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Sabrina & Corina Discussion & Activities Kit: Explore History

This guide is a digital companion to the book Sabrina & Corina: Stories and contains activities and supplementary material for classes and groups to use while reading stories from the book.

"I grew up with a lot of people who looked like me, or have last names like I have, and they would say that they are Spanish. They didn’t know about their indigenous or their Mexican background. I think this was a way to protect earlier generations from deep-seated racism in Denver. There was a forced cultural assimilation that happened here. It’s a form of cultural killing. If you can take a people, erase their history and who they are, they don’t have access to their power anymore." 

Kali Fajardo-Anstine, interviewed by Maria V. Luna for Electric Lit

Getting Started: An Overview of the Chicano Movement

Civil Rights Activism in Colorado

Key Figures and Organizations from Denver History: Denver Public Library Collections

Mexican American Rodolpho

Rodolfo Corky Gonzales

Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales was a Denver-based Chicano leader, nicknamed "Corky," in the movement for justice and equality for Mexican-Americans in the Southwest. Credited with raising national awareness of the plight of urban Chicanos. Image from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections, used with permission.

Image of Tim Flores speaking with an interviewer.

Tim Flores

Tim Flores was the Legislative Director of the Colorado Labor Council. He worked on the John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Tim Wirth, Pat Schroeder and Gary Hart Campaigns. Image from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections, used with permission.

Former State Senator Polly Baca (center) of Denver leads a discussion during a press conference as community activist Rosella Gonzales (cq) (far left) of Denver and Rev. Bill Kirton (far right) of Cameron Methodist Church listen on.

Polly Baca

Polly Baca was the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the Colorado Senate, and served from 1978 until 1986. Image from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections, used with permission.

Library subject card entry for the Hispanic League of Colorado.

Hispanic League of Colorado

The Hispanic League of Colorado was established in 1990. The League's focus was as a statewide coalition of Hispanic organizations working to improve conditions for Hispanics in business, education, and government and to improve relations between Hispanics and the legislators who represent them. As of 2007, the Hispanic League is no longer in existence. Image of the subject catalog card from the Denver Public Library, Western History Collection.

Tony Garcia is the artistic director and dominant force at El Centro Su Teatro, based in the former Elyria Elementary School. He writes plays, directs theaters and also hosts music, film and art events with a Hispanic focus.  He is holding a sign, with the slogan, in spanish, that translates into

Su Teatro

Su Teatro, the resident bilingual theater company of El Centro Su Teatro, was incorporated in Denver, Colo. in 1986 and produces original plays created by playwright/director Anthony J. Garcia (pictured above). The company tours nationally and attends national and international conferences and festivals. Image from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections, used with permission.

Western History Subject Index card for Adelante Mujer.

Adelante Mujer, Inc.

Adelante Mujer, Inc. is a Colo. registered nonprofit organization that began as a movement in 1979. This movement was designed to help Latina women gain entry and succeed in mainstream education, employment and economic systems, while retaining their cultural values. Image of the subject catalog card from the Denver Public Library, Western History Collection.

Western History Subject Index card for the Latin American Research and Service Agency.

Latin American Research and Service Agency

Colorado non-profit organization founded in 1964. LARASA's mission is to lead and influence change to improve the quality of life for Latinos throughout Colorado. Image of the subject catalog card from the Denver Public Library, Western History Collection.

Bernard Valdez, an employee of the Colorado Welfare Department, poses in Denver, Colorado, by charts and graphs with titles:

Bernard Valdez

Bernard Valdez was a founding member of LARASA (Latin America Research and Service Agency) and the Latin American Education Foundation. Well known as an advocate for Hispanic rights, he died in Denver, Colo. in November 1997. Image from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections, used with permission.

Former Denver mayor Frederico Pena and Democratic National Convention CEO Leah Daugherty announce Wednesday 08/06/08 that the majority of the tickets for Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High will go to the people of Colorado.

Federico Peña

Federico Peña was elected as a democrat to the Colorado House of Representatives, and eventually became minority leader. He also served as a member of President Clinton's Cabinet. Image from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections, used with permission.

Explore More Chicano/a History

Cultural Impacts of Gentrification

Los Seis de Boulder Memorial Structure

 

Photo of Los Seis de Boulder Memorial Structure

Los Seis de Boulder Memorial Structure. Image used under the Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 4.0).