Billie Caviel was raised in East Texas, attending all African American Schools. She attended university and pharmacy school at Texas Southern University in Houston. Once graduating, Caviel and her husband, who was also a pharmacist, moved to Lubbock, Texas to work for a Jewish pharmacist because no one else would give them jobs in the state because they were African American. Caviel and her husband later founded their own pharmacy, which they kept open for forty-nine years. Caviel also served as a Lubbock ISD school board member for a number of years during the early 1990s.

Mr. Galvan shares his personal history as a musician and store owner in Corpus Christi.

Richardson discusses his personal history as an African-American in San Antonio, Texas, learning about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Austin, and creating a branch in San Antonio.

Chance Henson discussed his "coming out" story, his work to help other LGBT members of the community, and particularly his work to found Beaumont's first ever Pride parade/movement.

Christina Morales was born in the East End, a Mexican-American enclave in Houston, TX. As the granddaughter of Felix H. Morales and Angela Morales, she grew up in the Morales Funeral Home and became the director at the young age of twenty-three. Morales discusses the many efforts of her grandparents to provide social services for the Latina/o community. She speaks about how her grandmother was dedicated to philanthropy and how she has become involved in education campaigns through the Morales foundation. Morales also talks about how her grandfather established the first Spanish-language radio station, KLVL, and how it provided news and job advertisements.The Morales Funeral home had to establish their own cemetery because they ran into issues when trying to bury Mexican-Americans in Houston, and what it means for the community to memorialize the many efforts of her grandparents.

Guadalupe Quintanilla was born in Ojinaga,Chihuahua Mexico. For most of her childhood, she moved around to different states in Mexico as she lived with her paternal grandparents. During her childhood, Dr. Quintanilla did not receive any formal schooling; her grandparents, however, taught her how to read and write. When her grandfather became ill, she moved to Brownsville to live with her father. Although her father enrolled her in school, she dropped out shortly because she felt discriminated against. Dr. Quintanilla married at a young age, and by 21, she had 3 children. When her children reached a school age, the discriminatory practices they faced led her to learn English and attend college. She enrolled at Southmost College then transferred to Pan American College (now UTRGV). Her family moved to Houston in the late 1960s, and she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Houston, where she became the first director for the Center for Mexican-American Studies and the first Latina administrator in the university. Dr. Quintanilla became heavily involved with Houston's Mexican-American community, all while earning her Education degree from UH. She developed the Cross-Cultural Communication Program, a bilingual and cultural education program to bridge law enforcement officers and …

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.

Ms. Simmons was born and raised in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in segregated Lufkin and graduated from Dunbar High School. She then became a nurse at Woodland Heights hospital, married, became a mother, and remained civically active. Ms. Simmons described growing up in segregated Lufkin, her experiences in elementary and high school, discrimination she experienced on the job at the hospital, black businesses in Lufkin, a sit-in at Lufkin's Dairy Queen, and her son's experience integrating at Lufkin High School.

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.

Richard E. Reyes was born in 1951 and grew-up in the Northside of Houston. As a young adult, he would become heavily involved in the arts and would create the Pancho Claus play about a Mexican Santa Claus donned in a Zoot Suit that provides toys for barrio youth. Reyes also served as the director of Talento Bilinque de Houston, a bilingual arts center that has played a critical role in providing creative outlets for Latina/o youth. He discusses his involvement in gang prevention efforts, addressing AIDS in the Latina/o community though the Chicana/o Family Center, the benefits of the Low rider culture, the struggle to find funding for Latina/o art, cross-racial efforts in the art scene, and his thoughts on the recent gentrification of Second Ward.

Mr. Monroe discussed his upbringing in a segregated Port Arthur, his father's work to desegregate the city and the local college, and his own work to improve the conditions of minorities and disadvantaged students.

Vic Medina recounted his father's experience with discrimination in the Corpus Christi area.

Victor Hernandez was born in the Chamizal area of El Paso, Texas. Once the area was bought by the federal government to build the Chamizal National Monument, his family moved the the Lower Valley of El Paso, Texas. While in high school, he was part of the ROTC. Hernandez was salsa part of the ROTC at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he graduated from. Hernandez then went to law school at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He stayed in Lubbock and served in the National Guard—with which he served in Operation Desert Storm. Upon his return to Lubbock, Hernandez practiced law and ran for City Council. Hernandez served several terms as a city council member and ran for mayor in 2016, a race he lost.

Bobby Caldwell was born in Dallas in 1934. He grew up in different areas of Dallas, and faced barriers with discrimination and health issues as he had polio at age 3. He moved to Houston to attend Texas Southern University, and in 1957, he earned his law degree. He began practicing law in the 1960s, and quickly became involved in defending student activists, beginning with SNCC. Mr. Caldwell also became involved in pressing HISD to include African American studies in their curriculum, a movement led by the NAACP. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, he began defending more militant activists including the members of the Peoples Party II, the TSU Five, and other student movements across the country. In 2014, Caldwell received a Lifetime Award from the Black Panthers for his commitment to defend Houston's African American community.

Mr. Pollard was born and raised in Central Heights, Texas. A relatively young man, he had an easy transition coming out as a gay man. In his parts of the interview, he describes the, discrimination he heard about, what made his time easier in comparison to others, and the changes he has witnessed in the area. Mr. Pierce was born and raised in Wells, Texas. He came out to his family when he was sixteen in the 1980s. He then began a career as a hairdresser in Tyler prior to moving to Alabama and then back to the Nacogdoches area. Mr. Pierce, while he did not experience overt discrimination himself, described the treatment of people he knew in the area. Mr. McClain was raised in Houston, Texas. He served in the military prior to moving to be near family in Nacogdoches in the 1960s, where he worked at a radio station. Mr. McClain, a white, straight man, described his experiences witnessing racism and discrimination against gay men.

Diana Lyons was born in Galveston, Texas in 1954, and grew up on the west side of the Island. Although she experienced integration during her school years, Lyons faced discrimination in the schools she attended, including colorism and being placed in Special Education classes due to her behavior. Lyons also witnessed several episodes of racial tension on the Island. She would drop out of school and attend beauty and nursing school. Most recently, she has been involved in the Residents’ council of the Holland House, a public housing building, where the group addresses the needs of the community.Clifton O’Neal was born in Galveston, Texas in 1954. He group up in housing projects such as Palm Terrace and Oak Terrace. He attended Booker T. Washington, and all-Black school, where he had teachers that cared about his success. O’Neal began attending Ball High School in 1969, and was part of the first integrated class. O’Neal witnessed racial tensions in Galveston as he grew up during the Island’s integration. He currently serves as the President of the Holland House’s Resident’s Council, where he serves as a liaison between the community and the administration.

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.

David Willard is an educator in Beaumont, Texas. In his interview, he discussed his father's work and legacy in the desegregation process in southeast Texas, his own work in civil rights and education, and the ongoing struggles of the black community in the region.

Diane Montejano is a poet, educator, and activist. In her interview, Montejano talks about growing up on the west side of San Antonio, her role in the Brown Berets, differences between Southside/Westside Berets, and the decline of Berets.

Esther Sepeda was born in Buda, Texas and was raised in both Knott, Texas and Hale Center, Texas. She married while in school and left school, living and beginning a family in Hale Center. Afterwords, her family moved to Abernathy, Texas. In Abernathy, Sepeda began working within community services. While in the town, Sepeda and her husband began a building business and eventually moved to Lubbock for that business. In Lubbock, she served as the award winning president of Comerciantes Organizados Mexico-Americanos (COMA) and a founder member of the Hispanic Association of Women.

Floyd Price was born in Lubbock and grew up in a near by town. Floyd graduated from Dunbar High School in 1959. He received a Bachelors of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Wayland Baptist University in 1976. Floyd is a retired veteran of the Lubbock Police Department where he served for 33 years. He also served in the U.S. Army. Currently he works part-time with the Lubbock County Sheriff's Department.Floyd has always been a public servant, and especially enjoys working with young people. He had the honor of speaking to United Youth Congress in 1989, 1993, and 1997. Floyd enjoys singing, teaching the Bible, and playing sports. He has received numerous awards in his lifetime, including Citizen of the Year in 1995 and 1996, Man of the Year in 1990, and Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Readers Choice Award for Best Law Officer in 1994, 1995, and 1996.Floyd has also served on many boards, including Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Consortium Committee for the Homeless, Hospice of Lubbock, and Texas Agricultural Extension Board. Currently, Floyd serves on the YWCA Cancer Survivorship Cancer Coalition Advisory Board and the South Plains Association of Governments Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.

Gethrel Williams was from Beaumont, Texas. She was a long time civil rights and labor activist. During her time working for the U.S. Postal Service, she became a leader in in the American Postal Workers Union, both locally and nationally. In 2007, she was elected to the Beaumont City Council as Council-member-at-Large. In her interview, she discussed her efforts to desegregate public accommodations, her participation in the labor movement, and her work as a public, elected official. She died February 18, 2018.

Mr. Tamez discussed his career as a police officer and LULAC local president in Corpus Christi.

Cavasos discussed his role as a principal during Cisneros/desegregation in Corpus Christi