Community Service Organization Explained

The Community Service Organization (founded 1947) was an important California Latino civil rights organization, most famous for training Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. It was founded in 1947 by Fred Ross, Antonio Rios and Edward Roybal^{[1] [2]} and was a source of political support for Roybal during his long political career. Ross had been hired by Saul Alinsky and was employed by his Industrial Areas Foundation.^[3]

Community Service Organization, now Centro CSO remains active. The group based in Boyle Heights is protesting police killings of Chicanos and privatization of education, and promoting the environmental cleanup of Exide and legalization of the undocumented.

The archives of the Community Service Organization are held at Stanford University^[4] as well as at California State University, Northridge in the Library's Special Collections and Archives.^[5]

External links

• CSO Project
• Documentary: Organize! The Lessons of the Community Service Organization
• Los Angeles Times Article: "Anthony P. "Tony" Rios"

Notes and References

1. Web site: CSO History Project. comm-org.wisc.edu. 2019-05-31.
2. Web site: Hispanic Americans in Congress -- Roybal. www.loc.gov. 2019-05-31.
3. Kenneth C. Burt, The Search for a Civic Voice: California Latino Politics (Claremont, CA: Regina Books), pp. 53-78.
4. Web site: Guide to Community Service Organization History Project records M1669 . . 2016 . Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Green Library . Stanford University . August 25, 2022 .
5. Web site: HSI Archival Collections . . December 17, 2020 .