There’s a noticeable gap in archival records featuring Latina students at Mount Holyoke up until the founding of La Unidad. Starting in 1976, La Unidad served as a space for visibility and reunion, during which Latinas could partake in their culture, discuss issues on campus, and eventually act on those issues. The first portion of this exhibit traces the beginnings of Latina movements on campus up until 1995.
The initial proposal for a cultural organization titled “La Unidad,” which will represent approximately 60 Latina and otherwise interested students on campus.
The earliest available copy of VIDA, a multilingual literary magazine. VIDA was founded by Janet Lustgarten, class of 1982, and Mercedes del Carmen Arias, class of 1985, in 1981 to be a space for Latina students to discuss their experiences as Latin Americans at Mount Holyoke and elsewhere.