University of Texas at Arlington Center for Mexican American Studies

Oral history interview with María Jiménez, 1998 by María Jiménez( mixd )
1 edition published in 1998 in English and held by 2 libraries worldwide
Ms. Jiménez describes her work as director of the Immigration Law Enforcement Monitoring Project (ILEMP) and explains the background and purpose of its parent organization, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). She discusses ILEMP's funding, budget, goals and operations and how its collection of data on human rights abuses has impacted immigration policy and law; she refers repeatedly to the Ezekiel Hernandez case and its effect on the U.S. policy of using military troops on the U.S.-Mexico border. In speaking of her family, Ms. Jiménez relates the effects her activism has had on her personal life and her children, and describes her parents' support for education and her early exposure to political activism. She also talks of the race and gender discrimination she experienced in school and discusses her participation in MAYO (Mexican American Youth Organization) while a student at the University of Houston. Ms. Jiménez speaks about campaigning as a La Raza Unida candidate for Houston city council and how that party and the Democratic party interacted during the race. She describes her work history and involvement in union organizing activities. She also expresses her views on the inequities of immigration policy, especially its economic aspects, and on Mexican American leadership and its future.

Oral history interview with Olga Peña, 1997 by Olga Peña( mixd )
2 editions published in 1997 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Olga Peña begins with her family background and her early life and expresses her passion for performing traditional Mexican American dance, Ballet Folklórico, in San Antonio, Texas. She talks of the discrimination she and her former husband, Albert Peña, faced during their years in Houston and Pasadena, Texas before their return to San Antonio. She talks about their investigation of school discrimination in Hondo and Mathis, Texas. She refers to Albert Peña's campaign for state representative against Ray T. Felixson in the early 1950s, his run for Bexar County Commissioner in 1956, and his involvement in the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). She discusses her grass roots campaigning, the poll tax, and the intimidation aimed at preventing Mexican American voter registration. She discusses their involvement in the American G.I. Forum and the Democratic conventions in the 1960s, and comments on Henry B. Gonzales, Adlai Stevenson, and her husband's law partner African American G. J. Sutton.

Oral history interview with Gilbert Escobedo, 1996 by Gilbert Escobedo( mixd )
1 edition published in 1996 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Gilbert Escobedo begins with his start in the music business with Sunny & the Sunlighters [sic, Sunliners] and reveals the influence of big band music, jazz, and rhythm and blues. He talks about his parents meeting in Elmendorf, Texas, and about his growing up with both Mexican and American cultures in San Antonio. He describes his interactions with the gangs in his old southside San Antonio neighborhood and his early work with the musical group, the Del Reys. He relates his military service with the U.S. Air Force in Germany and his opportunity to play saxophone with the United Services Organization (USO). He shares his struggle to find work after leaving the military and discusses his offer to play for the Sunliners. He briefly describes the Sunliner's combining Conjunto and Norteño music styles favored by the group and elaborates on Sunny Ozuna's business decisions and the causes for the breakup of the Sunliners. He recalls the start up of the musical group, Latin Breed, with Rudy Guerra and defends the band's reasons for not hiring women. He discloses the intricacies of working as backup for female Tejana vocalist Lisa Lopez and explains his role as manager as well as musician for Latin Breed. He gives details on the band's finances, points out a number of the band's playing venues, and deplores the hazards and hardships of traveling with a band. He mentions Latin Breed's television appearances which included the variety show, 'Fanfarria Falcon,' and notes the extent of the band's tours across the United States following their fan base of Mexican American migrant agricultural laborers. He talks about the band's early recordings with Manny Guerra of Guerra Company Productions (GCP), and provides the circumstances surrounding the departure of Latin Breed's first vocalist, Jimmy Edwards. He discusses his reasons for getting off the road and acquiring his own booking agency, Texas Talent Musicians Association (TTMA), and bringing in Rudy Treviño as his partner. He details the selection process for the Tejano Music Awards and notes his brother, Cleto Escobedo (Jr.), was a musician for Paula Abdul.

Oral history interview with Alberto Luera, 1996 by Alberto, 1946 Luera( mixd )
1 edition published in 1996 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Alberto Luera begins with his family's background and attributes the family's immigration to the United States to the involvement of a relative, Eduardo Hernández, in the Mexican Revolution as a general under Pancho Villa. He speaks of his family's business enterprises and his brief alignment with the Republican Party during the popularity of the Democratic Party's Viva Kennedy Clubs. He assails the patrón system controlling politics in Webb County and South Texas and refers to the long reign of Laredo mayor J. C. 'Pepe' Martin, Jr. (Joseph Claude Martin, Jr.). He stresses his parents' emphasis on education and mentions his occasional foray into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He contrasts the social differences of Laredo, essentially a Mexican-American community, with that of Anglo-American dominated Kingsville, Texas, and describes his first exposure to race discrimination while at Texas A&I-Kingsville (Texas A&M University-Kingsville). He discusses his participation in the Political Association of Spanish-speaking Organizations (PASSO) and the Laredo Club while at Texas A&I and shares his support of Carlos Truan's campaign for Texas state representative. He talks about his efforts to launch the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in Corpus Christi with Viviana Santiago (Cavada) and Guadalupe Youngblood while they worked for SER-Jobs for Progress, Inc., and notes his efforts on a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) project in the Mexican-American neighborhoods of Corpus Christi. He recounts the circumstances of his firing and that of his colleagues from SER by Willie (William D.) Bonilla for their MAYO involvement. He explains the successful implentation of an action plan stemming from the 1969 MAYO conference held at La Lomita Mission in Mission, Texas and details his role as secretary for the organization with Texas MAYO chairman Mario Compean in San Antonio. He reveals his own election as chairman of MAYO in 1971 and considers the demise of MAYO to be the birth of the Raza Unida Party. He relates his success at getting the Raza Unida Party on the state ballot for the 1972 elections and boasts of the party's successful 1972 voter turnout. He philosophizes about the end of the Raza Unida Party in Webb County and places considerable blame on Ramsey Muñiz's conviction on drug charges. He speaks of the contributions of his first wife, Juanita Luera, to the Chicano movement and highlights his work culminating in the creation of Centro Aztlán (a.k.a. Centro Asociación de Servicios Sociales Aztlán, Inc., or APSS, Inc.). He chronicles Centro Aztlán's financial evolution and growth and brags particularly points of the aid given to political refugees from Central America. He highlights boosting the success of other organizations in South Texas such as Laredo Regional Food Bank, (Azteca) Economic Development and Preservation Corporation, Laredo-Webb Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc., and the unincorporated community of El Cenizo. He mentions his election support of Jim Hightower and laments the dwindling impact of League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Mexican American Legal and Educational Defense Fund (MALDEF), and American G.I. Forum.

Oral history interview with Vicente Ximenes, 2004 by Vicente Ximenes( mixd )
1 edition published in 1996 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Vicente Ximenes begins with his father's role in Floresville and South Texas politics in the 1930s and his work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He shares being a part of a Mexican American student co-op in Austin to help with college expenses at the University of Texas and recalls the group's lively debates on race discrimination. He reveals details of his military service at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico and in the Mediterranean theater during World War II and gives details about his family and his affiliation with the University of New Mexico. He talks about his work with the American G.I. Forum and his friendship with Dr. Hector García in the 1950s and 1960s and points out the involvement of New Mexico Senator Joseph Montoya, California Senator Edward Roybal, and (James) Carlos McCormick in the Viva Kennedy Clubs. He mentions the presence of Robert F. Kennedy at the American G.I. Forum Convention in Chicago in 1960, and discusses the job he took with the Agency for International Development as a program officer in Quito, Ecuador. He highlights his work for President Lyndon B. Johnson as director of the Viva Johnson Clubs (funded by the Democratic National Committee) for the 1964 presidential election. He recounts his encounter with Chicago mayor Richard Daley's cronies during his effort to organize Viva Johnson Clubs across the U.S. and describes the frenzied efforts to distribute a campaign newspaper, 'El Nuevo Piñon,' nationwide. He speaks of the political efforts of celebrities such as Ricardo Montalbán and of drafting Mexico's Cantinflas for a political rally. He alludes to Sargent Shriver's role in the War on Poverty after Johnson's reelection as an obstacle to further Mexican American involvement in national politics, apart from the creation of the Cabinet Committee on Opportunity for the Spanish-Speaking (a.k.a. Mexican American Affairs). He tells of his efforts to organize the White House Conference slated for El Paso, Texas to address Mexican American issues and spells out his reasons for resigning from his position under Sargent Shriver to take a post in Panama. He relates the circumstances that brought him back to Washington, D.C. as Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and discloses his pivotal conversation with New Mexico Senator Clint Anderson. He explains the real power was not through his role as EEOC commissioner but rather his post as chairman of the Cabinet Committee, along with the help of committee member John Gardner, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Ximenes takes credit for the creation and initiation of Affirmative Action programs, and attributes the assistance of John Macy, head of the U.S. Civil Service Commission, for its success. He notes flying on Air Force One and provides logistical details of the White House Conferences planned for San Antonio, Albuquerque, and El Paso, the last of which included Mexico's president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz to orchestrate the cessioning of the Rio Grande's El Chamizal. He laments his failure to win over George Sánchez and Cesar Chávez and exposes the complexity of the politics involved. He covers the involvement and activities of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), the Political Association of Spanish-speaking Organizations (PASSO), and the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) during the conference. He disputes the alleged walkout during the conference in El Paso and chronicles the conference events from the introduction of Texas governor John Connally to the reception of then vice president Humbert H. Humphrey. He cites bilingual education and immigration as sources of political contention between Mexican Americans and African Americans and talks about the role of Louis Martin, an African American journalist and colleague of Cuban origin, in the Viva Johnson Clubs. He gives his opinions on the Democratic Party, comments on Mexican American politicos Henry B. Gonzales, Albert Peña, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, and expresses his views on issues facing Mexican Americans.

Oral history interview with Salvador Espino, 2003 by Salvador Espino( mixd )
1 edition published in 1996 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Salvador Espino begins with his personal and family background and cites his family's involvement in All Saints Catholic Church for launching his community interests. He relates his work with the Hill Gilstrap law firm with his choice to concentrate on real estate law and refers to his service with the Latin Arts Association and the historic Rose Marine Theater. He contrasts his own bilingual experience with English and Spanish to that of his parents and his children and points to his earlier civic activities prior to running for public office. He shares his vision for the city of Fort Worth and his district in North Fort Worth, covers his election campaign strategy as a candidate for Fort Worth city council against incumbent Jim Lane and two other candidates, and mentions previous Hispanic American councilmen, Louis Zapata and Carlos Puente. He projects how incumbent mayor Kenneth Barr's decision not to seek reelection will play in his own campaign and provides details of his campaign financing and political advertising options. He talks about instilling basic values in Mexican American youth to stem dropout problems and praises programs for encouraging their achievement. He debates the issue of dual nationality in Mexico and notes the longterm domination of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional in Mexican party politics. He explores the effect of immigration and economic development on relations between Mexico and the United States and examines African American and Hispanic American relations. He expresses his political aspirations for the future, comments on prominent public figures Henry Cisneros and former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and discusses the problems of the Republican and Democratic parties.

Oral history interview with Ramón Hernández, 1996 by Ramón Hernández( mixd )
1 edition published in 1996 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Ramón Hernández begins with his backstage work as a celebrity photographer and tells about the start of his career as a publicist in the entertainment field. He provides anecdotes of his work for then-rising Tejano music star Selena and of helping Julio Iglesias early in his career. He reflects on freelance writing in San Antonio and on his role in the entertainment magazine market. He recalls his family background and childhood in San Antonio and his career in the United States Navy. He discusses the Tejano music market and debates the limitations of the term 'Tejano.' He comments on prominent Hispanic music artists and groups from Texas such as Freddy Fender, Trini Lopez, Vicki Carr, Little Joe, the Latinaires, Sam the Sham (Domingo Samudio) and the Pharaohs, Question Mark and the Mysterians, and the String-A-Longs. He describes the extent of his Hispanic Entertainment Archives and explains its purpose in exhibits for the Tejano Music Awards. He notes a trend in Tejano music from singing in Spanish toward singing in English and talks about Hispanic artist Gloria Estefan. He gives details of the development of Emilio Navaira's image and performance style and discloses Rosita Hernández as the first Hispanic entertainer to give beer endorsements in 1948. He attributes the Beatles' sound to Champ [sic, Chan] Romero's 'Hippy Hippy Shake,' and cites the Beatles' preference for Cannibal and the Headhunters, a band comprised of Mexican American musicians, as the opening band for their U.S. tour. He expounds on the Mexican American roots of rock and roll, regales the city of San Antonio for neglecting its true Hispanic heritage, and explores his hopes to evolve his Hispanic Entertainment Archives into a Tejano music hall of fame and museum.

Oral history interview with Horácio S. Ramírez, 2002 by Horácio S Ramírez( mixd )
1 edition published in 2002 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Judge Horácio Ramírez begins with his personal and family background and covers his education in Mexico. He briefly describes the attitudes of the Texas Rangers toward Mexican Americans during Prohibition, particularly Captain William McMurray, and segues into a discussion on land grants. He differentiates between Jim Hogg and Duval counties and touches on the Franciscan Fathers at Scottus College. He tells about Mexican Americans involved in local banking institutions and gives details about his missions in the U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He focuses on his election campaigns and funding efforts and speaks at length about the 1956 murder investigation into the death of his uncle, Francisco Barrera Guerra, Jr., and the ensuing trial against Rafael Garza. He shares information on his Duval County Judge election win over incumbent O. P. (Oscar) Carillo and expounds on the local economy and his efforts at handling public services for the unincorporated county areas, and notes the county's sources of income. He talks about a number of area ranches and mentions a number of prominent Mexican American politicians such as Sylvia García, Ciro Rodríguez, and Rudy Gutiérrez.

Oral history interview with Juan Chuy Hinojosa 2003 by Juan Chuy Hinojosa( mixd )
1 edition published in 2003 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa begins with his family's background and recalls their deportation to Mexico by the United States Immigration and Nautralization Services Border Patrol despite his American birthright. He shares numerous incidents of the race discrimination he experienced in South Texas, but praises the school system in Mission. He discusses his education and military service and talks about his run for the Texas House of Representatives against Eddie de la Garza, grandson to U.S. Congressman Eligio 'Kika' de la Garza. He reveals his campaign finances and the grassroots campaign strategy he learned from his mentor John Luke Hill, Jr. He speaks of his efforts in office to unify and strengthen the Mexican American caucus and tells of his budget confrontation with Speaker of the House Bill(y) Clayton in order to keep farm chemical regulation under the Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Hightower. He explains his non-partisan voting record by citing a vote on redistricting and touts his legislative successes. He elaborates on his struggle with the University of Texas System Chancellor, William H. Cunningham, to bring the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) to South Texas. He shares his decision to run for the Texas Senate seat vacated by Carlos Truán and expresses his gratitude for the financial support he garnered in Corpus Christi, Texas to run and win against Tony Canales' granddaughter, Barbara Canales Black. He points out the differences between working in the Texas House of Representatives and working in the Texas Senate, and contrasts the Republican and Democratic Parties in Texas. He talks about a case he tried prior to introducing legislation, with the help of Judith Zafarrini, for victims of Battered Woman Syndrome and tells about the clean up operation of chemical dumping from the Hayes Sammons Chemical Company on the property of Celia Muñoz. He contrasts the camaraderie of his Marine Corps squad in Vietnam to his first-year impressions and discomfort at Georgetown University and refers to the La Raza Law Students Association he started in the Washington, D.C. area as a student.

Oral history interview with Rafael Anchia, 2003 by Rafael Anchia( mixd )
1 edition published in 2003 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Rafael Anchia begins with his family's history and his educational background. He compares the makeup of the Hispanic community of Dallas, Texas with that of Miami, Florida and discusses Dallas Independent School District (DISD) redistricting options for Mexican American and African American communities in Dallas. He mentions Oak Cliff resident Ramiro López and notes the lack of cohesion among the Hispanic community and throughout Dallas in general. He explains his preference for the Democratic Party and applauds the work of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). He speaks at length on his accomplishments as a DISD board member and expresses particular concern for recruiting bilingual teachers and decreasing the drop out rate. He talks about his exposure to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) while working with former Texas Secretary of State David Dean and details his wife's family's political connections in South Texas, specifically referring to his father-in-law, Horacio Ramírez. He tells about creating the Southern Dallas Leadership Forum to mentor students at Sunset and Adamson High Schools and contrasts the bilingual education program in Dallas with that of Dade County, Florida. He argues against the voucher system as a means of improving educational opportunities in Texas and debates the validity of the Texas Education Agency's assessment tests. He tells about his campaign finances and comments on prominent Mexican American politicos Henry Cisneros and Tony Sánchez.