The Latino Experience : (1970 - 1975)

1970

A.L.M.A.-Alianza Latina del Midoeste de America was founded. The group was formerly known as S.A.S.A.-Spanish American Student Association.

1971

I.U. junior Vernon A. Williams offered a call-to-action for tolerance in his IDS column. Adressing the observation that "all minorities have opression in common," Williams urged for a better understanding of the Spanish-American community.

1972

Santiago Garcia, senior president of the Spanish-American Students Association was in the midst of an effort to secure better minority representation on campus. Joining with fellow I.U. student Dolly Manns, Garcia pressured the administration for a newly structured Office of Minority Affairs.

1973

January Panamanian Horacio Lewis was hired by I.U. to serve as the first Director of Latino Affairs and as an Assistant Dean in the University Division. The Office of Latino Affairs at Indiana University-Bloomington was created to help serve the academic, social, and cultural needs of Latino students. This office provides a mix of programming which contributes toward academic excellence and cultural pride. March The Latinoestadounidense Studies Advisory Committee was established. A precursor to the Latinos Studies Program, this group consisted of student representatives, faculty, and staff at Indiana University. Summer At a summer assembly at the IMU, Horacio Lewis announced the donation of a house at 410 South Park Avenue to serve as the first Latino Cultural Center. September 8 A parade and festival celebration of the upcoming Mexican Independence Day was more rainy than the student organizers would have liked. Despite the abbreviated parade, there were opportunities to exchange cultural understanding. In the dryness of the Wildermuth Intramural Center, participants were treated to a performance by a mariachi band, as well as a Latino rock band from Gary, Indiana: Free Verse. September 18 The Latino Cultural Center, La Casa, hosted lecturer Julian Nava. Recently opened, La Casa welcomed Nava's opinions and guidance for creating and maintaining beneficial multicultural studies at the university. October Jorge Wehby, a Cuban immigrant and doctoral student of Latin American History at I.U., was chosen by Horacio Lewis to serve as coordinator of La Casa and assistant to the director of Latino Affairs. Wehby completed a B.A. at I.U. Fort Wayne, and earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Bloomington.

December

Early in the month, Latino Sociology professor Samuel Betances visited I.U. to give a lecture in Myers Hall. Originally born in Harlem, Betances grew-up in Puerto Rico before returning to the United States. He then taught at Northeastern Illinois State University. His speech focused on the need to increase educational opportunities for Latinos at institutions of higher learning.

December 12

The college of the Arts and Sciences Policy Committee recommended a special study committee to consider how to implement new Latino-based courses being recommended by Horacio Lewis. The administrative delays in formalizing the changes were concerning to Lewis since he first began developing the new curriculum in January.

The Latino Law Student Association was organized and launched. They concentrated their first recruitment efforts for more Latino law students.

Chicano-Riqueño Studies established; the first director was Luis Dávila, Ph.D

1974

January
Funded largely with federal grants from the department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Latin American Studies Library had accumulated over 3,000 books about Latino culture. The collection consisted mainly of education and sociology works.

January 31
The touring version of the National Ballet of Mexico, Fiesta Folklorico, visited the IMU auditorium for an evening performance.

February 1
A group from the United Farm Workers support committee picketed at Eisner food store to protest the exploitation of migrant farm workers for the production of certain produce products.

February 11
Opposing what they felt was a discriminatory restaurant sign at Pancho's Villa, 1600 North Walnut, a group of Latino students sought a working relationship with owner Dan Pavelich to address the problem. Led by graduate student Carolyn Hulsing, the students hoped to convince Pavelich to change the sign and other advertising practices.

February 16
A referendum on the I.U. Student Association (I.U.S.A.) election ballot offered students a chance to send a message to the administration concerning the plight of migrant farm workers. The United Farm Workers (U.F.W.) had been raising awareness on campus about the origin of specific agricultural products consumed by I.U.: head-lettuce and grapes. Many colleges and universities across the country had already agreed to boycott non-U.F.W. versions of such produce, while I.U. still purchased from these sources. The official opinion of the IDS, as represented by the Daily Student opinion board, supported the boycott and urged students to vote likewise.

April 20
A support rally for the U.F.W. was held at Dunn Meadow. Union representatives Ray Olivas and Marcos Munios addressed the progress of boycott efforts around the region, as well as many of the underlying reasons for the boycotts. The rally began with a fundraising auction of U.F.W.-picked produce.

August 12-16
A week-long awareness program about the state of Latinos, organized by Horacio Lewis, was conducted on campus. The three lectures were presented at the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology and included talks by a variety of scholars. Dr. Anthony G. Lozano of the University of Colorado addressed concerns of Chicanos in institutions of higher education. I.U. doctoral student Carmen C. Berrios gave a presentation about the cultural legacy of Puerto Rico. The last lecture of the series was given by Dr. Juan Orrego-Salas of the I.U. Latin American Music Center on the history of music in Latin America.

October
The first edition of LATCA (Latino Affairs La Casa) was published by the Office of Latino Affairs and Editor Henry Sánchez for the university community. The publication was intended to represent a voice for Latino culture and ideology that was rarely portrayed in traditional media outlets; the content included poems, articles, and stories. By February of 1976, the magazine/newsletter had a circulation of 1,000 copies that reached as far away as Puerto Rico and Mexico.

The first edition of the student newsletter HOLA was circulated. The first editor was Teresa Puente, and the newsletter was supported by the Office of Latino Affairs. The newsletter was published until 1988 when it was replaced by La Voz.

1975

November 20
Instructor Ray Leal directed a performance by Teatro Libre at the Monroe County Library. The unorthodox, non-scripted skits addressed topical Latino themes, and formed a requirement for a class taught by Leal: Chicano Teatro and Social Awareness. The course was part of the Chicano-Riqueño Studies curriculum.