In the 1970s, Ricardo Parra helped organize and direct a new midwest chapter of the National Council of La Raza, a progressive Chicano political advocacy group. Over the following decades, both Ricardo and his wife, Olga Villa, became integrally involved in South Bend’s growing Latinx community. They allied themselves with almost every local organization, like La Raza, El Campito children’s center, the former El Centro migrant advocacy center, and of course, La Casa de Amistad.

Olga was a strong leader, had a love for life, and deeply supported those who worked with her. In 2014, Olga passed away at the age of 71.

Four years later, in 2018, I sat down with Ricardo along with Valeria Chamorro from the Civil Rights Heritage Center. We talked about Ricardo’s arrival at Notre Dame, his life with Olga, and how the local Latinx community has grown and changed over the past fifty years.

This episode was produced by Donald Brittain from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend, and by George Garner from the Civil Rights Heritage Center.

Full transcript of this episode available here. 

Want to learn more about South Bend’s history? View the photographs and documents that helped create it. Visit Michiana Memory at http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/.

Title music, “History Explains Itself,” from Josh Spacek. Visit his page on the Free Music Archive, http://www.freemusicarchive.org/.