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Heidi Swarts Collection of PICO and PACT Materials
MS110
MS110
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Title: Heidi Swarts Collection of PICO and PACT Materials
Identifier/Call Number: MS110
Contributing Institution:
Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
2.25 linear feet
5 archival document boxes
Date (inclusive): 1989-2005
Abstract: The Heidi Swarts Collection spans the years 1989-2005 and contains letters, government documents, flyers, memos, and other
organizational records from the People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO) and the People Acting Together in Community
(PACT) organizations, acting, in this case, in the San Jose, California area.
Conditions Governing Access Note
Collection is open to research under the terms of use of the Department of Archives and Special Collections.
Materials in the Department of Archives and Special Collections may be subject to copyright. Unless explicitly stated otherwise,
Loyola Marymount University does not claim ownership of the copyright of any materials in its collections. The user or publisher
must secure permission to publish from the copyright owner. Loyola Marymount University does not assume any responsibility
for infringement of copyright or of publication rights held by the original author or artists or his/her heirs, assigns, or
executors.
[Identification of item], Series number, Box and Folder number, Heidi Swarts Collection of PICO and PACT Materials, MS110,
Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University.
Gift of Dr. Heidi Swarts. Accession Number 2013.27
Professor of Political Science at Rutgers-Newark, Dr. Heidi Swarts donated this collection consisting of materials that she
used for her research on community organizing.The Heidi Swarts Collection contains printed documents and copies of newspaper
articles that detail the activities of community organizing agencies People Acting in Community Together (PACT) and People
Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO). PICO started as the Pacific Institute for Community Orgainzing, but changed
its name once it became a national organization. PICO or PACT originally created the materials and then gave them to Dr. Swarts.
Within the collection one will find information on the various actions, meetings, and projects of these two organizaitons
that took place within the city of San Jose in the years 1989-2005.
History of People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO) and People Acting in Community Together (PACT)
Donated by Dr. Heidi Swarts who conducted research on community organizations, this collection details the actions of two
organizations in the San Jose area. PICO (Pacific Institute for Community Organization), of Oakland, California, is dedicated
to organizing local communities--usually low-income--for social action. Founded by Jerry Helfrich, S.J., and
John Baumann, S.J., PICO carries on the tradition of community organizing developed by Saul Alinsky, the person responsible in the United States
for this type of social activism. PICO started as the Pacific Institute for Community Organizing, but as PICO grew into a
National Network it changed its name to People Improving Communities through Organizing.
PACT was established in the San Jose area in 1985 under the direction of PICO. PACT is a faith-based community organization
that reaches out to communities through religious institutions in an effort to inflict positive social change. PACT began
to impacted siginificatly community life in the mid to late 90s, the reason most of this collection's documentationnon of
PACT's activities dates from this era.
This Series is arranged based on original order and content. The collection is arranged in the following series and subseries:
-Series 1: People Acting in Community Together
-Subseries 1: PACT Records
-Subseries 2: PACT Media
-Subseries 3: PACT Churches
-Series 2: People Improving Communities through Organizing
-Series 3: Other Research
-Series 1: People Acting in Community Together
-Subseries 1: PACT Records
-Subseries 2: PACT Media
-Subseries 3: PACT Churches
-Series 2: People Improving Communities through Organizing
-Series 3: Other Research
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Swarts, Heidi, Doctor
California -- Social conditions -- 20th century -- Sources
Community organization -- California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Community organization -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Education -- California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
PICO (Organization) -- Archives