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Peek in the Stacks: correspondence

Gloria Molina

American politician and community activist Gloria Molina (1948- 2023) was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Montebello. Gloria went on to serve as a trailblazing politician at both the state and local levels. Special Collection & Archives holds many archival resources that highlight the important work of Gloria Molina. The Frank del Olmo Collection holds a number of Molina’s political campaign fliers. The Brad Pye Jr. Collection and Juana Beatriz Gutiérrez Mothers of East Los Angeles Collection both include coorespondence with Molina. Plus, Molina can also be found in the materials in both the Mary Santoli Pardo Collection and the Tom Hayden Belmont Learning Complex Investigation Collection.

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American Planning Association California Chapter Collection

CSUN is home to the records of the California Chapter of APA. The American Planning Association California Chapter Collection documents the administrative activities of the Chapter, as well as the broader history of planning in California in the 20th and early 21st centuries.

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Not so Distant: A Letter from 1919

Alton L. Flanders served in an American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F) infantry battalion during World War I. He wrote letters to his cousin, Mrs. Jason Coppernoll, while in training at Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusettes, and while stationed in France with the A.E.F. These letters make up the Alton F. Flanders World War I Correspondence Collection, and have been fully digitized as part of the World War I Narratives ...

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The Power of the Post

As many of us stay at home during the pandemic, we keep in touch with our family and friends through video chats, text messages, and a number of other technological communication methods. Although our newly Zoom-centered lives can feel filled with screens, we also remain connected through the physical mail system that delivers letters and packages ...

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Julian Nava Collection

The Julian Nava Collection documents Nava's wide personal and professional interests in education, Mexican American affairs, Latin American history and Chicano politics. Dr. Julian Nava (1927- ) was born and raised in Boyle Heights to Mexican immigrant parents. In 1945, he volunteered for the US Navy Air Corps at the age of seventeen and was accepted as a pilot candidate, however the war ended before ...

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Japanese-American Internment and Civil Rights

Born from the wartime hysteria of World War II, the internment of Japanese Americans is considered by many to be one of the biggest civil rights violations in American history. Americans of Japanese ancestry, regardless of citizenship, were forced from their homes and into relocation centers known as internment camps. The fear that arose after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor created severe anti-Japanese prejudice, which evolved into the widespread belief that Japanese people in America were a threat to national security...

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Method Books and the Classical Guitar in America

During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the guitar was not considered a serious concert instrument in America. Classical music in general was not as popular as the many folk forms that were in vogue, further contributing to the scarcity of the classical guitar. In order to gain insight into the evolution of American style classical guitar, we can examine... 

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Jewish Experiences in China during World War II

Rampant antisemitism in Europe in the years prior to World War II caused many Jews to seek refuge in countries outside of Europe, including in China. Once settled, Jews were deemed "stateless" because of antisemitism in their countries of origin, like Germany and Russia. As a result...

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The Violet Atkins Klein Papers

In 1999, the Violet Atkins Klein Papers were donated to Special Collections and Archives by Klein's daughter, Jill Block. Professionally known as Violet Atkins or Vi to her friends, the collection documents Klein's professional writings, including novels, short fiction, and scripts for radio and television. It demonstrates the many phases....

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John M. Sell Civil War Collection

A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, John M. Sell enlisted in the 83rd Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers on July 29, 1861. He was commissioned First Lieutenant on August 27 of that year, and promoted to Captain on September 4, 1862. After fighting in numerous battles over two years, Sell was shot in the left leg on July 2, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. In one of the most commonly-performed medical procedures of the war, a ...

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