Gomez-Bethke, Irene, 1935-

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Irene Marie Gomez-Bethke was born in Minneapolis on January 22, 1935. Her parents were natives of northern Mexico, and came to Minnesota in 1923 as migrant farm workers. A few years later they settled in Minneapolis. Irene grew up in north Minneapolis, and later lived in the Minneapolis suburb of New Hope. In 1988 she graduated from Metropolitan State University, where she studied business administration. She has long been active in community work, in politics, and the arts, particularly the advancement of Hispanic and Chicano causes, and an active participant in various Hispanic cultural, political, religious, and legal organizations.

Gomez-Bethke was a founder of Centro Cultural Chicano, a Minneapolis bilingual social service agency, and was a founder and executive director of Instituto de Arte y Cultura, a Minneapolis cultural arts organization for Hispanics. She served on the Hispanic Advisory Committee to the Mayor and to the City Council of Minneapolis under mayors Hofstede and Fraser, and on the Spanish Speaking Affairs Council under governors Perpich and Quie. She served on the Minnesota Department of Human Rights Police/Community Relations Task Force in the early 1980s and, later was commissioner of the department (1983-1984).

Gomez-Bethke served as a director of many of the organizations represented in this collection, including Centro Cultural Chicano, Centro Legal, Inc., Migrants in Action, Inc./Hispanos en Minnesota, Inc., and Legal Rights Center, Incorporated. She was a member of the executive committee of the Urban Coalition of Minneapolis; on the board of advisors of Urban Concerns Workshops Inc.; a member of the advisory council of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program; Hispanic affairs consultant for Los Ninos News ; food services director for Homeward Bound, Inc. (a group home for retarded and handicapped children); and a member of the Hispanic Ministry Advisory Board of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. She was coordinator of the Hispanic Women's Caucus of Minnesota Women of Color; served on the state steering committee of the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus; state chair of the Hispanic American Democrats; a member of the New Hope (Minn.) Human Rights Commission (1996-); and was active in Democratic politics at the national, state, and local levels.

From the guide to the Irene Gomez-Bethke papers., 1970-2001., (Minnesota Historical Society)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Gomez-Bethke, Irene, 1935-. Irene Gomez-Bethke papers, 1970-2001. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Irene Gomez-Bethke papers., 1970-2001. Minnesota Historical Society
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Catholic Church. Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Hispanic Ministry Advisory Board. corporateBody
associatedWith Centro Cultural Chicano (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Centro Legal, Inc. (Saint Paul, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Centro Legal, Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.). corporateBody
associatedWith Chicano Latino Student Cultural Center (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio (Saint Paul, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Hispanic Advisory Committee to the Mayor and to the City Council of Minneapolis. corporateBody
associatedWith Hispanic American Democrats (Washington, D.C.) corporateBody
associatedWith Hispanos en Minnesota (Organization) corporateBody
associatedWith Homeward Bound, Inc. (Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Instituto de Arte y Cultura (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Legal Rights Center, Incorporated (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Los Ninos International Adoption and Information Center (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Migrants in Action, Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.). corporateBody
associatedWith Migrants in Action (Organization : Saint Paul, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Department of Human Rights. Task Force on Police/Community Relations. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Dept. of Human Rights. Task Force on Police/Community Relations. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Spanish Speaking Affairs Council. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota Women of Color. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota Women's Political Caucus. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota Women's Political Caucus. corporateBody
associatedWith National Conference on the Role of Performing Arts in Society (1981 : Saint Peter, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith National Conference on the Role of Performing Arts in Society (1981 : St. Peter, Minn.). corporateBody
associatedWith New Hope (Minn.). Human Rights Commission. corporateBody
associatedWith Retired Senior Volunteer Program (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Senior Citizen Centers of Greater Minneapolis, Incorporated (Minneapolis, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Urban Coalition of Minneapolis. corporateBody
associatedWith Urban Concerns Workshops Inc. (Saint Paul, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Urban Concerns Workshops Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.). corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Minnesota
Subject
Hispanic American Catholics
Hispanic American Catholics
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans
Human services
Human services
Legal assistance to the poor
Legal assistance to the poor
Mexican Americans
Mexican Americans
Mexican American women
Mexican American women
Minorities
Minorities
New Hope (Minn.). Human Rights Commission
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1935

Spanish; Castilian,

English

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