The historical materials include photos, campaign buttons and reports documenting more than 20 years of work to promote non-violence on LA.’s Eastside
InnerCity Struggle, a nonprofit organization that has worked for more than two decades to promote healthy and non-violent communities on Los Angeles’ Eastside, has donated its archival collection to Cal State L.A.
The historical materials include newsletters, photographs, petitions, flyers, reports, posters, campaign buttons and T-shirts. The InnerCity Struggle collection will be added to the East Los Angeles Archive, which is housed in the University’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Library.
“Cal State L.A. is an anchor of higher learning for the Eastside with deep community connections,” said Maria Brenes, executive director of InnerCity Struggle. “It is an honor for InnerCity Struggle to hand over the organization’s materials and documents to the University to be housed as historical records.”
Chicano Studies Librarian Romelia Salinas and University Archivist Azalea Camacho helped bring the collection to the Cal State L.A. campus.
“The InnerCity Struggle donation is an exciting and important addition to our East L.A. Archive, which supports the University’s commitment to civic and community engagement and learning,” Salinas said.
Established in 1994, InnerCity Struggle has promoted healthy and non-violent communities by organizing youth and families to build power and influence in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Lincoln Heights neighborhoods, as well as unincorporated East Los Angeles.
During its early years, the organization launched projects such as the Roosevelt High School Peace Club, Project Lean and Mujeres Unidas, or Women United. These projects focused on working with youth and mothers to reduce violence and promote healthy lifestyles.
In 1998, The Violence Prevention Coalition awarded InnerCity Struggle with the Angel of Peace Award for its gang prevention and peace-building work in Boyle Heights.
The East L.A. Archive collects, preserves, displays and disseminates documents, artifacts and other materials related to the social and political life of the East Los Angeles region. The region and its residents have played a leading role in the social, political and cultural history of the Chicano and Latino community in the United States.
The archive currently features The Carlos Montes Papers, The Gloria Arellanes Papers, The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU) collection, the “Mexican-American Baseball in Los Angeles” Exhibit Collection, the Jose R. Figueroa Collection, and the Claudia Baltazar Poster Collection.
For additional information about the archive, including how to donate collections or funding, contact Camacho at (323) 343-3997.
Photo: Some of the historical materials donated to the East Los Angeles Archive. (Credit: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State L.A.)
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