Ricardo Cruz (1943 - 1993) was a Chicano rights attorney during the Chicano Movement era. He is most well-known for his advocacy on behalf of the Latino poor people of the Los Angeles area. Cruz was a law school student at the time he founded the controversial organization known as Catolicos por la Raza. Through this organization, he led demonstrations against the Catholic Church for its neglect of the Latino community. His collection takes up 13.2 linear feet and is housed in 18 boxes, containing correspondence files, legal documents, transcripts, photographs, news clippings and ephemera. The preponderance of the Ricardo Cruz Papers, 11 boxes, the Legal Files series, represent his legal cases as a Los Angeles attorney. In this series is found copious information that sheds light on the forced sterilization of Latinas in Los Angeles during that period, and other legal issues.

Ricardo Cruz was a Chicano rights attorney during the Chicano Movement era. He is most well-known for his advocacy on behalf of the Latino poor people of the Los Angeles area. Cruz was a law school student at the time he founded the controversial organization known as Catolicos por la Raza. Through this organization, he led demonstrations against the Catholic Church for its neglect of the Latino community. He is also know for his successful legal battle against Los Angeles County’s forced sterilization of undocumented workers, and for his successful defense of a young Latino wrongly convicted of murder.

13.2 linear feet (18 boxes)

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