Casa de la Raza records, 1970-2020

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Title:
Casa de la Raza records
Dates:
1970-2020
Creators:
Armbruster-Sandoval, Ralph, 1968-, Gonzalez, Michael, and Casa de la Raza (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Abstract:
This collection contains materials related to the operation of La Casa de la Raza, including administrative files, correspondence, press clippings, promotional materials, photographs, posters, building plans, and audio-visual items. La Casa de la Raza is a non-profit community center that serves the primarily Latino Santa Barbara community through providing social services, education, cultural enrichment, and event space.
Extent:
32 Linear Feet (56 doc boxes, 1 half doc box, 4 flat boxes, oversize maps, 10 audio reels, 8 videocassettes, 125 reels of assorted films)
Language:
The collection is in English with some material in Spanish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Casa de la Raza records, CEMA 147. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Background

Scope and content:

La Casa de la Raza records contain materials related to the operation of La Casa de la Raza from 1970 to 2020. The collection contains administrative records, correspondence, board of directors materials, financial documents, grants, event flyers, poetry and prose, research materials, event documentation, press clippings, periodicals, newsletters, photographs, building plans, posters, and audiovisual materials. The majority of the collection materials are paper-based.

Biographical / historical:

La Casa de la Raza, officially founded in 1971 by Rosendo R. Castro, Miguel J. Lemus, Leopoldo Martinez, and others emerged amidst the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It was founded with the mission of enacting social change for Santa Barabara's Latinx community who had historically faced racial discrimination. La Casa served the community in several ways, acting as a community services center with classes, food distribution, childcare, healthcare, youth education, and career services. Many initiatives of La Casa were focused on the overall well-being of the community with programs including juvenile delinquency prevention, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, and community economic development. The building on Montecito street acted as a space for various activist groups to gather and mobilize and it was used by various organizations to host their meetings and events. La Casa was visited by Cesar Chávez and Dolores Huerta in the late 1980s. It was a cultural cornerstone of the community, with the Cultural Arts Committee providing an avenue for artists, poets, and musicians to exhibit work. The Cultural Arts Committee was headed by poet, artist, and teacher Armando Vallejo who was later the executive director of La Casa. The Cultural Arts Committee published a collection of poetry and prose titled Xalmán. In the mid 1970s, Manuel Unzueta, board member and California Employment and Training Advisory (CETA) resident artist, painted iconic murals at the Casa and led the Ortega Park Mural Project, and later the mural restoration project. The Teatro de la Esperanza, which was active in the 1980s and 1990s, was based out of La Casa de la Raza and was heavily influenced by the Teatro Campesino. Various Latin, reggae, and punk music groups performed at La Casa. La Casa de la Raza became a symbol of Chicano pride and continues to serve marginalized community members as they seek support in food security, affordable housing, immigration protections, and other crucial services in times of need.

The Casa de La Raza building was designated a Historic Landmark by the City of Santa Barbara in 2020. As of 2025, the La Casa Founders Holding Company operates the Restorative Justice Education Center out of the building.

[refer to "Historic Landmarks Commission Landmark Designation Report" (2020) Prepared by Nicole Hernandez, MFA, City Architectural Historian]

Acquisition information:
Gift, Michael Gonzalez, 2019. Previous accession came from UCSB Professor Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, February 2011.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in 11 series:

  • Series I. Administrative Records
  • Series II. Board of Directors Materials
  • Series III. Financial Documents
  • Series IV. Grants
  • Series V. Events
  • Series VI. Casa Initiatives / Projects
  • Series VII. Publications and Press Clippings
  • Series VIII. Photographs
  • Series IX.Posters
  • Series X. Building Plans
  • Series XI. Audiovisual

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Original finding aid was created by Mari Khasmanyan, 2016. Latest revision by Valentina Chavez and Holly Snyder, 2025.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-10 09:34:18 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Audiovisual materials must be reformatted for access. Please contact the Department of Special Research Collections in advance to request access.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Casa de la Raza records, CEMA 147. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Location of this collection:
UC Santa Barbara Library
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
Contact:
(805) 893-3062
special@library.ucsb.edu
Website