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Casares (Arturo) Papers
MS-0440  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Scope and Contents
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Source of Acquisition
  • Related Materials
  • Preferred Citation
  • Other Descriptive Information
  • Biographical Note

  • Contributing Institution: Special Collections & University Archives
    Title: Arturo Casares Papers
    Creator: Casares, Arturo
    Identifier/Call Number: MS-0440
    Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet
    Date (inclusive): 1968-2008
    Date (bulk): 1968-1975
    Date: Date acquired: 06/05/2008
    Language of Material: English , Spanish; Castilian .

    Scope and Contents

    The Arturo Casares Papers (1968-2008) document the establishment of the Barrio Station in San Diego 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.  Filed alphabetically, the collection consists of correspondence, course papers, newsletters, and photographs.  The majority of materials date from 1968 to 1975.

    Conditions Governing Access

    This collection is open for research.

    Conditions Governing Use

    The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

    Source of Acquisition

    Arturo Casares

    Related Materials

    Chicano Federation of San Diego County Records, 1968-1980
    Carmen Sandoval Fernandez Poster Collection, 1974-1983
    Maria Garcia Papers, 1968-1997
    Citizens United for Racial Equality Records, 1968-1976
    Rene Nuñez Memorial Collection, 1968-2008

    Preferred Citation

    Identification of item, folder title, box number, Arturo Casares Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.

    Other Descriptive Information

    This collection was processed as part of the Chicano Studies Archives Project, made possible by a grant from the President's Leadership Fund.

    Biographical Note

    Born in 1943, Arturo Casares grew up in Del Rio, Texas, where he attended a segregated school. Casares moved to Long Beach, CA in 1960. He finished high school and married at the age of 19. He then attended Long Beach City College.  He received an Associate's degree in Liberal Studies and transferred to San Diego State College in 1968. At SDSC, Casares majored in Spanish and minored in History. Later, Casares received a Master's from the University of New Mexico in Counseling.
    In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Casares became active in the Mexican American Youth Association (MAYA), an activist Chicano group, and later in the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). In addition, Casares worked as a teacher's aide at Logan Elementary school and San Diego High School. Working at these schools once again exposed Casares to gang activities and the limited scholastic resources associated with impoverished neighborhoods. As a result, he founded Barrio Station, an outreach center for low-income Mexican-American families, which still exists today. The Station offers tutoring, recreational activities, and services for at-risk youth.
    In addition, Casares began attending student conferences to discuss the implementation of El Plan de Santa Barabara, which sought to establish Chicano and Mexican-American studies programs at the university level. He also became active in the free speech and Chicano movements, supporting Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers (UFW) strikes and protests.  He was also Vice Chairman of the Chicano Federation. In April of 1971, Casares and two other men, David Llamas Jose Benavides, were arrested at the first anniversary celebration of Chicano Park for obstructing a police officer. The event became known as the "Chicano Park Incident."
    Today, Casares continues his community work.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Photographs
    Personal Papers
    Chicano movement--California
    San Diego State University. Chicana and Chicano Studies
    Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan de U.C.S.B.
    United Farm Workers of America