Vicente and Connie Carranza
Vicente and Connie Carranza are responsible for selecting, gathering, and maintaining the Carranza Chicano Archive. The Collection includes unique flyers, photographs, newspapers, magazines, and posters that focus on the Chicano Movement and other calls for liberation from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Vicente Carranza is a Mexican-American born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Raised among books and intellectual works, he was always aware of their influence on his education and political consciousness. Vicente spent almost nine years in the military, traveling across the country for training. During that period, he became increasingly aware of the discrimination and inequalities he faced as a Latino. In the late 1960s, he decided to leave the Air Force and join the Chicano Movement for civil rights. While attending several conferences and meetings, he met Chicano Movement leaders and became more involved in the movement. Recognizing the historical, political, and social importance of the movement, he decided to collect records for future research, believing they would offer an “honest picture” of the Chicano Movement.
In the same year (1969), Vicente joined Colegio Jacinto Treviño as a librarian and archivist. In 1971, Connie also became part of the Colegio’s library, where they stayed until the Colegio closed. Their work with the Colegio strengthened their understanding of the transformative power of the Chicano Movement, fueling their interest in collecting materials, a goal they continued pursuing even after leaving.
After the closure of Colegio Jacinto Treviño, Connie and Vicente’s purpose remained steady. The couple returned to Corpus Christi, where they continued collecting materials on the Chicano and civil rights movements across the world. While in Corpus, Vicente hosted a television program for 9 years and a radio show for 35 years. On the radio, he hosted a talk show format in which he could share his thoughts, ideas, and insights on the Chicano Movement, Mexican American and bilingual education, and the local political climate.
In 2026, Vicente and Connie donated their collection to the LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections Library at the University of Texas at Austin. Their hope is to leave a record for future researchers to continue to tell the story of the Chicano Movement. Connie and Vicente Carranza are curators, researchers, and key contributors to preserving the memory of the Mexican American community, their struggles, resilience, and ongoing challenges. The Carranza Collection symbolizes their effort in “saving [the Chicano Movement materials] for prosperity.”
We are excited for you to explore the Carranza Chicano Archive!