The DataCenter is blessed to have served the social justice Movement for over three decades. Some highlights from our past include:

1977
DataCenter—an activist library and publication center—is founded in affiliation with the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) by Jon Frappier, Fred Goff, Loretta & Harry Strharsky and 40 dedicated volunteers.

1979
Establish Corporate Profile Project for clients such as United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations & customized research service for immigration attorneys representing Central Americans seeking political asylum.

1980
Publish press profiles, The Reagan File, on Ronald Reagan and his policies on labor, El Salvador, foreign policy, and military policy in Asia.

1981
New Right Project tracks the rise of neo-conservatism; Launch Right-to-know Project in response to censorship & growing restrictions on access to information; Monitor plant closures and layoffs; Publish press profile Toxic Nightmare for free distribution to leading environmental organizations

1983
Expand Search Service to include corporate accountability research to support community, labor, and corporate campaigns and political asylees from all over the world.

1984
Establish Third World Resources quarterly newsletter and specialized resource directories series.

1987
Launch Pro Bono Fund to subsidize services to low-budget social justice organizations.

1988
Search Service goes online.

1991
Launch the Cuba Project/Conexiones to respond to information needs of institutions in Cuba & facilitates information exchange between U.S. and Cuban colleagues for the next ten years; Publish three volumes of press on the First Gulf War.

1993
Launch Freedom of Expression Project & CultureWatch newsletter monitoring the culture wars waged by the Religious Right until 2000.

1994
Conduct first workshop on Research Methods for Community Activists; Partner with Communities for a Better Environment to provide research & training for grassroots toxics activists.

1997
Celebrate our 20th Anniversary with a gala celebration honoring Asian Immigrant Women Advocates, Communities for a Better Environment, The International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Progressive Asset Management, Public Media Center, United Farm Workers, & Women’s Educational Media.

1998
Launch Capacity Building Campaign to underwrite new offices and computers for all staff; Implement affirmative action policy to hire organizers from communities of color.

1999
Develop community research training program; Extensive campaign research for the anti-California Proposition 21 Campaign with a coalition of Bay Area groups.

2000
Information Services Latin America (ISLA), a DataCenter project monitoring U.S. press reporting on Latin America, becomes independent on its 30th anniversary; Create our Youth Strategy Project to support the upsurge in youth organizing nationwide. Incorporate popular education methodology in our trainings.

2001
Author the report Moving Stronger: Needs of the criminal justice reform movement based on nationwide surveys & interviews & establish our Criminal Justice Project; Launch Endowment campaign for organizational sustainability

2002
Celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a gala celebration honoring Youth United for Community Action, Southwest Organizing Project, and Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Youth Force Coalition for their Books Not Bars campaign; recognize Fred Goff and Leon Sompolinsky for their years of service to the DataCenter.

2003
Commence Strategic Planning prioritizing Deepening Partnerships with Social Justice groups, Diversifying Our Income & Implementing Anti-Oppression Organizational Culture; Staff is majority people of color for the first time in the organization’s history; Incorporate Participatory research methodology and Decolonizing Research analysis in program work; Diversify Board of Directors.

2006
Launch Shared Leadership model with the assistance of Patricia St. Onge. Support Services, Program & Capacity Building committees lead the organizational work & a representative from each committee serves on Coordinating Council; Mission, Vision & Values finalized

2007
Celebrate 30 years of capacity-building for the Movement and honor All of Us or None, Domestic Workers United, and Mary Anna Colwell; Year 2 Shared Leadership model; Launch Research Justice framework; Launch $2 million sustainability goal for the Endowment

2008
Plan for 30 more years!