Nicaragua Information Center

The Nicaragua Information Center started as a campus organization at the University of California, Berkeley in 1980. Until its closing in 1991, NIC coordinated local activities in support of the Sandinista government, providing alternative information about Nicaragua.

From the description of Nicaragua Information Center audio visual collection. 1977-1990. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 213745477

From the description of Nicaragua Information Center records, 1980-1991. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 215248095

Organizational History

Between 1980 and 1991, the Nicaragua Information Center played a leading role in coordinating activities in support of the Sandinista government and the people of Nicaragua and in opposing the policies of the United States government, which supported the Contra insurgency. During the 1980s, Nicaragua support work was a key focus of progressive political activity in the Bay Area and throughout the United States.

The Nicaragua Information Center began as a student organization at the University of California, Berkeley. The organization moved off campus in 1981, and eventually grew large enough to support a full-time paid staff of five, in addition to many volunteers. NIC published Nicaraguan Perspectives, an important national magazine on Nicaragua between 1980 and 1991. NIC also formed the Berkeley- Leon Sister City Association in 1985.

The Center provided alternative information about Nicaragua, coordinated opposition to U.S. policy in the Bay Area and much of the west, and played an active role both in raising material support for Nicaragua and facilitating travel by individuals to and from Nicaragua. In addition, the Nicaragua Information Center served as the Pacific Southwest Regional Coordinator for the Nicaragua Network from 1983 through 1992. In this role, NIC played an influential role in developing and coordinating national policy for the movement in support of the Sandinista regime. This included anti-Contra aid agitation and person-to-person exchanges. Through delegations and work brigades, the Center helped hundreds of people travel to Nicaragua. Working with various coalitions, the Nicaragua Information Center played a central role in the political struggle against aid to the Nicaraguan Contras and raising material support for Nicaragua.

The elections in Nicaragua in 1990 brought about a transfer of power from the Sandinistas to a more conservative regime. This shift had a dramatic impact on the Nicaragua support movement, severely reducing financial support for organizations such as the Nicaragua Information Center which had been identified with the Sandinista movement. In June 1991, the Nicaragua Information Center closed its doors. While NIC continued to operate on a reduced level after this date, its lack of office space and funding have made its resources unavailable to the public.

Excerpted from a background piece by Rick Lewis

From the guide to the Nicaragua Information Center Records, 1980-1991, (The Bancroft Library)