Centro de Acción Social Autónomo facts for kids
The Centro de Acción Social Autónomo (which means Center for Autonomous Social Action, or CASA for short) was started in Los Angeles in 1968. It was created by experienced organizers who cared about workers, immigrant rights, and their communities. CASA became an important place for organizing, training, and helping immigrant and Chicano workers.
In the early 1970s, CASA opened new offices in other cities. These included San Diego and San Jose in California, El Paso in Texas, Greeley in Colorado, and Chicago in Illinois. CASA worked with helpful lawyers and worker groups to create ways to support immigrants. Many of these ideas are still used today in the immigrant rights movement.
What was CASA?
CASA was a group that helped immigrants and workers. It was founded by people like Bert Corona, Humberto Camacho, and Rose Chernin. They wanted to help immigrants who didn't have official papers to organize themselves and support each other.
Why was CASA needed?
In the late 1960s, many Mexican immigrants came to the U.S. to work in cities. At the same time, new rules made it harder for people to come to the U.S. legally from Mexico. CASA stepped in to help.
CASA worked with activists and lawyers to teach immigrants about their rights. They created "know your rights" campaigns in communities. They also helped immigrant workers join unions to get better pay and working conditions. CASA challenged the legality of raids by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which was a government agency that dealt with immigration. These raids sometimes happened in neighborhoods and workplaces.
CASA also trained young activists who wanted to help workers. It helped create strong connections between people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The different CASA groups across the country supported a larger group called the National Coalition for Fair Immigration Laws and Practices. This group worked to change immigration rules made by the U.S. presidents Carter and Reagan.
Where was CASA located?
CASA first started in East Los Angeles, California. In 1970, it moved to new offices in the Pico-Union, Los Angeles neighborhood. This new space was big and had its own law office, a meeting hall, and a kitchen.
Bert Corona was the main leader of CASA. In 1972, another important labor organizer named Soledad Alatorre joined him. At its busiest time, CASA had about 8,000 members in Los Angeles who paid dues to support the organization. In 1974, Corona and Alatorre left CASA, and a younger group of leaders took over.
