Preliminary Inventory of the Gustavo Gutiérrez Papers

Collection

Identifier: 1995-01494 etc.

Scope and Content Note

This collection houses personal diaries, correspondence, ephemera, newspaper and magazine articles, legal briefs, appointment books, and other materials documenting Gustavo Gutiérrez's work among Mexicans in the agricultural industry and involvement in farm labor organization and Native American human rights issues. Among the organizations that Gutiérrez helped to create and collaborated with are the Arizona Farm Workers, the United Farm Workers, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Maricopa County Organizing Project. This collection has not been processed in full and can be viewed only by appointment. Contact Archives and Special Collections for more information.

Dates

Creation: 1955-1999

Creator

Gutiérrez, Gustavo (Gustavo C.), 1932- (Creator, Person)

Language of Materials

Material in English and Spanish.

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.

Biographical Note

See more See less

Gustavo C. Gutiérrez was born on August 21, 1932. He worked in agricultural labor as a young man and became involved with labor organizing, working with the Migrant Opportunity Program from 1965 to 1968. He met famed organizer César Chávez in May of 1965 and the correspondence between the two men led Gutiérrez to found a chapter of the United Farm Workers in Arizona in 1967. The Arizona UFW led melon strikes in Yuma County in the summers of 1972 through 1975, but these strikes were undermined by internal divisions regarding how undocumented workers should be treated and the proper use of violence. Gutiérrez and a colleague, Lupe Sánchez (both of whom believed in protecting workers and opposed violence), resigned from the organization in 1976. The pair went on to found the Arizona Farm Workers' Union.

In 1974, Gutiérrez accepted a position with Labors International (LAUNA) and helped to found the Maricopa County Organizing Project (MCOP). He later served on the Council of Tonatierra, which focuses on preservation of indigenous traditions and community organization, and coordinated the Peace and Dignity Journeys.