Luciano "Lucky" Salinas was born in 1950 in Galveston. During the segregation era of the island, Salinas the attended Mexican American Goliad Elementary School. By the time he was in tenth grade, he would attended the integrated Ball High School. Due to a lack of college funding, Salinas opted to enlist in the Vietnam War. After serving in the war, he would attend Laredo Community College briefly before enrolling at the University of Houston. While at UH, Salinas became involved in student activism and took the first classes offered by the Center for Mexican American Studies. He talks about his involvement in the UH Mexican American Youth Organization, the various Mexican American student groups on campus, what he learned in the CMAS courses and how they shaped his worldview, his involvement in the Association for the Mexican American Advancement, and how he has dedicated his life to education endeavors.

Izola Collins was born in Galveston, Texas in 1929. Her mother's family has been on the island since the 1860s when her great grandfather, Horace Scull, moved his children and wife into the area. Her grandfather, Ralph Albert Scull, was one of the first African American teachers in Galveston. She grew up in the East End of the Island, where she believed a life of luxury although her family was poor. She attended Central High School and joined the band and learned about African American history. She left the Island in the late 1940s to attend Prairie View A&M and graduated with a degree in music. She began teaching the Bay City band, then left to Evanston to attend Northwestern where she received her Master's in music in 1953. Collins returned to Galveston and taught music at different schools in the area (Hitchcock) and at Goliad and Stephen F. Austin schools. She became celebrated as her students represented Galveston in different state competitions. In 1986, she ran for the board of the Galveston Independent School District and won. Collins served for 9 years and became president of the board during her last term. She has been recently involved in the …

Mr. Serna discussed his childhood and career in Robstown, Texas.

David H. O'Neal was born in 1948 in Galveston. He comes from a family of three people who traveled to the South to make a living. O'Neal grew-up in a few African-American housing projects on the island. He attended Central High, the first African-American high school in Texas, and his was the last class to graduate before the creation of the integrated Ball High. O'Neal relocated to Houston in 1966 to enroll in the University of Houston, where he would participate in student activism and the creation of an African-American fraternity (the Omega Theta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity). He returned to the island after graduating from college. In Galveston, O'Neal started a career as a post office worker, served on the Board of Trustees for Galveston Independent School District, and participated in the preservation of African-American history on the island. O'Neal talks about experiences with discrimination, how significant Central High was to African-Americans, his decision to attend college over enlisting to serve in the Vietnam War, the role of African-American fraternities, his involvement in Afro-Americans for Black Liberation and the Black Student Union, cross-racial student endeavors, African American Studies at UH, and his commitment to racial uplift. He …

Discussed his career as a minister and a member of the school board.

Cornelia Harris Banks was born in Galveston in 1947.She grew up in a neighborhood on the South of Broadway, which was a mixed neighborhood. Harris Banks witnessed segregated public spaces on the Island and the integration of schools in the 1960s. She graduated from high school in 1965 and attended Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, where she remained until 1996. Upon her return to Galveston in the late 1990s, she became very involved in the community. Subsequently, Harris Banks became the first African American Woman City Council member on the Island in 2000. During her tenure, she became involved in housing efforts (which she continues to work on in present day), in creating parks and recreation spaces, and revitalizing Galveston in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Harris Banks is also involved in the local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and in local preservation efforts that highlight the history of African Americans in Galveston.

Doug W. Matthews was born in 1951 in Galveston and was raised in the Westend community. While he experienced the segregation of public venues, such as the seawall, restaurants, and movie theaters, Matthews' parents encouraged him to control his own future by working twice as hard. Matthews attend Central High, the first African-American High School in Texas, for three years and benefited from the school's academic rigor and dedication to all of its students. His senior year at the integrated Ball High played a critical role in Matthews' career path, as his academic and athletic achievements along with the relationships he forged paved the way for his tenure as a grants coordinator and city manager. He talks about the multitude of federal grants available in the 1970s and how he secured monies for urban planning and employment training. Matthews also discusses his experiences at Lamar University, how he worked to bridge the gap between the city government's middle class perception of neighborhood improvement and the unmet basic needs of the African-American community, how Galveston cultivated its tourist industry, the resurrection of Mardi Gras celebrations on the island, his role in the maintenance of Juneteenth celebrations, the struggles to preserve the …

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 …

Lionel Lopez is a retired firefighter and resident of Corpus Christi, Texas. He and his wife Juanita founded the South Texas Colonia Initiative, Inc, an organization that provides information and services to people in Colonias, communities in South Texas that often lack basic living necessities.

Mr. Hernandez discussed his career as county employee and local activist.

Mr. Vallecillo was raised in the Rio Grande Valley by Mexican immigrant parents. In his youth, he quickly became aware of the discriminatory attitudes towards Mexican-Americans in communities like Harlingen. Mr. Vallecillo worked in the Valley as a school teacher and coach for several years after college. As years went on, he became more directly involved in activism, working with the Texas Rural Legal Aid and eventually joining the GI Forum and most recently, founding the Southwest Institute on Poverty and Civil Rights.

Maria Jiménez was born in Coahuila, Mexico in 1957. Having grown-up in a political household, she would migrate to Houston at the age of six. Jiménez discusses Mexican American segregation in Magnolia Park and how that experience shaped her youth activism. She also discusses her involvement in the Young Democrats, the University of Houston Mexican American Youth Organization, her bid for state representative against Ben Reyes under the Raza Unida ticket, and the Dixiecrats. Jiménez also addresses fights for gender equality in the Texas Chicana/o Movement, Black and Brown collaboration, and her participation in labor movements in Mexico. Lastly, she talks about her life-long dedication to immigrant and human rights.

Nancy Vera received her degrees from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, including her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership. Vera specializes in working with at-risk students who are in danger of dropping out and live in poverty. Vera is President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council No. 4444. She pioneered “Operation Right Track” a public campaign to raise awareness about gang violence, drug, and alcohol abuse. In her interview, she discussed her career as a union organizer/AFT president of Corpus Christi.