Luis Zapata oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Silver Spring, Maryland, 2013-06-27.

Summary: Luis Zapata describes his childhood in Orange County, California, and how he came to join the labor movement as a college student at San Jose State University. He discusses the organizing work he did with the United Farm Workers and how he ended up moving to Cleveland, Mississippi, for four years where he organized for the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union and helped to register voters with the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Zapata also discusses his later involvement in the congressional campaign of Mike Espy as well as his participation in international movements for human rights.
Biographical History: Luis Zapata was an civil rights activist and labor organizer. He worked for the United Farm Workers, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union, and many other organizations.
Acquisition Note: The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.
Existence and Location of Copies: Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).
Conditions Governing Access: Collection is open for research. Access to recordings may be restricted. To request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact.
Related Archival Materials: Artifacts associated with the interview are at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.