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InnerCity Struggle Collection
MS.2015.002
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives
Title: InnerCity Struggle Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS.2015.002
Identifier/Call Number: /repositories/2/resources/28
Physical Description:
11.71 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1985-2017
Abstract: InnerCity Struggle (ICS) works with youth and community residents to promote safe, healthy and non-violent communities in
the Eastside of Los Angeles. ICS began as a project of Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission and launched as its own independent
community organization in 1994. The founding Executive Director María Teixeira, led the organization forward based on a vision
of building and promoting a safe, healthy and non-violent community in Boyle Heights by organizing and mobilizing community
members to achieve that mission. As co-founder of InnerCity Struggle, Luis Sánchez launched the youth organizing component
United Students and the parent organizing component Familias Unidas.
Language of Material: English .
The InnerCity Struggle Collection is the physical property of California State
University, Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, Special Collections and
Archives.
Folder title, Series, Box number, Collection tile, followed by Special
Collections and Archives, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, California State
University, Los Angeles
The collection is organized into eight series: I. InnerCity Struggle (ICS)
Organization-wide; II. United Students; III. Youth Organizing Committee (YOC); IV.
Youth Programming; V. Justice Campaigns; VI. Publications and Newspapers; VII.
Oversized Materials; VIII. Ephemera. Series I. InnerCity Struggle (ICS), Organizationwide
is organized into four subseries: a. Subject/Topical Files; b. Publications; c.
Notebooks; d. Audiovisual and Photographic Materials. Series II. United Students is
organized into seven subseries: a. Organizational Materials; b. United Students at
Garfield High School; c. United Students at Roosevelt High School; d. United Students
at Wilson High School; e. United Families "Familias Unidas"; f. United Students Jr.; and
g. United Students, Educational Justice Week. Series III. Youth Organizing Committee
(YOC) is organized into four subseries: a. Subject/Topical Files; b. Organizational
Materials; c. Proposition 21 and "Schools Not Jails" Campaign; and d. YOC Media
Activism Camp. Series IV. Youth Programming is organized into two subseries: a. The
Learning Academy; and b. The Photo Project. Series V. Justice Campaigns is organized
into three subseries: a. Educational Justice, A-G; b. Educational Justice, New Schools;
and c. Food Justice and Wellness. Series VI. Publications and Newspapers is organized
into three subseries: a. Publications; b. Newspapers; and c. Newspaper Clipping
Scrapbooks and Portfolios. Series VII: Oversized Materials is organized into three
subseries: a. Posters; b. Oversized Misc; Booklet; and c. Signs. Series VIII. Ephemera
is organized into five subseries: a. T-shirts; b. Banners; c. Buttons; d. Sashes; and e.
Misc. Ephemera
InnerCity Struggle (ICS) works with youth and community residents to promote safe,
healthy and non-violent communities in the Eastside of Los Angeles. ICS began as a
project of Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission and launched as its own independent
community organization in 1994. The founding Executive Director María Teixeira, led
the organization forward based on a vision of building and promoting a safe, healthy
and non-violent community in Boyle Heights by organizing and mobilizing community
members to achieve that mission. As co-founder of InnerCity Struggle, Luis Sánchez
launched the youth organizing component United Students and the parent organizing
component Familias Unidas.
The conditions and needs that InnerCity Struggle worked to address included high
unemployment and poverty rates and high levels of gang violence in the community.
ICS organizes youth and families in Boyle Heights, unincorporated East Los Angeles, El
Sereno and Lincoln Heights to work together for social and educational justice and
provides positive after-school programs for students to become involved in supporting
their schools to succeed.
InnerCity Struggle works with high school students through United Students campus
clubs at Roosevelt, Garfield, Esteban Torres, Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning
Center, Wilson and Lincoln high schools. These clubs demand equitable opportunities
and educational justice to ensure that all students graduate and attend college.
InnerCity Struggle also engages thousands of Eastside voters during critical election
cycles to ensure they have all the information to make educated decisions at the ballot
box. ICS has registered thousands of new voters and trained community residents to
engage in Get-Out-The-Vote efforts.
ICS staff and youth participants recognize the importance of youth programs in Boyle
Heights that link quality of life, violence prevention and higher education.
Since 1994, ICS has organized thousands of parents and students to demand
education reform to improve life opportunities of the youth from East Los Angeles.
The materials in the InnerCity Struggle Collection (ICS) were created in1987-2017. The
bulk of this collection contains newspaper articles that include narrative surrounding
InnerCity Struggle, higher education, youth movements, and the greater Los Angeles.
Publications in form of journals, newsletters, programs also serve as a bulk of the
collection. Journals and newsletters are not necessarily published by InnerCity Struggle
instead there are resources that InnerCity Struggle used in their personal library.
Other materials include youth programming materials, student writings, photographs,
newspaper clippings and graduation sashes. The collection also includes ephemera
related to its youth activist component with items such as posters, buttons, t-shirt and a
commemorative ICS anniversary lock. Materials represented in this collection are the
first accession of the collection.
The collection was donated by the InnerCity Struggle organization in two accessions in
2015 and 2016.
Series I. InnerCity Struggle (ICS), Organization-wide
Inclusive Dates: 1994-2017, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This large subseries begins in 2001 and ends in 2016. It is comprised of four subseries:
a. Subject/Topical Files, 2001-2016; b. Publications, 1999-2017; c. Notebooks 2000-
2006; d. Audio Visual and Photographic materials 1994-2008. The series is composed
of agendas, notebooks, e-mails, photographs, newsletters, programs, etc. The
documents also consist of icebreakers by participants from InnerCity Struggle. For
example, there is a folder that contains a "Brick of Justice/Brick of Justicia" sheet. These
sheets were used so that participants could write down any aspirations and goals.
There is a folder in honor of deceased Gabriela Amanda Pérez, in it is her work badge
from InnerCity Struggle as well as some honorable mentions. Two of the notebooks in
this file belonged to Luis Sánchez. However, all notebooks in this subseries contain
weekly notes on meetings and to-do lists. Subseries d. contains negatives and
photographs that often coincided with each other.
Series II. United Students
Inclusive Dates: 1985-2017, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This is one of the largest series for an InnerCity Struggle collection. This series is
comprised of seven subseries: a. Organizational Materials, 1985-2016; b. United
Students at Garfield High School, 2002-2010; c. United Students at Roosevelt High
School, 1999 -2014; d. United Students at Wilson High School, 2005-2009; e. United
Families "Familias Unidas", 2008-2017; f. United Students, Jr., 2004-2010; and g.
United Students, Educational Justice Week, 2002-2006.Topics in this series include;
organizational materials, United Students at Wilson and Lincoln High, "Familias Unidas"
etc. Folders of interest include; surveys conducted in Los Angeles High Schools for
"student needs," campaigns driven as a result of "student needs," parental involvement
through retreats and professional development.
Series III. Youth Organizing Committee (YOC)
Inclusive Dates: 1994-2002, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This series is comprised of four subseries: a. Subject/Topical Files, 1994-2002; b.
Organizational Materials, 2017; c. Proposition 21 and "Schools not Jails" Campaign,
1996-2015; and d. YOC Media Activism Camp, 1997-2016. This sereis details the
beginnings of InnerCity Struggle's Youth Organizing Committee through Southern
California Organizing Committees. This series also details their involvement in
campaigns such as "Schools Not Jails" and Proposition 21. YOC'S Media Activism
Camp folders contain camp schedules, notes, workshops, trainings, and more.
Series IV. Youth Programming
Inclusive Dates: 1997-2003, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
The series includes of two subseries: a. The Learning Academy, 2001-2003 and b. The
Photo Project, 1997-2002. Both the Learning Academy and the Photo Project were part
of Youth Programming efforts stemming from InnerCity Struggle. The subseries on the
Learning Academy contains certificates of students, rosters, and student curriculum.
The subseries on The Photo Project includes student made booklets such as "Reality
Check" and "Still We Rise."
Series V. Justice Campaigns
Inclusive Dates: 2001-2016, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This series is comprised of three subseries: a. Educational Food Justice, A-G, 206-
2015; b. Educational Justice, New Schools, 2001-2016; and Food Justice/Wellness,
2001-2016. There are two Educational Justice subseries one deals with the A-G
campaign and the other with New Schools. The A-G subseries consist of meeting notes
from 2006 and 2007, chant lists for protest/marches, and promotional material. The
Educational Justice subseries contains action plans for new schools in East Los
Angeles, pilot samples, and documents on a meeting held in 2002 with the Los Angeles
Unified School District on building new schools. The last subseries focuses on Food
Justice and Wellness. Graphics in this subseries include a "Beet the System" sticker.
Documents range from surveys and investigations on Food Justice in Los Angeles High
Schools such as Lincoln.
Series VI. Publications and Newspapers
Inclusive Dates: 1994-2016, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This series is comprised of three subseries: a. Publications, 2000-2013; b. Newspapers;
and c. Newspaper Clipping Scrapbooks and Portfolios, 1998-2014. Publications in this
series are not produced by InnerCity struggle, rather these are publications by other
institutions or organizations that were used by InnerCity Struggle. Some of these
In this series "Newspapers" refers to complete/full-length newspapers and newspaper
clippings. All newspapers have been compiled by InnerCity Struggle over the years.
Newspapers that have been clipped are in scrapbooks and portfolios. In total there are
five scrapbooks and portfolios. All material discusses InnerCity Struggle, higher
education in Los Angeles, and student led movements. Some of the newspaper
publishers include La Opinion, LA Weekly, Northeast Sun, and newspapers from local
Los Angeles High Schools such as The Garfield Log by Garfield High School students.
Series VII. Oversized Materials
Inclusive Dates: 1998-2016, u.d.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This series is comprised of three subseries: a. Posters, 2002-2016; b. Oversized Misc.
Booklet, 2004; and c. Sgins, 1998-2014. Oversized material comprise of posters and
signs. All of the oversized material has been stored in map cases. Posters range from
enlarged duplicates of students campaigning for A-G Now!, commemoration silk screen
posters for InnerCity Struggle, and posters that support Proposition 30. Signs in this
series include enlarged reprints of articles such as; LA Weekly's article on "Why Los
Angeles Schoolkids Get Lousy Meals," a pledge to be signed by LAUSD's
superintendent, and check to InnerCity Struggle from Women Helping Youth.
Series VIII. Ephemera
Inclusive Dates: 2000-2015
Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder Chronological
This series is comprised of five subseries: a. T-shirts, 200-2014; b. Banners, 200-2015;
c. Buttons, 2009; d. Sashes, 2009-2011; and e. Misc. Ephemera, 2014. Ephemera
includes; t-shirts, banners, buttons, graduation sashes, and misc. ephemera. T-shirts
include those that promote the A-G campaign such as "Keep the Promise, A-G is my
Civil Right!" and "Let me Choose my Future, A-G Now!" Other shirts include; "Demand
Ethnic Studies," "I Love Wellness," and "Zapatista." Buttons predominantly promote
InnerCity Struggle's United Students with quotes such as "Education is a Human Right"
and "We Demand New Schools Now." Other buttons serve in opposition of Proposition
21 and for Denim Day in Los Angeles. Misc. ephemera includes a tote bag, lock, and
the United Students "Power to the Students Bucket" which served as a musical
instrument during marches and protest, it comes with a set of drumsticks.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California--East Los Angeles
Newspapers
Brochures
Boyle Heights (Los Angeles, Calif.)