Hispanic Heritage Month: Discover Hidden Treasures from the Oakland History Center and Magazines and Newspapers’ Collections

Written by: Dr. Liladhar R. Pendse, Oakland History Center

As we celebrate Hispanic American Heritage Month, it’s a good time to reflect on the powerful legacy preserved in the Oakland History Center (OHC) and the Magazines and Newspapers department's collection of Hispanic American newspapers at the Main Library in Downtown Oakland. These publications aren’t just old headlines—they’re living records of the voices, struggles, and triumphs of the Bay Area’s Latino communities.

The historical collection of community newspapers held by the Oakland Public Library's Magazines and Newspapers department is incredibly diverse and rich with Chicanx, Mexican American, and Latinx publications. In addition to these, the library also holds several issues of local newspapers in Chinese, Russian, Persian, Swedish, and other languages. However, I soon discovered that I had underestimated the breadth and depth of the collection. My public librarian colleagues have enthusiastically built a small yet powerful archive of community newspapers. These archives contain publications not only from our Golden State but also from Wisconsin, New York, and other areas. 

The work of public librarians at the OHC and in the Magazines and Newspapers departments provide a fundamental glimpse into the dynamic Chicanx national movement from the 1960s to the 1990s, which strived to achieve social justice and equity. Some of these newspapers include Mundo Hispano or El Mundo (Berkeley and San Francisco), Chicano Student (Los Angeles), La Chispa of El Partido Revolucionario Chicano from Oakland, La Verdad of Unión del Barrio (San Diego), and even Adelante Raza!, from faraway Wisconsin.

One publication that stands out is La Voz del Pueblo, a bilingual newspaper launched in 1970 in Berkeley by the Frente de Liberación del Pueblo, a grassroots group rooted in Chicanx activism. La Voz del Pueblo frequently reflected the spirit of Chicanx activism, including coverage of César Chávez’s leadership and his arrest for promoting the lettuce boycott—an emblematic moment in the struggle for farmworker rights and social justice. With articles in both English and Spanish, the paper captured the pulse of a generation—covering labor rights, education, anti-war protests, and cultural pride.

Closely tied to UC Berkeley students, La Voz del Pueblo became a rallying point for political expression and community organizing during a time of sweeping change in the Civil Rights era.  

The Oakland History Center and the Magazines and Newspapers department, both part of the Main Library, preserve the past for the future. They hold a rich collection of materials documenting the history of Oakland and the East Bay, including old photos, maps, and newspapers.

Works Cited

Frente Organization, & Frente de Liberación del Pueblo. (1970). La voz del pueblo. [Frente de Liberación del Pueblo, Inc.]. 

La Voz Del Pueblo ([Berkeley, Ca.]) 1970-???? [Microfilm Reel]

Library of Congress. (n.d.). La Voz del Pueblo (Berkeley, Ca.) 1970–????. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87021033/

Mariscal, J. (2004). Negotiating César: César Chávez in the Chicano Movement. Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies, 29(1), 21-56.

Memorial, E., de Mayo, W. C., Be, S., & Conjunto, T. (2011). La Voz.

Rojas, G. (1975). Chicano/Raza Newspaper and Periodical Serials Listing. Hispania, 58(4), 851–863. https://doi.org/10.2307/339884