The Chicano Photographer Series and Collection

Chicano Photographer is a historic collection of documentary photographs exploring the Chicano community and activism during the 1970s. The images illuminate the panoply of activists, artists and issues of that period. For this important book and exhibition project, Jesús Garza has gleaned images from several thousand slides and negatives from his personal archive.

During the 70s, Jesús Garza toured with theater groups and participated in the El Movimiento Chicano — the Chicano Movement. From the Southwest to Mexico, the documentary photographer took intimate portraits of people fighting for human rights and against the Viet Nam war. The thousands of photographs offer a retrospective glimpse from the unique perspective of a photojournalist, artist and activist.

One thing is certain, you can't go back to the 70s and take pictures of United Farm Workers President César E. Chávez and Crusade For Justice Founder Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales. That is what makes this photographic series so valuable. In 2010, it will be forty years since the first photographs for this series were captured on film.

Before the Chicano Movement, Mexican-Americans were considered the quiet minority. As evidenced in Jesús Garza's photographs, Chicanos united as a loud and proud voice for change in the 70s. The photographs illuminate the iconic figures and everyday people that transformed America. Several prominant universities have asked that the collection be added to their archive.