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Rusty Barcelo farewell invitation and speech, February 23, 1996
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What is the Chicano Native American Cultural Center? For some it is merely a structure filled with Native American and Indian art work, for some it is a place to study, for some it is a place to cook one's native foods, for some it is a place to discuss the current status of [strike through] Hispanic [end strike through] and Native American peoples, for some it is just a place to come and talk to somebody about something, and for many it is just a place to party. But for me the Center is more than all those things that represents the symbol, the symbol that Chicano, Latino and Native American students are newcomers to The University of Iowa. I fear that some of us take the Center for granite and we really do not know the spirit that it represents. Our presence on this campus is not be accident. There are many who came before us that struggled hard to guarantee that educational opportunity become a reality for [begin strike through] Hispanic [end strike through] and native American students. Some of those students, because of their involvement, did not graduate, others have gone on to be doctors, ;lawyers, teachers, social workers, and much much more. They left behind a legacy, a legacy found in the Cultural Center. Occasionally many of these former students will call and inquire about the Cultural Center [begin strike through] and I am sad to say that it does not rock with emotion or the interest that was prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s. [end strike through] But I am proud to say also that students do use the Center as a place to study and as a place to party. However, the strength of the Center rests with the students. Without leadership the Center cannot grow. Today is a different time and I don not expect the Center to represent what it represented yesterday but we should never forget what it represented. So those of us who do not go through those early struggles it is hard for us to imagine the importance of the Center. But what is the Center? It was initially established on Friday, November 6, 1970. The Daily Iowan reported then that the Center was established to preserve our heritage and our identity, to raise a social consciousness among our people who for so long have been brainwashed, denied, oppressed, and murdered, and to demand that The University of Iowa recruit more Chicano and Indian students from around the state. Anthony Zavala [begin strike through] Salvato [end strike through], one of the early founders of the Center, remarked in a recent letter that: "The Center has been sort of a cultural first-aid station where Chicano and Native American students can cure themselves of accumulative hang-ups. I found many students change from Joe to Jose and from being publicly embarrassed of being Mexicano and being proud of it so I know that I am talking about. Sometimes culture is as necessary as food in order to survive. The Center provided shelter, friends, music, theater, dance, art, poetry, books and many, many discussions which were useful to balance the one-sided education most Chicanos and Native Americans receive elsewhere. The Center has had ten good years. I hope with
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What is the Chicano Native American Cultural Center? For some it is merely a structure filled with Native American and Indian art work, for some it is a place to study, for some it is a place to cook one's native foods, for some it is a place to discuss the current status of [strike through] Hispanic [end strike through] and Native American peoples, for some it is just a place to come and talk to somebody about something, and for many it is just a place to party. But for me the Center is more than all those things that represents the symbol, the symbol that Chicano, Latino and Native American students are newcomers to The University of Iowa. I fear that some of us take the Center for granite and we really do not know the spirit that it represents. Our presence on this campus is not be accident. There are many who came before us that struggled hard to guarantee that educational opportunity become a reality for [begin strike through] Hispanic [end strike through] and native American students. Some of those students, because of their involvement, did not graduate, others have gone on to be doctors, ;lawyers, teachers, social workers, and much much more. They left behind a legacy, a legacy found in the Cultural Center. Occasionally many of these former students will call and inquire about the Cultural Center [begin strike through] and I am sad to say that it does not rock with emotion or the interest that was prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s. [end strike through] But I am proud to say also that students do use the Center as a place to study and as a place to party. However, the strength of the Center rests with the students. Without leadership the Center cannot grow. Today is a different time and I don not expect the Center to represent what it represented yesterday but we should never forget what it represented. So those of us who do not go through those early struggles it is hard for us to imagine the importance of the Center. But what is the Center? It was initially established on Friday, November 6, 1970. The Daily Iowan reported then that the Center was established to preserve our heritage and our identity, to raise a social consciousness among our people who for so long have been brainwashed, denied, oppressed, and murdered, and to demand that The University of Iowa recruit more Chicano and Indian students from around the state. Anthony Zavala [begin strike through] Salvato [end strike through], one of the early founders of the Center, remarked in a recent letter that: "The Center has been sort of a cultural first-aid station where Chicano and Native American students can cure themselves of accumulative hang-ups. I found many students change from Joe to Jose and from being publicly embarrassed of being Mexicano and being proud of it so I know that I am talking about. Sometimes culture is as necessary as food in order to survive. The Center provided shelter, friends, music, theater, dance, art, poetry, books and many, many discussions which were useful to balance the one-sided education most Chicanos and Native Americans receive elsewhere. The Center has had ten good years. I hope with
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