Ruben Avelar Collection

Artifacts donated by Ruben Avelar, an East Palo Alto resident and founder of the Raices de Mexico dance troupe. The artifacts in his collection reflect his involvement in the Youth Development Center, Raices de Mexico, and JobTrain.

Ruben Avelar was raised in East Palo Alto and attended local schools in the Ravenswood City School District as well as Ravenswood High School. He founded the Raices de Mexico dance troupe while attending UC Berkeley as a way to educate and celebrate Mexican heritage and culture. This led him to be involved in the East Palo Alto Arts Commission. Mr. Avelar has also devoted his life to enriching the lives of East Palo Alto's youth through work at the Youth Development Center and JobTrain.