Carmen Vázquez Papers, 1951-2007
13 boxes (14.75 linear ft.)
Collection number: MS 557
Terms of Access and Use:
The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection with the following caveats:
The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the unpublished works by the creator of this collection. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Carmen Vázquez at March for Women's Lives,
Washington, D.C., 2004
The oldest of seven children, Carmen Vázquez (b. 1949) was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Harlem. She attended the City University of New York, earning a Bachelors in English and a Masters in Education. Vázquez lived and worked in San Francisco for almost two decades, becoming a seasoned activist and movement leader in causes ranging from immigrant rights to lesbian health. She was the founding director of the Women's Building in San Francisco, the Director of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Coordinator of Lesbian and Gay Health Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. She was also the co-founder and co-chair of Somos Hermanas, a Central American Women's Solidarity Network.
She returned to New York in 1994 as the Director of Public Policy for the LGBT Community Center in New York City. She has published in many journals, magazines, and anthologies and is a featured speaker at activist conferences including the NGLTF's Creating Change. Vázquez is currently the Deputy Director of Empire State Pride Agenda and lives in Brooklyn.
The Carmen Vázquez Papers document Vázquez's activism for gay, lesbian, bi and transgender rights; they include materials pertaining to gay and lesbian health issues, as well as Vázquez's interest and involvement in broader issues of race and class. The collection includes diaries, correspondence, biographical information, an interview, photographs, memorabilia, writings speeches by Vázquez re: LGBT rights; files pertaining to Vázquez's work for LGBT rights, including the LGBT Community Center, Empire State Pride Agenda Federation, and Equality Federation Institute. The activities of the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center are also well-documented.
[NOTE: The contents list for this collection is not online. Contact the Sophia Smith Collection if you would like one sent to you.]
The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection with the following caveats:
The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the unpublished works by the creator of this collection. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Carmen Vázquez Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
The papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Carmen M. Vázquezin 2006.
Periodic additions to collection are expected and may not be reflected in this record.
Processed by Burd Schlessinger, 2006.
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