Overview of the Collection
Biographical Information:
Access Terms
Administrative Information
Scope and Contents
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Carlotta Hernandez Terry Collection
Dates: 1951-2006
Bulk Dates: 1970-1980
Identification: MS-0457
Creator:
Hernandez Terry, Carlotta, 1937-2006
Physical Description: 0.84 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Spanish;Castilian
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Biographical Information:
Carlotta (Charlotte) Hernandez Terry was born in San Diego on April 13, 1937 and was raised in Logan Heights and National
City. She attended the Seventh Day Adventist Elementary School until 1951, and studied voice at a young age. Hernandez attended
San Diego City College where she studied bilingual education and technical illustration, and worked as a teaching assistant
for the Chicano Studies Department. She also attended San Diego State University where she took courses in the Mexican-American
Studies department. Hernandez became an accomplished singer, songwriter, and artist during the 1960s and 1970s when she composed
protests songs, becoming known as the "Chicana Bob Dylan."
Hernandez's accomplishments include performing at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., and conducting a music workshop in Mexico
City at the International Women's Year Conference in 1975. Hernandez also performed at many universities and colleges, and
served as a planner and muralist for the Chicano Park Steering Committee from 1972-1979. In 1974, Hernandez created the logo
for Chicano Park, "La Tierra Mia," and in 1977 was recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts teaching grant. Some of
her signature songs include "Living in the Barrio, Life Is Just Like That" and "Mamma Works Hard for Her Weekly Pay."
Hernandez had a long career that included community work counseling juveniles, battered women, and H.I.V. patients. She worked
for the Maximize Access to Advance our Community (M.A.A.C.) project, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego Unified
School District, the San Diego County Chicano Federation, and was a member of the San Diego County Commission on the Status
of Women in 1977.
Carlotta Hernandez Terry passed away June 16, 2006 at her home in National City.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Genre/Form of Material:
Personal Papers
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation:
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Carlotta Hernandez Terry Collection, Special Collections and University
Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Scope and Contents
The
Carlotta Hernandez Terry Collection (1951-2006) documents Hernandez's accomplishments as a singer-songwriter and painter. Of particular interest are transcripts
of the songs written by the artist as well as pieces of her artwork. Also included are photographs of Hernandez's musical
performances and paintings, including her design of the "La Tierra Mia" mural at Chicano Park. The majority of the material
dates from 1970-1980 and focuses on her artistic achievements. Filed alphabetically, the collection consists of photographs,
correspondence, news articles, flyers and video recordings.