The Merle “Perry” Ramirez papers date from 1987 to 2016 and measure 3 linear inches. The majority of the papers are associated with Ramirez’s educational advocacy. Several folders relate to the American Institute of Commerce (now Kaplan University), and include program schedules, handouts, student feedback, correspondence, newspaper articles, and Ramirez’s daily notes from 1993 and 1997. Two folders contain documents relating to other local organizations concerned with Latino education, including:

Iowa Latino Education Association, National Hispanic Institute, University of Iowa, Davenport Community School District, Muscatine Community College, Illinois Council on Higher Education, Illinois State University, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 10, Hispanic Education Committee, Quad Cities Higher Education Committee, Quad-Cities World Affairs Conference, and Commission on Latino Affairs, Iowa Department of Human Rights.

The papers contain Ramirez’s resource files on Latino education, including handouts, pamphlets, journal articles, newspaper articles, and statistics about enrollment and retention in the Davenport, Muscatine, West Liberty, and Rock Island public schools. There is one folder of documents related to voter registration and William C. Velasquez. The “Miscellaneous” folder contains information about unidentified programs, contact information, and “New Start” checklists.