Gilbert Herrera was born in Lubbock, Texas. His father, a police officer, died on duty. Herrera was raised by a single mother. Having few economic opportunities, as a child he would break into homes to find food. As a teenager, Herrera joined a gang and eventually was jailed or imprisoned three times. He left prison a final time days before his mother died of cancer. During the early 1970s, Herrera began to lead and grow the West Texas Brown Berets. He organized several marches against police brutality and other social causes, including marches alongside African Americans, in and outside of Lubbock. Herrera is now a Baptist minister and leads a political action group in Lubbock named La Fuerza.

Juan Chávez was born in Colorado of ethnic Mexicans. As a young child, his father died and his family moved from a Colorado mining town to Muleshoe, Texas. In Muleshoe, Chávez remembers facing discrimination and African American children having to go to an African American school. He, as most other ethnic Mexican children in Muleshoe at the time, left school after seventh grade and began working. As a young man, he joined Chicanos Unidos Campesinos, a Muleshoe organization. He also helped lead the Raza Unida Party in the Southern Plains of Texas. He was also a part of the Brown Berets, the UFW, and the Texas Farmworkers Union. He attended demonstrations and marches in various cities like San Antonio, El Paso, Austin, and Washington D.C. with this various parties/groups/organizations. Chavez became the first Mexican American Muleshoe city council member and later the first Mexican American Bailey County Commissioner.

Richard Orton's family came from Nacogdoches, but he spent most of his childhood in Midland. He went to UNT and then moved to Austin, where he worked at one of the first rape crisis centers in the nation. He also founded an organization to help and educate others about child sexual abuse. Orton is a photographer, which is how he became involved with the Upshaw family, who are the descendants of freed slaves who founded County Line, a community near Nacogdoches. Mr. Orton began a photograph project documenting the community, which is now a book. Mr. Orton described his career helping to found rape crisis centers, working with child sexual abuse victims, and his connections to the County Line community, founded by freed slaves.

This is a wide-ranging interview by Mario Salas from his time as a child to his aspirations in the political arena

Trini Gamez was born and raised in South Texas, and her father died when she was a child. She married at eighteen and moved to Hereford, Texas with her husband as migrant laborer. She later joined the local PTA and joined the school system as a teachers aid where she began to see discrimination. Thus began her journey to register voters, run for office herself, work for legal aid groups, and promote labor rights.

Eric Strong was born in 1952 and raised in Lubbock, Texas. As a child, he grew up in East Lubbock—the African American area of segregated Lubbock. Upon graduating from Dunbar High School, he attended Texas A&M University Prairie View and then obtained a masters degree from Texas Tech University. Strong worked for Texas Tech University and upon retirement began dedicated his life to the preservation and development of East Lubbock. He now helps lead Lubbock’s Roots Historical Arts Council Roots Historical Arts Council.

Ms. Jones was born in Trinity, Texas. Her parents were educators, and she moved a lot as a child following them to different schools. When she graduated from high school in Conroe at Booker T. Washington, she briefly attended TSU. After a time in Michigan, she eventually began a career with the postal service in Houston, where she retired from a management position. In her interview, Ms. Jones describes segregation in Cleveland and Conroe, Texas, her educational career, her experiences in the north as compared to Texas, her career with the postal service and discrimination on the job, the current status of race relations in Conroe and efforts to reinvigorate the alumni association for Booker T. Washington school.

Mr. Herbert Cross was born and raised near Fort Worth. He was drafted into the Marines during the Korean War, where he served for two years. He then went to college and was hired by Dunbar High School in Fort Worth. He then became principal at an elementary. He was tapped to be assistant principal of Lufkin High School the first year of integration and continued as a principal in the Lufkin School District until his retirement in the 1980s. In the interview, Mr. Cross describes the discrimination he and his family faced as a child, particularly after the family joined a lawsuit for better facilities in their school, his time in the military, his fight for equal treatment as a teacher and administrator in the Lufkin school system, how integration went during his time as principal, and the discrimination he faced from his colleagues.

Vickie Gomez was born in Barstow, Texas. Both her father and grandfather tended goats when Gomez was a child. Her family moved to Odessa in 1945, and Gomez attended mixed Anglo and Mexican schools. Gomez first when to Odessa High School and then Ector County High School, where she graduated from in 1959. Gomez then went to Odessa College, after being discouraged from attending university by a high school counselor. At the same time, she became the first Hispanic to work for the city’s First National Bank. After attending Odessa College for six years, Gomez went to the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated from in 1972. When she returned to Odessa, she began working as an administrator for the University of Texas Premium Basin. In 1976, Gomez ran for Ector County ISD Board of Trustees. She won an at-large election with a black and brown coalition. Gomez helped push integration in Odessa schools.

Irene Favila was raised in Lockney, Texas. As a child and teenager, Favila’s family would migrate to Kansas and Colorado during the summers to work in agricultural fields. After graduating from high school, Favila did not attend college—being discouraged by school officials—and entered the workforce. She then entered court reporting school in Plainview, Texas and worked as a court reporter in Amarillo, Texas—perhaps becoming the first Mexican American court reporter in the Texas Panhandle. Favila then moved back to the Plainview area and began working for Motivation, Education, and Training (a migrant farmworker services organization) from 1975 to 2015. Favila was elected as the first person of color in the Plainview City Council. She has been a lifelong member of LULAC and has been instrumental in promoting voting rights and educational rights in Plainview—helping launch Department of Justice investigations in the town and Hail County along with marches.

Arnoldo De Leon was born in 1945 in Corpus Christi, Texas. His family lived in Chapman Ranch, an unincorporated community in Nueces County, south of Corpus Christi. In 1956, the De Leons and their family of ten children moved to Robstown. De Leon graduated from high school in 1962 after which he worked in the cotton fields of the area to save up for college, a job he had during summers as a child and teenager. He attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, but he could not afford to attend longer than a year. He joined the military in order to attend college, joining the U.S. Air Force from 1963-1967. While stationed in San Angelo, Texas, he attended Angelo State University where he obtained his B.A. in history in 1970. TCU recruited De Leon, where he obtained his M.A. and PhD in history (1974). He taught Mexican American history at Angelo State and authored or co-authored 21 books.

Mrs. Reece was born in 1929 in what is now Montgomery. Reece grew up in the outskirts of Conroe. Her most memorable childhood racist moment occurred when she was told that she could no longer check out books from a book store because of her race. Because of that incident, Reece vowed to become a librarian and allow every child to have access to books. Reece graduated high school in Oklahoma after the death of her sister. Reece heard about the lynching that occurred at the court house in the 1940s. Reece had difficulties finding schools in Texas that would allow her to get a degree in Library Science. She had to go to school in Denver. Reece received another degree in Atlanta during the 1950s. During that time, she met Martin Luther King, Jr. at his father's church. Reece spoke of the importance of education and the lack of resources at the library of Booker T. Washington. Reece discussed some resistance that she and other Black teachers carried out following integration. One notable act of resistance occurred when she refused to move to another school following integration.

The Paul sisters were raised in Dayton, where their grandfather had owned and operated a farm, passed down to their father. Born ten years apart, the sisters lived in a segregated neighborhood, attended, and graduated from a segregated school. They both left for careers before returning to the area. In their interview, they described their family's history, segregation in Dayton, the differences between white and black schools, the effect of Brown v. Board, their career paths, changes in Dayton, and what they'd like to see in the future.

Emelio E. Abeyta was born in the Santa Rosa, New Mexico area. His family moved to Littlefield for his father’s work. Abeyta began attending Catholic seminary in Santa Fe, New Mexico and then Ohio as a teenager. He served as a priest in various West Texas towns. While serving in Slaton, Texas, Abeyta ran for school board, becoming the first ethnic Mexican school board member and aiding in the integration of the town’s schools. He left the priesthood to work for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Afterwards, he attended law school in the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He returned to West Texas, Lubbock, to practice law. In Lubbock Abeyta also ran for a judgeship.

Mr. Walters was born and raised in Ames, Texas. He grew up on his family's farm; his father worked as a cowboy on a nearby ranch. He attended the Catholic school in Ames, a Creole settlement, until junior high, when he attended West Liberty High. In 1969, he participated in integration. After persistent discrimination, he left high school and joined the military, where he stayed until 1976. He then began work at Texaco. In his interview, Mr. Walters describes the history of Ames, his father's career and encounters with racism, the difficulties of integration, and discrimination in both the military and at work.

Mario spoke about growing up in La Pryor, Texas. He remembered his dad working in the Blewett mines near Uvalde; he talks a bit about the culture there because it was a company town. He talked about the discrimination his father felt in the mines and how his dad organized for union representation in the mine. His family moved to Uvalde in the 1950s. He talked about the segregated schooling in Uvalde--separate schools for ethnic Mexicans and African Americans. He talked about the reprimands he would receive for speaking Spanish in school. He also spoke about the importance of education to his family. Cruz left Uvalde for San Antonio to pursue a nursing degree/career but he retired in Uvalde later in life.

Joann Davenport Littleton was born and raised in Crane, Texas. In Crane’s high school, Davenport Littleton became the first African American class president. Indeed, her mother was the first African American to graduate from the same high school. As a talented volleyball player, she received an academic scholarship to Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Davenport Littleton did not like the athletic structure she had to adhere to and left Angelo State University after a semester. She moved to Odessa and worked for the city as well as a privet company while joining the Ector County Democrats. In 1990, deeming south Odessa being underserved, Davenport Littleton ran for city council. She won with a majority ethnic Mexican electorate. In the city council she worked to bring development and city services to south Odessa as well as to clean the environmental problems of that city section.

Mrs. Jordan has worked as a community social worker mainly servicing the Hispanic/Latino population in mainly Houston and Montgomery County. Jordan has worked to ensure that the Hispanic/Latino population has access to resources. Jordan consistently collaborates with other organizations that fosters multiracial collaborations. Jordan discussed growing up in Houston and Aldine. Jordan's family left the Barrio in Houston and moved to the more rural Aldine when she was three. Jordan discussed the different cultural practices she learned by having Cuban and Mexican parents, visiting the Barrio and living in a predominantly white and rural area. Jordan witnessed violence between residents of the Barrio and law enforcement. Jordan also discussed her experience with school integration. Jordan describes the changes in racial demographics of Montgomery County and efforts to secure political representation through creating and sustaining a multiracial coalition.

Kelton Sams Jr. was born in Galveston in 1943. He grew up on 43rd Street close to the Palm Terrace Housing Projects North of Broadway, mostly an African American area. He attended Central High School, the historic Black School. During spring break of junior year at Central, he led a sit-in at different lunch counters on the Island. This demonstration led to the desegregation of restaurants in Galveston. Following the sit-ins, Sams led other efforts on the Island including the desegregation of a Dairy Queen and Stewart Beach. Upon his graduation from Central High School in 1961, he left Galveston and attended Texas Southern University where he quickly became active in different movements including protesting segregated movie theaters and voting registration efforts. Sams briefly became involved in Houston's War on Poverty programs through the Harris County Community Action Agency, where he led several initiatives. Mr. Sams has also been involved with the Unitarian Church and has worked for the City of Houston in urban development as a contractor until his recent retirement. In 2015, Mr. Sams published a book entitled Growing Up In Galveston, Texas, where he shared his story growing up on the Island and his experiences in desegregation …

Cristina E. Martinez was born in 1961 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Arriving in the United States when she was twelve years old, her family settled in Katy, a northeastern suburb of Houston, Texas. She witnessed sexual discrimination due to her unwillingness to hide that she was a Mexican lesbian. Martinez would eventually be kicked out of her house and was taken in by LGBTQ members of the Montrose community. Due to her experiences, she would found a Rainbow House for queer youth who experienced homelessness. She has participated in several efforts to address Latina/o queer issues, including the founding of a Gay and Lesbian Rainbow Pages of supportive businesses and a Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in San Antonio. She discusses how Latina/o LGBTQ issues have been left out of the mainstream LGBTQ movement as well as discrimination within the Latina/o community. Martinez also talks about her involvement in fundraising and organizing efforts through the Gay and Lesbian Latino Organization and the creation of AIDS advocacy campaigns. Due to her work in the Queer community, she has received numerous awards.

Daniel Bustamante was born in Corpus Christi in 1948 and was raised in both Mathis and Corpus Christi. He grew up in a farm worker family and attended the "Mexican" School in Mathis. His activist consciousness began in 1965, when he left to California to work in the fields--the discrimination he faced changed him. In addition, he became a conscious objector during the Vietnam War. He attended Del Mar College from 1967-1969, where he became involved in the Anti-War Movement, the Young Democrats, and supported the UFW Grape Boycott. He moved to Houston in 1969 to attend the University of Houston. At UH, he became involved in MAYO efforts. In 1975, he hosted a party that ended in an incident of police brutality. Bustamante, along with 2 other activists (Eddie Canales and Elliot ?) sued HPD in Federal Court and won in 1979. In 1977-1978, in the aftermath of the Joe Campos Torres death and the Moody Park Rebellion, Bustamante led several marches and pickets to demonstrate against police brutality in Houston. In the late 1970s, he worked at Casa de Amigos in the Northside, an institution geared to address health care isses and drug abuse in the community. In …

Alford Littleton was born in Corvell County, Texas. His family briefly moved to California then returned to Texas when moving to Odessa during the 1950s. Littleton attended segregated schools while in Odessa and graduated valedictorian from Blackshear High School. Littleton attended the University of Texas at Austin for two years, but he returned to Odessa to work and raise a family. In Odessa, Littleton became the first African American to work within Shell’s refinery lab. He later started his own engineering testing company in Dallas, Texas—the first such company in Dallas owned by an African American.

Video recording of a group interview with Victor San Miguel and David Gomez, two of the current leaders of the Brown Berets in San Antonio, Texas. During the interview each of the men discusses his background and upbringing, and how he came to join the organization. Additionally, Mr. San Miguel explains the role of the southside Brown Berets and the philosophy of Carnalismo including anecdotes about traveling to other cities in Texas to organize Brown Berets, as well as several specific protests where they got involved.

Mr. Calyen was born and raised in Conroe, Texas. He lived in a segregated neighborhood and attended Booker T. Washington schools until 1966, when he participated in "freedom of choice" and attended Conroe High School. While in high school, he participated in three marches in 1964 and 1965 to protest continued discrimination. He graduated in 1968 and enrolled in the military. He spent a year in Vietnam and then moved to New York City, where he married and spent almost thirty years as a postal carrier. He then returned to Conroe where he has remained active in his community. Mr. Calyen described race relations in Conroe in the 50s and 60s, segregation and integration, the black community, the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, his experiences in New York as compared to Conroe, and community activism in Conroe since the 1990s.