Mission Statement

The Centro Cultural César Chávez was established to provide a location and facility for programming various, academic, cultural, recreational and social events related to the Chicano/Latino/Hispanic culture and heritage. It exists to support the different ethnic and cultural peoples' pursuit of their educational goals and the retention of their culture. Further, it strives to inform both the respective cultural groups and the greater university communities about issues central to the Chicano/Latino/Hispanic culture and heritage. The Centro Cultural Cesar Chavez seeks to provide an environment in which students are able to accept and appreciate their differences and also a place that encourages a sense of purpose and unity.

The Centro Cultural
César Chávez´s History

The Centro Cultural
César Chávez was established to provide a location and facility for
programming various academic, cultural, recreational and social events
related to the Chicano/Latino/Hispanic culture and heritage.

It exists to
support different ethnic and cultural peoples´ pursuit of their
educational goals and the retention of their culture. Further, it
strives to inform both the respective cultural groups and the greater
university communities about issues central to the
Chicano/Latino/Hispanic culture and heritage.
The Centro Cultural César Chávez seeks to provide an environment in
which students are able to accept and appreciate their differences and
also a place that encourages a sense of purpose and unity.

The
Beginning of the Centro Cultural César Chávez

The Centro
Cultural César Chávez is approaching its 29th year as a facility for
allowing Chicano/ Latino students to promote their unique and varied
cultures while educating the OSU community at large.

The Centro Cultural César Chávez was originally called the Chicano
Cultural Center, it was established in 1972. Its original nine
members met weekly in the basement of the Milam building.

At the end of 1976 a new location for the facility was sought. The
Chicano Cultural Advisory Committee, with Ramon Chacon as its
chairman, Roselyn Esparanza, Juan Guzman, Emilio Vejul, Rico Garcia,
and Bernard Pitts as its advisors requested that the university
provide housing for the Center.

The CCC was first given the house at 2475 Orchard Street and later the
small house at 1969 SW "A" Street, which was to become the permanent
Chicano Cultural Center.

Originally the house was to have opened on December 1, but its opening
date was postponed until January 21, due to the poor condition of the
house. On April 13, 1977 the President of OSU, Dr. Robert MacVicar
cut the ribbon to symbolically open the new Center to the public.

In the following October, Eduardo Garcia was made the facility
coordinator for the CCC. Under his administration, a wall was knocked
out between the two front rooms and a sign reading "Chicano Cultural
Center: Casa de La Raza" was ordered from the OSU Physical Plant.