Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Margaret Cruz papers
- Dates:
- 1947-2007, bulk 1960s-2004
- Creators:
- Cruz, Margaret and McAuliffe, Debra Lee
- Abstract:
- Margaret Cruz was active professionally with the Mexican American Political Association and the Margaret Cruz Latina Breast Cancer Foundation (MCLBCF). She was a lawyer, businesswoman, political activist and educator. She served on numerous boards of civic organizations, particularly in San Francisco's mission district.
- Extent:
- 37 Linear Feet (57 manuscript boxes, 9 cartons, 4 flat boxes)
- Language:
- English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of papers related to Margaret Cruz's political and social work with the Mexican and Latin American communities, especially in San Francisco, California. This includes correspondence, meeting minutes, publications and publicity, resumes, ephemera, datebooks, notes, and awards. She was instrumental in organizations such as the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) and the Chicana Caucus, and the Margaret Cruz Breast Cancer Foundation (MCLBCF).
Most of the administrative files for the Margaret Cruz Latina Breast Cancer Foundation (MCLBCF) are here, including meeting agendas and minutes, personnel files, fundraising events and grant papers, financial reports, programming files, dissolution proceedings.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Born in Nogales, Arizona in 1920, Margaret Cruz (nee Herrera) had her birth registered in Sonora, Mexico, and was naturalized as a United States citizen when she turned 21. She was very active with the Latin American and Mexican American communities in San Francisco, especially the Mission District. She co-founded MAPA (Mexican American Political Association) in 1960 and became its first female president in 1973, and was involved in many related organizations throughout her life, such as LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), the NWPC (National Women's Political Caucus) and the Chicana Caucus. When Cruz was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994, she founded the Latina Breast Cancer Foundation to work on improving education and understanding of breast cancer for Latinas.
She attended Lux-Wilmerding Junior College in San Francisco. Later in life, she got a scholarship to Lincoln Law School and graduated when she was 62, after which she opened up a consulting firm for immigration with She died at the age of 86 in 2007 from complications of breast cancer. Her husband, Frank Cruz, who she married in 1950, predeceased her in 2005.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Debra Lee McAuliffe, 2007.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-06-06 07:39:58 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research. Materials must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.
- Terms of access:
-
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022