History

Marfa, Texas Restores Segregated School Built for Mexican Americans

In perhaps a first for Texas education history, Mexican American residents of Marfa, Texas have initiated an important community project: restoring their “Mexican” school built in 1909. Their intentions are that the creation of the Blackwell School Museum will shed light on an earlier historical period when equal educational opportunities were denied to Mexican American …

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Aurelio Montemayor – December 1968 Testimony before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission

Aurelio Montemayor testimony before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, San Antonio, Texas Date: December, 1968 (see also in this edition, Interview of Aurelio Montemayor) In mid-December, 1968, while the future of the 172 boycotting high school students at Edcouch Elsa, Texas remained in limbo, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission was holding hearings in San Antonio. …

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Interview – Richard Cortez (Hidalgo County Judge) Part 2

An interview with Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez Alamo, Tex. March 14, 1941. The worst train-truck crash in the history of the United States occurred in the City of Alamo, Texas on March 14, 1940. Of the 42 people on the truck, 25 died and the rest were severely injured. Espirion Vela, 21 at the …

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El Bracero del Año

In the movie, El Bracero del Año, released in 1964, the final year of the bracero program in the United States, the famous Mexican actor known as “Piporro” enters the United States in violation of the U.S. immigration laws. The plot is simple and traditional: Piporro wants to earn money in the United States to …

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In Memoriam: Susan Law

Susan Law did not look well as she stood in line along with my wife, Aida, and others waiting for the clinic to open its doors. “I’m in severe pain,” she said. “I hope the doctor can do surgery on my gall bladder. I take Ibuprofen every night.” Ibuprofen is one of the many pain …

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Interview – Richard Cortez (Hidalgo County Judge) Part 1

As Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez finishes his first term in office, he shares what appear to be some of the most pressing concerns to the County of Hidalgo. Close to two years of his administration have been beset by the effects of the Corona-19 virus. It appears that the effects of the pandemic may …

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The Unique Story of the San Felipe school district, of Del Rio school district, Salvatierra v. Del Rio ISD and subsequent Texas desegregation litigation

In our February 2021 edition of IberoAztlan, Dr. Blandina Cardenas alluded to her public education at San Felipe ISD. In 1971, San Felipe would be forced to merge with Del Rio ISD in one of the many cases litigated under the U.S. v. Texas desegregation cases. Dr. Cardenas also briefly referred to the 1930 Salvatierra …

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Remembering the Pharr Riot, February 1971

Despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act, many Texas towns remained segregated along racial and socioeconomic lines in the 1970s. The City of Pharr, incorporated in 1916, was divided by the railroad tracks on what is now U.S. 83 Business: Most affluent Anglos lived on the south side and most poor Mexicans and African-Americans …

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The Pharr-Police Riot of 1971

Fading Memories and Photographs In February, 1971, violations of a person’s civil rights could have been redressed through a federal cause of action now popularly referred to as a “section 1983 cause of action”.[1] But Manuel Mata was not aware of his rights when a City of Pharr, Texas police officer gave him a beating …

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