CSULA To Archive East L.A.’s Chicano History

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CSULA To Archive East L.A.'s Chicano History
By EGP News Report

 

An archival program to document and preserve the rich history of Chicanos has been started in the heart of where it all took place, East Los Angeles, according to an announcement made Nov. 18.

California State University, Los Angeles has established the East Los Angeles Archive at the college's University Library, according to Librarian Alice Kawakami.

"The goal of the East Los Angeles Archive is to advance scholarship in Chicano/Latino studies and Los Angeles history through its varied collection of primary research materials," said Kawakami.

The collection includes documents and artifacts that show the social, political, and cultural history of the Chicano/Latino community in East L.A. and the United States.

Kawakami says the new archive will focus on materials documenting the Chicano/a Civil Rights Movement in the East Los Angeles region during the 1960s and 1970s. "Cal State L.A.'s proximity to and involvement with this community during this era makes it an ideal location to house this collection," said Kawakami in a written statement.

Dionne Espinoza, Ph.D. associate professor Chicano Studies and Liberal Studies at CSULA said the East LA Archive will provide an opportunity for students to learn about the rich history of East Los Angeles and about a social movement that galvanized the Latino presence in higher education.

"The ELA Archive makes it possible for our students to engage in a deep appreciation and understanding of Chicano history in East Los Angeles. They will also learn about archives, their preservation, and the importance of these documents in establishing a Chicana/o and Latina/o presence in higher education," said Espinoza, who is also the coordinator and advisor of the university's Programs in Women's and Gender Studies.

Long time community activist Gloria Arellanes made the first donation to the new archive an was recognized for contribution during a Nov. 18 reception. The former minister of finance and correspondence for the East Los Angeles chapter of the Brown Berets during the early 1960s, donated political flyers and broadsides, newspapers, books, buttons, posters and photographs dating from 1967 to the late 1970s.

Cal State L.A. Activist Gloria Arellanes, who served as minister of finance and correspondence of the East Los Angeles chapter of the Chicano Brown Berets in the early 1960s, was honored at the Nov. 18 reception. Arellanes is the first donor to the collection, she also served as administrator of El Barrio Free Clinic, a member of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, and she organized the women's group, Las Adelitas de Aztlan, among other activities. Pictured: CSULA's University Librarian Alice Kawakami with Gloria Arellanes, the first donor to the East Los Angeles Archive collection at Cal State L.A.

"It was never in my plan to donate my collection to Cal State L.A.," Gloria Arellanes said, noting that she had originally thought she would donate it to another university. However, one night while she was speaking at CSULA's Chicano Studies Professor Dionne Espinoza's class, she suddenly decided, "I'm going to give my collection to Cal State L.A."

"In my mind, (the collection) is in the community. It has to be here. This stuff sat in my house for over 40 years. I think it found a good home," said Arellanes, who also served as administrator of El Barrio Free Clinic, a member of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, and organized the women's group, Las Adelitas de Aztlan, among other civil rights' efforts. "I consider this a collection of reflections. It reflects my dedication to the "movimiento" and reflects the hundreds of thousands of people who wrote articles, made buttons, and took pictures."

Additional materials are being sought to be included in the archive, according to Kawakami.

Cal State L.A. A flyer from 1970, donated by Gloria Arrellanes to the East Los Angeles Archive.

For more information about how to donate items or funds to the East Los Angeles Archive, contact Librarian Romelia Salinas at (323) 343-2019, rsalina@calstatela.edu) or Renee James, special collections (323) 343-4435, rjames@calstatela.edu).

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