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Oregon was home to the nation's first Chicano college. Its legacy still lives on today

Colegio César Chávez in Mt. Angel was the first Chicano accredited university in the U.S. Former administrators say colleges should continue to push for inclusivity.

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Oregon was home to the United States’ first Chicano college, Colegio César Chávez, which served students in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. While the college has been closed for decades, its legacy continues to live on.

"Colegio was the gateway to opportunity that was heretofore closed to (Latino students)," said José Romero, a former administrator at the school. 

Before the founding of Colegio César Chávez, Romero said just 600 Latino students were enrolled in Oregon universities. During its decade of operation, Colegio César Chávez served more than a thousand students.

"Cesar Chavez best fit our philosophy, our student population, what we wanted to achieve," Romero said.

The road to accreditation wasn’t easy for the college. The school took over property from Mt. Angel College, which was riddled with debt, leading to it losing accreditation in the 1970s.

Credit: KGW
Oregon was home to the United States’ first Chicano college, Colegio César Chávez.

"I'm not going to sit here and say it was an easy transition,” Sonny Montes Jr., a former administrator at Colegio César Chávez said. "It was extremely difficult."

With the help of César Chávez, the college paid off Mt. Angel’s debt owed to the government. That cleared the way for the first accredited Chicano university.

"It offered a first time opportunity for our kids who were not getting into colleges and universities, to find a place for them, a niche for them," Romero said.

Credit: KGW
Colegio Cesar Chavez was founded in 1973.

While Colegio César Chávez eventually closed its doors for good in 1983, its mission continues to live on. This fall, Romero said 36,000 Latino students will attend college across Oregon. Despite improvements, Montes and Romero said more needs to be done.

"There's been a lot of positive changes now for many years. But it's still not enough," Montes said.

There’s hope that a new Colegio César Chávez could come to fruition, Romero said, and the former administrations are also hopeful other schools will expand cultural programs, making Oregon a more inclusive place.

"We still don't have the representation that we should have in higher education,” Montes Jr. said. “We still don't have the representation that we should have as politicians. We still don't have the representation that we should have across the board."

KGW's Breaking Barriers series features Oregonians making a difference in the world of sports, arts, government, business and more. You'll see stories for Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15. 

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