The Victoria Ortiz Papers span the years 1923 to 1999, with the majority of the papers dating from 1960 to 1990. The main collection (2003-0204) comprises materials separated from the Bobbye S. Ortiz Papers and consists of one series; the accession number 2003-0204 was assigned to this grouping. Viki Ortiz's political and intellectual interests can be gleaned from the topics in the Victoria Ortiz Subject Files Series, which has been divided into seven subseries to facilitate its use. The first three subseries contain newspaper and magazine articles, organizational materials, photographs, pamphlets, speeches, and reports related to Cuba, Mexico, and Latin America. Scholars of U.S. anticommunism and student movements in the 1960s may find of interest materials related to Ortiz's 1963 trip to Cuba, taken with 58 other college students in defiance of U.S. policy. Each subseries is organized alphabetically by topic or title.
The parallels and differences between Viki's and Bobbye's political interests are reflected in their subject files. Both maintained extensive collections of materials on international women's liberation; like her mother, Viki was most interested in the status of women in Latin American nations. Yet while they shared similar social values and political beliefs, Viki's interests often diverged from her mother's. Viki's general files reflect her involvement in International Year of the Woman activities and her interest in population control, as well as her interest in such topics as reproductive rights, family structure, and economic justice.
Viki's great interest in adoption and parenting grew out of her own experiences as a single adoptive parent of a Mexican-born child. The subseries on adoption and parenting includes newsletters and publications of organizations for single parents; research for a book on single adoptive parenting; and miscellaneous clippings, notes, and other materials on issues such as adoptive parenting, international adoption, and gay/lesbian parenting. These materials are arranged alphabetically by topic or title.
The final subseries contains Viki's extensive notes and other materials related to literature. This subseries is organized into coursework, general literature, and Latin American literature, and is arranged alphabetically therein.
The addition (2003-0066) consists primarily of professional and subject files documenting Ortiz's law career, writings, and feminist and social activism. Her work on the literature and women's issues of Latin America are particularly well-represented. Portions of this addition are closed to use until 2050.
Addition (05-024) (3759 items, 7.7 lin. ft.; dated 1923-1997 and n.d) comprises research materials pertaining to gender, women, and the law; artist Elizabeth Catlett; and experimentation with LSD by the U.S. military. Includes family documents about Camilo, Ortiz's adopted son; teaching materials; files from CUNY law school; correspondence, appointment calendars; videotapes; travel diaries; photographs, printed material; and ephemera. This addition is closed to use until 2050.
Acquired as part of the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.
Processed by Virginia L. Daley, Paula Jeannet, Ann Langford, Lois Schultz, Pavla Vesela, Fuad Naeem, and Elizabeth Arnold
Accession(s) described in this collection guide: 2003-0066, 2003-0204, and 2005-0024.
Completed September 29, 2003 and materials added in 2005.
Encoded by Paula Jeannet, Lisa Stark, Elizabeth Arnold
