Special Collections

Michigan State University Libraries

100 Main Library

East Lansing, MI 48824

517.884.6471

E-mail:spc@mail.lib.msu.edu

URL: http://specialcollections.lib.msu.edu

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

The José F. Treviño Chicano/Latino Activism Collections: Penny Pangburn Burillo Papers will be open and available for use in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Penny Pangburn Burillo was born in Hart, Michigan and has for over four decades served as an advocate for the Mexican American community of southwestern Michigan, particularly the migrant farm worker. She was exposed early on to Mexican culture, language and folkways. In her early twenties, Burillo worked as bilingual teacher’s aide at the Garden Grove School District, a community southeast of Los Angeles. Upon her return to Michigan her bilingual skills were useful to her advocacy for migrant farmworkers on local and state boards relating to housing, employment, education and race discrimination.

Burillo’s Quinceañera Invitation collection dates from 1977-2011. She started  accumulating them as mementos of  the 15-year old birthday party celebrations for the young women in the Mexican American community she helped sponsor. Burillo’s sponsorship was sometimes financial and other times religious. She also accumulated them as samples of invitations to design for her own daughters Quinceañera celebrations. The Quinceañera is primarily a religious rite of passage ceremony fêting a young girl’s passage into adulthood.  A party sometimes follows ranging from an in-home celebration to a formal dinner-dance. As of 2011, Burillo is still active in the Latino and migrant community of southwestern Michigan.