Eduardo Peña, Jr. Papers

This collection contains the personal and professional files of Eduardo Peña, Jr., including correspondence, court documents, awards, newspaper clippings, CVs, speeches, political pamphlets, photographs, publications, an American flag gifted to Peña by a Congressman, material related to Peña’s career as a public servant at the Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and material related to his decades-long involvement in the Latino civil rights movement through the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and other civic organizations. The intertwined nature of Peña’s professional life and activism means there is significant thematic overlap across the five series in this collection: Personal Files, Professional Activities, LULAC, Subject Files, and Oversize Material.

The Personal Files are arranged chronologically to parallel the biography of Peña. Beginning with a Family History file, the contents offer a glimpse into the familial background of Peña and his early life in Laredo, Texas. UT Austin Memorabilia portrays Peña’s undergraduate years at the University of Texas at Austin through newsletters and a personal resume that speaks to his on-campus activities and coursework. Awards and Certificates compile recognitions Peña received over his entire career, beginning with his Bachelor’s degree from UT Austin. As his public service career developed, the Photographs file documents his extensive social and professional network, with snapshots of Peña with César Chavez, Rosalynn Carter, and Bill Clinton, among many others. Newspaper Clippings tracks Peña’s organizing, civic engagement, professional career, and public recognition. Various files of Personal Correspondence signal the overlap between Peña’s personal, professional, and organizing life. Correspondents in this file include congressional candidates and newly elected members of congress, journalists, judges, the head librarian of the Benson Latin American Collection, UT Austin faculty members, and the Governor of Alaska. While Peña himself considered these documents personal correspondence, the activities and relationships represented here are bound up with his professional life and further demonstrate Peña's relentless pursuit of justice and equity.

This series also notably contains Ada Peña’s Professional Files, detailing her work as a travel agent as well as her involvement with LULAC. Ephemera and Memorabilia contains bumper stickers from Peña’s alma mater and for Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough, for whom Peña worked. Additionally, this file features an American flag gifted to Peña by Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen. Martin High School Tiger Legends shows Peña’s connection to his hometown and the high school where he met his wife, Ada. Lastly, the Ohtli Award Peña was given by the Mexican Government in 1996 illustrates his transnational legacy as an activist for Latino civil rights.

The Professional Activities series is also arranged chronologically to mirror a timeline of Peña’s career first in the public sector–beginning at the Department of Labor, followed by his position with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, and later as an attorney at a private practice. Threads of Peña’s decades-long political involvement are woven throughout this series’ political documents, hearing transcripts, and notes in the Legislative Research, Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Migratory Labor, and DNC Voter Registration Task Force files. The documents in Letters of Endorsement for Assistant Secretary of Labor Position, Carter Administration detail the extensive networks of politicians and labor leaders that Peña maintained in the 1970s. The file Peña Resumes and Letters of Recommendation highlights Peña’s mentorship of young professionals during his years as a private practice attorney. The Superior Court Practice file provides evidence of Peña’s continued involvement with political and civil rights causes as an attorney. Finally, Resumes and Biographical Information offers a glimpse into how Peña documented and preserved his own achievements, especially in his later working years. As is evident throughout this collection, Peña was aware of his position as a public figure and made conscious efforts to document his life and legacy.

The LULAC series is arranged alphabetically. This series documents Peña’s decades-long commitment to the organization, for which he served as a board member, national president, and pro-bono lawyer for broadcasting and media cases. Legal documents constitute a substantial part of this series–particularly materials related to the case against Trinity Broadcasting Network in the 1990s, which resulted in a $1.8M settlement. In this case, LULAC challenged Trinity, a Christian television network, for falsely claiming to be minority-controlled in order to take advantage of affirmative action policies.

The Subject Files are also organized alphabetically. This series illustrates Ed Peña Jr.’s involvement in and connection to dozens of organizations over the course of his career. These include the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Alliance of Business, El Festival Latino, and the Foundation for Hispanic Action. In Catholic University Board of Regents, documents detail Peña’s influential position at his alma mater. In addition, this series contains Peña’s public responses to national events, like the Supreme Court’s hearing on the Bakke Case in the mid-1970s and the murder of Alfredo Enrique Tello Jr. in 1997. Lastly, the series contains a handful of publications including newsletters, booklets, and reports.

Oversize Material contains the few items that are too large to fit within the first four series. This series is arranged alphabetically in two folders. The first contains certificates and awards, and the second contains newspaper clippings.