Teresita del Niño Jesús "Terri" Cruz (1927–2017) was a community advocate and a founder of
Chicanos Por La Causa.
Early life
Teresa Cruz was born in
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
.
Her parents were from
Hermosillo and
Durango
Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...
.
She was orphaned as a young child and raised by her aunt and uncle in
Salt River Valley
The Salt River Valley is an extensive valley on the Salt River (Arizona), Salt River in central Arizona, which contains the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Although this geographic term still identifies the area, the name "Valley of the Sun" popularl ...
. After eighth grade, she left school and worked as a house cleaner.
She began working with her local community by campaigning for John F. Kennedy.
After twenty-two years, she decided to earn her GED and pursue a career in social services for the poor.
Career
Cruz worked with a
War on poverty program. While in that position, she was approached by Chicano activists, including
Joe Eddie Lopez, asking to use the
spirit duplicator. She became involved with their group, which became Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC).
Cruz helped found Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) in 1969.
Cruz served on CPLC's Board of Directors until she was hired by the organization.
In 1970, she as instrumental in organizing a boycott against Union High District in which 2,000 Mexican American students refused to attend, leading to reforms including hiring more Latino teachers and counselors.
Cruz worked at CPLC until her death in 2017.
Personal life
Cruz had eight children.
Awards
* 2023:
Arizona Women's Hall of Fame
* 2012:
Arizona Latina Trailblazer
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Terri
1927 births
Community activists
People from Tucson, Arizona
American social workers
2017 deaths
American activists of Mexican descent
Activists from Arizona