By Michael Napolitano

Snell Library recently added the papers of Nelson Merced, the first Latino Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, to its collections. The papers, dating from 1966 to 2002, chronicle his work through voting records and historical documents, in the state to protect bilingual education and immigrants’ rights, as well as develop housing for the poorer communities.

Merced worked in the State House from 1988 to 1992 as a candidate from the fifth Suffolk district in Boston, according to Snell Library’s online guide to the collection.

“A lot of the four years I spent working to save the programs from being eliminated or cut completely, in housing, community services and development,” Merced said.

Library officials said Merced is an important figure.

“He did very good work,” said Joan Krizack, university archivist and head of the Special Collections Department. “He was the first Latino representative in Massachusetts. He’s very important for that reason alone.”

Krizack said the library collects works of individuals and organizations that deal with social justice among minority communities in Boston, like Latino, gay and lesbian groups.

“He serves as a wonderful role model for Latinos,” said Rebecca Veira, assistant director of Latino/a Student Cultural Center. “To have all his historical papers available to us on campus, I think, is tremendous, especially for students in political science.” she said.

During his time in the State House, Merced joined a committee on urban affairs and housing, and helped pass legislation to pay for the development of affordable housing in Massachusetts.

“It was a time [when] there was a deep recession in Massachusetts and the entire country,” he said.

He also tried, he said, to encourage many major insurance companies to invest in affordable housing, although the attempt proved unsuccessful.

Today, he does similar work on a larger scale as the director of National Initiatives and Applied Research for NeighborWorks America in Washington D.C. NeighborWorks is, according to its website, “A national nonprofit organization created by Congress to provide financial support technical assistance, and training for community-based revitalization efforts.”

Born in 1948, Merced moved between Puerto Rico and New York several times before joining the Navy in 1965. He began his life in politics after leaving the military.

Following the completion of his tour of duty, Merced married and moved to Puerto Rico, he said. During this time, he and his wife became active in the squatter’s rights movement in San Juan.

“A lot of the land was owned by the government,” he said. “At that point, that was what my reality was. My wife and I squatted with 400 other families for about three years.”

After returning to the United States in 1971, Merced became the director of La Alianza Hispana, a nonprofit organization that serves the Boston Latino community.

“We’re a part of their senior center group,” Veira said. “We have so many students that are Puerto Rican, and we definitely are for encouraging students to take a look at this collection.”

Alex Simoes, a junior computer science major, said the library’s addition benefits everyone.

“I think it’s enriching for students,” he said. “It’s helpful to see what community members outside Northeastern are doing.”

Hyun Cho, a junior pharmacy major, said he would like to see the library add more to its collections.

“More of anything is good,” he said.

Krizack said the library is currently working with 25 organizations to add more collections like Merced’s. Although she would not specifically name the groups or people in the collections, potential additions to the library’s archives include a community health organization that centers around gay, bisexual and transgender issues, an African-American community development organization and an African-American woman’s activist who is now dead. Krizack said that while the library actively pursues collections, it is not the only way in which they do business.

“We also have a bit of a reputation in the area for our collecting goals, so people call up and offer material,” she said.

A guide to Nelson Merced’s collection is available online at the Snell Library website.