Description
Irene Ramos
Chandler was an activist, a mother, and the wife of Bill Chandler, who was also an activist.
She heavily participated in the United Farm Workers (UFW) and the United Farm Workers
Organizing Committee (UFWOC), the precursor to UFW, during the 1960s and 1970s in California
and Texas through such activities as organizing, attending picket lines, assisting with
office work, and recruiting the
farmworker community to advocate for their rights. This
small collection dates from 1966 to 1978 and includes items created by or for the UFW,
UFWOC, and other unions. It consists of publications, donation logs, memorabilia, and
clothing.
Background
Irene Ramos Chandler was born in 1943 in a small clinic in El Monte, California, near the
migrant camp known as Hicks Camp. Her parents were Francisco and Josefina Ramos, both
migrant workers at the time who followed the harvests up and down the West Coast. Francisco
Ramos was born in 1912 in Nogales, Arizona, and Josefina Campos was born in El Monte in
1915, in the same clinic Chandler was born. Chandler's grandfather, Josef Campos, fought
with the Zapata during the Mexican Revolution. He sent his family (including Josefina) to
the United States to keep them safe during the conflict. After the conflict, he joined them
in United States and they settled as migrant workers in Los Angeles County, where Francisco
was located. Chandler was the fourth of seven children: Herlinda, Gloria, Francisco Jr.
(known as Veve), Irene, Henry, Richard and Gilbert. Herlinda died from pneumonia when Irene
was young.
Restrictions
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Availability
This collection is open for research use.