Ladies LULAC Council #308 Holiday Dance flyer, Des Moines, Iowa, 1959. 

Muscatine Migrant Committee sign, 1960s.

Migrant Action Program Annual Report, Mason City, Iowa, 1967.

La Casa Latina (Sioux City, Iowa). Records. 1989 -2007. 5 linear inches. La Casa Latina was a non-profit community-based organization in Sioux City, Iowa that helped recently arrived Spanish speaking immigrants and their families. Their motto “Mi casa es su casa” echoed their mission to “empower Latino people to become participating members of the Siouxland community.” Some of their services offered included translation and interpretation services, English classes, a family development program, a children’s library, emergency assistance, and advocacy. The papers are comprised of administrative records, United Way applications, pamphlets, and additional information regarding their services. In 2007 La Casa Latina joined the Mary J. Treglia Community House in Sioux City.

LULAC Council #10. Records. 1932-2019. 12.45 linear feet. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was founded in Texas in 1929 to advance and advocate for the betterment of Latin American immigrants and descendants of Latin Americans living in the U.S. LULAC Council #10 was established in Davenport, Iowa in 1959. It was the fifth LULAC Council to be established in Iowa. LULAC Council #10 members engage in different social and political activities including annual fiestas, fundraising for scholarships, education programs, and social and political activism. The records include administrative records, newspaper clippings, newsletters, photographs, and ephemera. Box 4 includes information regarding the rallies and boycotts organized by the Quad City Grape Boycott Committee in support of the California table grape boycotts in the late 1960s.

LULAC Councils #306 and #308 (Des Moines, Iowa). Records. 1957-2011. 2.5 linear inches. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Councils #306 for men, and #308 for women were established in 1957 in Des Moines, Iowa. Both councils developed out of the Latin American Club, a local social and cultural club established around 1955 in Des Moines. In 1965, the women’s Council #308 merged with Council #306. The LULAC and Latin American Club newsletters contain records of social, cultural, and political events, local announcements about members and the community, and their development as a LULAC charter.

Migrant Action Program (Mason City, Iowa). The Shirley Sandage papers hold documents on the Migrant Action Program (MAP) in Mason City, Iowa and the Migrant Research Project, a national study on the demographics, social and economic conditions of migrant farm workers. Sandage started and directed the Migrant Action Program (MAP) in the late 1960s. It provided daycare, summer school, vocational training, adult education, job placement, health services, and other social services to migrant families. The papers include annual reports, newspaper clippings, and a scrapbook (box 17). See also Irene and Jose Guzman papers.

Muscatine Migrant Committee. Records. 1962-2005. 5 linear feet. The Muscatine Migrant Committee (MMC) was established in 1958 to assist agricultural laborers and their families who worked in Muscatine, Iowa, and surrounding areas. It started as a migrant ministry, part of the Iowa Council of Churches in 1957. In 1970, Juan Cadena became the first Latino to head the MMC. He also served as a commissioner of the Spanish Speaking Peoples Commission, now known as the Office of Latino Affairs, which was established in 1976. The Muscatine Migrant Committee services included a daycare center, educational programs for children, a Spanish radio service, and free health and dental clinics. Sister Irene Muñoz and Sister Molly Muñoz were nurses, religious sisters, and activists that were instrumental in the implementation of health services. The records include administrative documents, annual reports, newsletters from state and national organizations, slides, and artifacts.