Gilberto Garcia Jasso papers

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: Coll-122

Staff Only

The Gilberto Garcia Jasso papers consist of 28 cubic foot boxes of materials reflecting much of his tenure as a community activist in California and Texas. They contain reports, speeches, notes, correspondence, clippings, newsletters and assorted publications, photographs, as well as other manuscript items reflecting Mr. Jasso's community service and issues salient to the advancement of Mexican Americans. The Jasso Papers are especially rich in documentation dealing with American G.I. Forum activities.

Dates

1960s-1990s

Creator

Jasso, Gilberto Garcia (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials in English and Spanish.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

27 Linear Feet

Biographical / Historical

Gilberto Garcia Jasso spent much of his life as a civil rights activist from Texas to California during the 1960s-1990s. He especially prized his association with Dr. Hector P. Garcia and Cesar Chavez, two of the most illustrious figures in the movement to better the lives of Hispanics. Born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1933, Jasso moved with his family to Corpus Christi at an early age. At seventeen he joined the United States Marine Corps where he served three years. After returning home, he graduated from Corpus Christi High School in 1955 and attended Del Mar College. In 1957, he moved to California. There he attended the College of San Mateo and worked at various occupations.

An active member of the American G.I. Forum, Jasso served in that organization's office of civil rights on the national and state levels while in California. He often ran his office with his own funds, underscoring the voluntary nature of such efforts. During the 1960s and 1970s, Jasso participated with Cesar Chavez in the grape strike. He found himself involved in on all fronts on behalf of Hispanics, including equal employment opportunity, voting rights, equal education, census undercounting, police brutality, the condition of colonias, and other issues. Among his most memorable activities, he was present during the Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles where Ruben Salazar, reporter for the Los Angeles Times, was killed.

In 1988, Jasso moved back to Corpus Christi to assist Dr. Hector P. Garcia and the American G.I. Forum and became a familiar community figure. He proved especially active in exposing the condition of South Texas colonias, plots of land where underprivileged Mexican Americans resided without clean water and proper sanitation. Jasso also played a major role in revealing racial discrimination within the Texas National Guard in the early 1990s. Due to declining health, Jasso retired from community activism in 1998.