Records of Trailblazing Latino Journalist Association Find Home at USC Libraries

The USC Libraries have acquired the records of CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California, the trailblazing professional association fostering diversity within the news media for more than a half century.

Founded in 1972 in Los Angeles and formerly known as the California Chicano News Media Association, CCNMA was the first advocacy organization for journalists of color to incorporate. To this day, it promotes the advancement of Latino journalists through scholarships, educational programs, job fairs and professional development opportunities.

“The USC Libraries are thrilled to partner with CCNMA and the USC Annenberg School to safeguard this important archive on Latino voices in California news media since the 1970s,” said USC Libraries interim dean Marje Schuetze-Coburn. “It’s a significant addition to the rich documentary resources for understanding California that we are building as part of the libraries’ Collections Convergence Initiative.”

“When CCNMA’s treasurer Joe Rodriguez led the effort to unearth decades of archives that had been sitting in a basement, mostly untouched for years, we discovered a treasure trove of photos, artwork, documents and more representing a vital part of the history of Latino journalists in California,” said Laurie Ochoa, CCNMA president and general manager of food coverage and initiatives at the Los Angeles Times. “It was important for us to secure a home for the archives that would help current and future researchers understand the struggles and triumphs of journalism by and about Latinos as it evolved over the years. It’s so gratifying that the USC Libraries has provided such a prestigious home for the archives.”

The organization’s records span 45 archival boxes and include correspondence, reports, administrative records, photographs, subject files, clippings, audiovisual material and event programs. These materials are now part of the libraries’ Boeckmann Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies, where they will serve as an essential scholarly resource on Latino journalism advocacy.

“Preserving these historic archives for education and research is among the most enduring and impactful ways we can increase Latinx representation in the media,” said Dean Willow Bay of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “We are proud to have partnered with USC Libraries and CCNMA to bring this important collection to students and faculty as they seek to learn from the past and build a future in which America’s newsrooms reflect the populations they serve.”

Now available for research by appointment, the new acquisition complements the USC Libraries’ strong existing holdings on Latino journalism, including the personal papers of the late Los Angeles Times columnist and KMEX news director Ruben Salazar, KCBS and KNBC reporter Bob Navarro, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Times editor Frank Sotomayor.