{"id":2473,"date":"2026-07-01T15:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/?p=2473"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:30:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:30:31","slug":"securing-youth-futures-67-years-of-fiestas-for-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/2026\/07\/01\/securing-youth-futures-67-years-of-fiestas-for-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Securing Youth Futures: 67 Years of Fiestas for Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post was written by IWA Graduate Assistant Michelle Garcia.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A worn program booklet from 1959 announces the \u201c1st Annual LULAC Fiesta Dance & Program\u201d at Eagles Danceland in Davenport, Iowa. Inside, it lists the event\u2019s many offerings such as mariachi concerts, folkl\u00f3rico performances, Latino food catering, and names that once filled the room. What it doesn\u2019t show is how events like this helped build a decades-long pipeline of educational opportunity for Hispanic students in the Iowa\/Illinois area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LULAC Council 10\u2019s first annual Fiesta celebration program pamphlet, 1959. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 10 (Davenport, Iowa) records, Box 3. https:\/\/aspaceadmin.lib.uiowa.edu\/resources\/3269\/edit#tree::archival_object_997973<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To date, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 10 has distributed over $585,000 in scholarships to over 750 students in the Quad Cities<\/a>, establishing itself as a leading council in the U.S. in both fundraising and membership. Fiestas play a central role in bringing these numbers to life and celebrate Hispanic culture in a way that benefits student youth alongside their community. They also serve as key moments of recognition, where Fiesta Queen candidates are announced and, in some cases, participate in a parade alongside LULAC leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photograph of Iowa LULAC State director, John A. Terronez, riding in a vehicle during the Fiesta parade, 1969. Mary Terronez papers, Box 1. <\/em>https:\/\/aspace.lib.uiowa.edu\/repositories\/4\/archival_objects\/982214<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to LULAC, the origins of the Fiestas date back to the Mexican Revolution:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[In] 1810, when at the small village of Delores the Priest D. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla started the fight that would come to put an end to the 300 years of tyranny by the Spanish rulers. Armed with old guns and rusty swords, clubs and stones, the small group headed by Hidalgo, launched the struggle against the power of Spain. The revolutionary spark that sprung from Hidalgo\u2019s mind, was the beginning of a general conflagration resulting 11 years later in the Mexican Independence. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year after year since, the people of Mexican descent gather on this memorable day to remember the glories of their heroes who let their blood run and sacrificed their lives so their country would be free.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What begins as a single evening of celebration ultimately extends far beyond the dance floor. LULAC Council 10 expanded its scholarship fundraising efforts by hosting bowling tournaments where members could play as a team and compete in events such as the Fifth Annual Iowa Mexican Bowling Tournament. In 1971, the LULAC Council 10 team received a sponsor award by the Woman\u2019s International Bowling Congress. Team members, including bowling president Jesse Ramirez, also go to sport snazzy bowling shirts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bowling shirt belonging to the LULAC bowling team President, Jesse Ramirez, 1967. Mary Terronez papers, Box 2. https:\/\/aspace.lib.uiowa.edu\/repositories\/4\/archival_objects\/982217<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among the organization\u2019s most successful events is LULAC BINGO. The event is held regularly at the LULAC Club<\/a> in Davenport\u2014one of the few remaining council-owned buildings in the United States\u2014and these gatherings bring community members together for rounds of bingo with cash prizes. More importantly, they provide a consistent and sustainable source of scholarship funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Newspaper spread of bingo participants at the LULAC Activity Center, 1987. LULAC Council 10 (Davenport, Iowa) records, Box 3. https:\/\/aspaceadmin.lib.uiowa.edu\/resources\/3269\/edit#tree::archival_object_997970<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond expanding access to education, these events also provided emotional and communal support for Latinos and migrants in Iowa facing housing and employment discrimination. Such civil rights violations often precede broader systemic barriers that disenfranchise ethnic communities, as seen in the Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act<\/a>, which mandated that all official state documents\u2014including voting materials\u2014be issued exclusively in English. In response, LULAC of Iowa filed a lawsuit advocating for the use of any language necessary to secure constitutional rights and won in 2023<\/a>. The ruling dissolved a 15-year-old injunction that had prevented Iowa counties from offering non-English voter registration forms, ballots, and absentee ballot applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these legal and political challenges, Council 10 has remained committed to building sustainable models for academic and economic advancement that support cultural diversity. Through events such as fiestas, bingo nights, and bowling tournaments, the organization creates intergenerational spaces that connect cultural expression with pathways to upward mobility. These gatherings not only strengthen community ties but also sustain scholarship programs that directly support students pursuing higher education. Scholarship recipients, in turn, often write thank-you letters expressing gratitude for the support that brings them closer to college enrollment and academic success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thank you card from LULAC Council 10 scholarship recipient, LULAC Council 10 (Davenport, Iowa) records, Box 23. https:\/\/aspace.lib.uiowa.edu\/repositories\/4\/archival_objects\/997970<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A notable LULAC Council 10 scholarship recipient is Rita Vargas, who in 1989 used her award to advance her education by earning a BA in social behavioral science at Marycrest College. After 13 years of serving the public as a district representative\/caseworker for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, Vargas began her career as the Scott County Recorder in 2002; making her the first Latina elected to a county office in Iowa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vargas has been the Scott County recorder for 24 years and has made major strides in making the Recorder\u2019s Office more accessible to the public. Vargas publicly thanks LULAC Council 10 for their support during her alumni speech at the LULAC Scholarship Awards Banquet in 2011:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was the one and only scholarship I received, but it meant so much to me to have my Hispanic community encouragement and support.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General, 1968-2004, 81049, Box: 7. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 10 (Davenport, Iowa) records, IWA0733. Iowa Women’s Archives. <\/em>https:\/\/aspace.lib.uiowa.edu\/repositories\/4\/archival_objects\/998079<\/em><\/a> <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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To learn more about the LULAC Council 10 scholarship program and its history, visit the exhibit in the Iowa Women’s Archives’  reading room on display in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LULAC Council 10 of Davenport, Iowa has supported students for 67 years and counting. IWA Graduate Assistant Michelle Garcia explains more about the history of the project. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":2477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[150,1],"tags":[371,13,21,466,467],"syndication":[20],"class_list":["post-2473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mujeres-latinas","category-uncategorized","tag-davenport","tag-exhibit","tag-lulac","tag-michelle-garcia","tag-rita-vargas","syndication-iwa-home-page","has-blocks","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2488,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions\/2488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2473"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/iwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=2473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}