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In 1986, a need for cooperative data sharing and research strategies was first recognized in by a small group in Orange County, California, Tony Campos, Raul Guerra, Ophelia Marquez and Mimi Lozano Holtzman. Networking and support among researchers was through weekly one-on-one support meetings at the LDS Bolsa Family History Center in Westminster, California. Soon, annual quarterly meetings were offered, and special regional interest groups were organized.
The group formalized in 1987 and eventually settled on the name Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, with the acronym SHHAR, pronounced "share" as a comfortable explanation of what the group was about. SHHAR quickly grew to national networking status. Open, free lectures and workshops gained support from prominent historians and genealogists, such as Dr. Julian Nava, former Ambassador to Mexico and Professor Israel Cavazos Garza, Cronista (historian/archivist) for the State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Eventually, one of the quarterly meetings became an annual conference. Membership had expanded from local participants to networking across the nation.
With growth came the necessity for a member newsletter. In 1990, Somos Primos was first distributed to members, as a quarterly newsletter. The formalization from a study group to a society, the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research represents both a goal and expanding awareness. The historical complexity of the connections among Spanish language heritage researchers has lead members to a better understanding and appreciation of our individual heritage, and the relationships between Hispanic researchers all over the world.
SHHAR Journals and publications were entirely authored and produced by SHHAR members. Attempting to create more interest in family history, for over two years, SHHAR members wrote weekly surnames columns published in the Spanish language newspaper, the Excelsior.
To assist our members in networking, Somos Primos was also greatly expanded, growing to the comfortable size of 28 pages. Study groups were encouraged and supported. As researchers took their lines back, they also tended to interact more closely with those researching in their same areas of interest. Subscribers to Somos Primos included an increasing number of out of state and out of the country readers which whom members could communicate.
In order to help those researchers an additional service was added. In 1995, with the assistance of Win Holtzman, a database was developed for networking purposes. Board member Laura Shane volunteered to manage the computerized matching service. This service facilitated researchers to communicate with each other from all of the nation This at a time when the Internet was just beginning to be used by the general public. The support resulted in a generous exchange of data, pedigrees, and family group sheets, as distant relatives have found one another.
In 1997, Charles Sadler, Board member, offered to set up a SHHAR Members Online service, where people could make their own connections. With the willingness of Charles Sadler to serve as web master, and the encouragement of Chuck Bobo and Chaz Fourquet, SHHAR shifted from the computerized matching service to an online-self-search system. Four surnames (and a location) were sent to Charles who compiled and included the email of the sender. Eventually the networking strategies brought together individuals with like research interest and other groups were formed from the base that SHHAR had provided. http://members.aol.com/shhar.
Increasingly SHHAR members were invited by many groups to participate with
displays, lectures, presentations, workshops, conferences and both help to
organize and set up events for/with other organizations. The venues
included many California sites, such as San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Los
Alamitos, Autry Museum in Los Angeles, Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Museum
of Latin American Arts in Long Beach, Santa Ana College, Golden West
College, Cypress College, Cal State Fullerton, Los Angeles Public Library,
Santa Ana City Library, Westminster and Fountain Valley Public Libraries.
In addition SHHAR members organized two conferences at the University of
Arizona in Phoenix.
In addition to
community displays and lectures, for two years a group of SHHAR members
organized a Hispanic Heritage Committee to affect even greater
awareness in the community. Through an expanded base of contacts,
political recognition was achieved through a kick-off on the old court
house steps to Hispanic Heritage month in Santa Ana, California. Mayors,
councilmen, supervisors attended. The group shifted to an identity of
Hispanic Visibility Committee and sought out media opportunities to
promote heritage awareness. One year the event was held under the
sponsorship of the Board of Supervisors.
The increased visibility lead to Mimi Lozano Holtzman, president and editor of Somos Primos to be invited to sit on the U.S. Senate Task for Hispanic Affairs. She accepted and traveled back and fourth to D.C. yearly, at her own expense, awakening officials to the great need for Hispanic heritage understanding. She has served on 105th, 106th, 107th, and currently 108th congress.
In 1998, SHHAR agreed to publish and distribute Dr. Granville and N.C. Hough studies on the Spanish Patriots of the American Revolution, 1779-1783. Each of the books in the 8-volume series is intended to help researchers whose Hispanic ancestors served during those years. As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, it was Dr. Hough’s intention to facilitate membership by compiling all the records in areas where Spanish forces were serving. In 2004, the Board decided to transfer the responsibility of publishing and distribution to Borderlands Books in San Antonio. Borderlands sells by catalog, internet, and now has a retail store.
In the spring of March 2001, Mimi was invited to participate in the organization of the Paso al Norte Museum. The focus of the Museum is to tell the story of the migration back and forth between the borders of the United States and Mexico. She now serves on the Paso al Norte Museum International Advisory Council. The connections made by Mimi and other SHHAR Board members continue to facilitate data exchange between Somos Primos readers.
On a volunteer basis, members with emails were invited to send 4 surnames of interest. These were listed with a link to their email address. Open access to this file allowed every internet user, SHHAR member or non-members to avail themselves of the information, encouraging even more interaction and exchange of information.
In January 2000, the Board made another major change in how to best serve. Somos Primos went online as a monthly E-magazine. Dues were dropped. Inclusion on the SHHAR Members Online became entirely free.
The most monumental step forward in networking strategies is now through the World Wide Web. The Internet offers many, many opportunities to help Primos find one another. More and more Hispanics are beginning to get online. Although we did not update the SHHAR database for about 6 months, Salena Ashton has volunteered once again to serve as the web mistress for the SHHAR database. To participate in the SHHAR database, send an email to shhardatabase@yahoo.com.
A very complete SHHAR calendar is
being compiled by Diane Godinez. She is searching out upcoming Hispanic
genealogical and historical events and keeping the information updated
monthly
http://members.aol.com/shhar/calendar.htm.
If you have an event that you would like included, please contact Diane
directly at
canprin@yahoo.com
If you also want it in Somos Primos, please cc it to mimilozano@aol.com. Somos Primos continues to be an all-volunteer effort. The goal is to provide networking, genealogical and historical information, plus current events which have a base in the past.
In addition, Somos Primos has proven that the world wide web is also a media capable of promoting change. The hundreds of letters Somos Primos receives clearly shows that people are being touched by the presentation of historical facts that value the Hispanic contributions.
The Hispanic American Heroes Series is a new web site dedicated to promoting pride and respect for Hispanics in the development of the United States. Organized under Somos Primos’ outreach, the project demonstrates a shifting of community activism strategies to the net. The potential outreach is worldwide. Understanding unifies, by producing tolerance and eventually acceptance.
Bernardo de Gálvez is the first historical figure in the Hispanic American Heroes Series. He led the Spanish forces during the American Revolution. There are many historians that are beginning to conclude that without the assistance of Spain, it is questionable that the American colonists would have succeeded.
During Hispanic-American Heritage Month
the City of Long Beach, California will be the site of an extraordinary
groundbreaking historic event. |
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