Oral History Interview with Margaret Toal on June 29, 2016. captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Margaret Toal on June 29, 2016.

Discussed her experiences as a white woman living in a quickly changing racial environment, her experiences with gender and race, and her work as a journalist covering the civil rights movement and its struggles.
Date: June 29, 2016
Creator: Grevious, Danielle; Bobadilla, Eladio & Toal, Margaret
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Margie Chumbley, Anita Farr, Thelma Sexton, and Elizabeth Simpson, June 21, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Margie Chumbley, Anita Farr, Thelma Sexton, and Elizabeth Simpson, June 21, 2016

Ms. Chumbley was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She worked as an elementary school teacher prior to integration and as a substitute while her children were small. She then became a teacher with Head Start. In the group interview, Ms. Chumbley describes her community and both going to and working for the segregated school system, as well as police brutality, African-American businesses, family structures, and the community involvement in raising children. Ms. Farr was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She went to Stephen F. Austin State University shortly after integration and became a nurse working for Lufkin State School and, later, worked as a nurse for Nacogdoches school district. In the group interview, she described life in segregated Nacogdoches, police brutality, African-American businesses, discrimination in her working career, protests and marches in Nacogdoches, and local politics. Ms. Sexton was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She attended EJ Campbell school prior to integration and Stephen F. Austin State University shortly after it integrated. She then worked for Lufkin State School until her retirement. In the group interview interview, she described her neighborhood, segregation in Nacogdoches, police brutality, protests and marches for equality, and the African-American community and businesses. Ms. Simpson was …
Date: July 29, 2016
Creator: Chumbley, Margie; Farr, Anita; Sexton, Thelma; Simpson, Elizabeth & May, Meredith
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Lionel Lopez, June 21, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Lionel Lopez, June 21, 2016

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.
Date: June 21, 2016
Creator: Lopez, Lionel; Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés & Wall, James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with I.D. Henderson, June 10, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with I.D. Henderson, June 10, 2016

I.D. Henderson, Jr. was the first Black County Commissioner of Angelina County, Texas. He served in that position from the early 1980s until the early 2000s. He was very involved in Lufkin politics and helped to improve the infrastructure of the Black Lufkin community. Mr. Henderson is also a war veteran who served in Vietnam and Korea. Mr. Henderson discussed the segregation and discrimination he witnessed from his birth in the Lufkin area in the late 1920s, his time in the military and his return to Lufkin in the 1970s. Mr. Henderson discussed receiving death threats before and after he won his county commissioner office. Also Mr. Henderson discussed his involvement in many other organizations.
Date: June 6, 2016
Creator: Howard, Jasmin & Henderson, I.D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Herby Garza, June 27, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Herby Garza, June 27, 2016

Herby Garza discussed career as a letter carrier in Corpus Christi and president of the Letter Carriers Union local.
Date: June 27, 2016
Creator: Accuna-Gurrola, Moises; Wall, James & Garza, Herby
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Brenda Spivey on June 27, 2016. captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Brenda Spivey on June 27, 2016.

Discussed her mother's work as a domestic, the family's encounters with racism, her entrepreneurship, and her work on civil rights and black women's empowerment.
Date: June 27, 2016
Creator: Grevious, Danielle; Bobadilla, Eladio & Spivey, Brenda
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Lee and Toddrick Proctor, July 21, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Charles Lee and Toddrick Proctor, July 21, 2016

Mr. Lee grew up in Conroe. He attended and graduated from Booker T. Washington. In the mid-1960s, he was part of a protest of Walgreen's drug store, demanding integration. He and two others were arrested for their actions and only released when the FBI intervened. Mr. Lee then worked several jobs before becoming a minister. In his interview, he describes segregation in Conroe, police brutality, the Walgreen's march, discrimination at work, Conroe Bible College, interracial relationships, and the continued struggles of the African-American community in Conroe. Mr. Proctor also grew up in Conroe. He attended Conroe's schools, graduated from high school, worked in the timber industry, and became a truck driver. In his interview, Mr. Proctor describes his experience growing up in Conroe in the 1980s and 1990s, the continued prevalence of racial discrimination, Ku Klux Klan recruiting efforts in the 1990s, a riot over Klan activity at the high school in the 1990s, the economic and systemic decline of the historically African-American parts of Conroe, and the many ways Conroe has re-segregated.
Date: July 21, 2016
Creator: Lee, Charles; Proctor, Toddrick; May, Meredith & Howard, Jasmin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Tommy Wilkerson, July 19, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Tommy Wilkerson, July 19, 2016

Mr. Wilkerson was born in Montgomery, Texas. He attended segregated schools in Montgomery and remained active in the area. In his interview, Mr. Wilkerson described how segregation operated in Montgomery, the state of education for African-American children, his family's history in the area, and his work in volunteering, community outreach, and as a member of the city council.
Date: July 19, 2016
Creator: Howard, Jasmin; May, Meredith & Wilkerson, Tommy
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Jordan, June 16, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with John Jordan, June 16, 2016

Recounted role as a leader of the Letter Carrier's union.
Date: June 16, 2016
Creator: Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés; Wall, James & Jordan, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Marjorie Adams, July 20, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Marjorie Adams, July 20, 2016

Described her family's acquisition of land from former slaveowners, discrimination and segregation, political activism, and community work.
Date: July 20, 2016
Creator: Adams, Marjorie & Grevious, Danielle
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joe Bernal, July 5, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Joe Bernal, July 5, 2016

The second part of a two part interview focuses on the early years of his political career, his relationship with the Good Government League and some of his accomplishments as a state representative. Throughout the interview, Mr. Bernal talks about the political and economic context in San Antonio. At the end of the interview, he talks about the role of Raza Unida in his eventual electoral defeat.
Date: July 5, 2016
Creator: Bernal, Joe; Sinta, Vinicio & Arionus, Steve
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Maggie Salinas on July 21, 2016. captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Maggie Salinas on July 21, 2016.

Discussed childhood and life in Kingsville, Texas.
Date: February 21, 2017
Creator: Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés; Wall, James & Salinas, Maggie
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Chris Reyes Mendeke, July 15, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Chris Reyes Mendeke, July 15, 2016

Cresencia Reyes Mendeke ("Chris") was born in the late 20s and raised in Uvalde during the Great Depression. In her interview, she talked about the strict segregation in the town during those years. She attended a "Mexican school" for her early education, and recalled the neglect and disinterest in educating the Mexican American children. She also talked about her father's role as a benefactor in their neighborhood, and of his relationship with a prominent family of Anglo business owners. After finishing school and working in a local Penney's store for some time, Mendeke married and moved around, as she and her husband looked for opportunities in and out of Uvalde. Eventually, they settled in the Los Angeles area, and found professional work. Later, they became licensed realtors and opened their own office in Buena Park. After several decades, the Mendekes retired and moved back to Uvalde in the eighties, and Chris was determined to get involved in local affairs. She joined the local Democratic party and helped run local campaigns; she was also a ranking member of the Mexican American Democrats (later the Tejano Democrats). In recent years, Mendeke spearheaded the restoration and marking of the Nicolas Street School, the …
Date: July 15, 2016
Creator: Sinta, Vinicio; Arionus, Steve & Mendeke, Chris Reyes
System: The Portal to Texas History