The Maria Garcia Papers (1968-1997) document the establishment of the Chicano Federation of San Diego County and Garcia's work in education. Of particular interest are early Chicano Federation records, including Federation newsletters and documents relating to the Federation's Leadership Training Program. In addition, the collection contains an extensive collection of Chicano newspapers and newsletters dating from 1968 to 1977, including La Verdad and La Voz del Pueblo. Filed alphabetically, the collection consists of correspondence, meeting minutes, conference papers, newsletters, and newspapers.  The majority of materials date from 1968 to 1980.

Born and raised in San Diego, Maria Garcia received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from San Diego State University in 1972. She also obtained a teaching certificate from Point Loma Nazarene College. Garcia initially worked as an elementary school teacher, but eventually became principal at Baker, Audabon, and Bandini Elementary Schools. While at Baker Elementary, Garcia implemented a successful mentor program for at-risk students, and helped to establish a language-arts magnet program with an emphasis on computers.

2.54 Linear Feet

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This collection is open for research.