968-2008 (MS-0440) Born in 1943, Arturo Casares grew up in Del Rio, Texas, where he attended a segregated school. Casares moved to California in 1960, transferring to San Diego State College in 1968, where he majored in Spanish and minored in History. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Casares became active in the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO), an activist Chicano group, and later in the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). The collection documents the establishment of Barrio Station and Casares' involvement in the Chicano Movement. Highlights include photographs of the UFW grape strike and the Chicano Moratorium, Casares' English class journal with entries discussing the formation of a Mexican-American Studies program at San Diego State College, old Barrio Station Newsletters, and documents regarding the Chicano Park Incident in which police arrested Casares.
Maria Garcia Papers, 1968-1997 (MS-0441) Born and raised in San Diego, Maria Garcia received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from San Diego State University. During the 1970s, Garcia actively lobbied for bilingual educational programs, attending many conferences focused on bilingual education and Mexican-American education. In addition, Garcia was an active member of the Chicano Federation of San Diego County. The collection documents the establishment of the Chicano Federation of San Diego County and Garcia's work in education. Highlights include early Chicano Federation records, including Federation newsletters and documents relating to the Federation's Leadership Training Program. In addition, the collection contains an extensive collection of Chicano newspapers and newsletters dating from 1968 to 1977, including "La Verdad" and "La Voz del Pueblo."
The Carmen Sandoval Fernandez Poster Collection has also been processed and digitized as part of this grant.
(Above image is from the Arturo Cesares Papers and was taken at Camp Oliver in December 1969. Camp Oliver is a youth camp near San Diego that was the site of important Chicano activist events in 1969.)
