Oral History Interview with Gilberto Torres, July 6, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Gilberto Torres, July 6, 2016

Gilberto Torres grew up around Uvalde and the Winter Garden area. He recalled different instances of discrimination against people of Mexican descent, particular in school settings. Torres had a long career in the military and a prolonged tenure in the Uvalde County Commissioner's Court. He reminisced about his contentious relationship with other members of the court, and the sometimes heated exchanges between them.
Date: July 6, 2016
Creator: Sinta, Vinicio; Arionus, Steve & Torres, Gilberto
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bertha Linton on July 25, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Bertha Linton on July 25, 2016

Berta Perez Linton was born in 1942 or 1943 in Brady, Texas. She attended schools in Melvin, Texas until 7th grade while her family lived in a ranch. Linton’s family then moved to San Angelo, Texas where she graduated from Central High School in 1961. Linton attended Angelo College for one year and a half before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin. Linton graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a major in elementary education in 1967. She taught bilingual education in Austin Schools before attending Texas Southern University’s Welcome to Thurgood Marshall School of Law, graduating in 1977. Linton then moved to San Angelo where she was the counsel for the local LULAC council. She still practices law in San Angelo.
Date: July 25, 2016
Creator: Wisely, Karen; Zapata, Joel & Linton, Bertha
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Oscar Del Toro, July 21, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Oscar Del Toro, July 21, 2016

Oscar del Toro was born in Coahuila, México in 1964. At age 4, he and his family moved to Monterrey, where he came of age and lived until he moved to the United States in 2000. He fully described 12 year waiting period to immigrate to Pasadena. A businessman, he joined the Chamber of Commerce, which propelled him to become interested in politics. In 2015, he unsuccessfully ran for one of the at-large districts following the redistricting of Pasadena in 2013. He described the redistricting and how it took power away from the Latino community in Pasadena, and the current lawsuit.
Date: July 21, 2016
Creator: Enriquez, Sandra; Rodriguez, Samantha & Del Toro, Oscar
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Sandra Fuentes, Elvira Castro, JoElda Hinojosa, Beatriz Arizpe on July 28, 2016. captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Sandra Fuentes, Elvira Castro, JoElda Hinojosa, Beatriz Arizpe on July 28, 2016.

Four co-chairs of The Border Organization (Organización Fronteriza) --a Del Rio-based group devoted to community organizing-- share their story about the group's mission and strategies. The interviewees talked about how they joined -- Sandra Fuentes and Elvira Castro are veterans from the organization and have been involved in numerous fights for local government accountability, while JoElda Hinojosa and Beatriz Arizpe joined recently when the group helped organize food service workers from the San Felipe Del Rio school district. Among the issues discussed were geographic disparities in the quality of public services and how race and gender affect local activism in Del Rio.
Date: July 28, 2016
Creator: Sinta, Vinicio; Arionus, Steve; Fuentes, Sandra; Castro, Elvira; Hinojosa, JoElda & Arizpe, Beatriz
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Billy and Filomena Leo, July 3, 2015 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Billy and Filomena Leo, July 3, 2015

Interview with Billy and Filomena Leo. Billy Leo is the former mayor of La Joya, Texas. Filomena Leo was an educator for over 30 years and retired as the Superintendent of Schools for La Joya ISD. Mr. and Mrs. Leo discuss their experiences with politics and community leadership in South Texas. Mr. Leo discusses his father, Leo J. Leo's political career.
Date: July 3, 2015
Creator: Enriquez, Sandra; Robles, David; Leo, Billy & Leo, Filomena
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Pauline Gasca-Valenciano, June 10, 2015 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Pauline Gasca-Valenciano, June 10, 2015

Interview with Pauline Gasca Valenciano, a civil rights activist from Fort Worth, Texas. She became involved in politics in the early 1960s, when she volunteered for Viva Kennedy. She later worked with the Democratic party, LULAC, and the American GI Forum. She was an advocate for migrant farm workers and honored by the National Association of Human Rights for her work in civil rights.
Date: June 10, 2015
Creator: Enriquez, Sandra; Robles, David; Krochmal, Max & Gasca-Valenciano, Pauline
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Guillermo Glenn, July 16, 2015 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Guillermo Glenn, July 16, 2015

Interview with Guillermo Glenn, civil rights activist and political organizer from El Paso, Texas. In his interview he discusses his childhood, education, access to healthcare, political organizing, and activism in the Rio Grande Valley.
Date: July 16, 2015
Creator: Glenn, Guillermo & Enriquez, Sandra
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Oscar Martinez, July 7, 2015 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Oscar Martinez, July 7, 2015

Interview with Oscar Martinez, a retired Justice of the Peace from Laredo, Texas. Martinez discusses his childhood and family background, education, experiences with discrimination, service in the U.S. Air Force, and his activism and membership in LULAC.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Martinez, Oscar; Enriquez, Sandra; Robles, David & Krochmal, Max
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Salvador Avila, July 24, 2015 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Salvador Avila, July 24, 2015

Interview with Salvador Avila, a civil rights activist from Canutillo, Texas. Mr. Avila discusses his early life, education, career, race relations and his involvement with civil rights and community organizations in the El Paso area.
Date: July 24, 2015
Creator: Avila, Salvador; Enriquez, Sandra & Robles, David
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Willie Loa, June 6, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Willie Loa, June 6, 2016

Overview of desegregation of West Oso schools, an area of Corpus Christi.
Date: June 6, 2016
Creator: Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés; Moye, Todd; Wall, James & Loa, Willie
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Gavino Fernandez, July 2, 2016 captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Gavino Fernandez, July 2, 2016

Mr. Fernandez was born and raised in East Austin. He says the segregation of the era led to very little interaction with the Anglo community. He worked as a shoe shiner on 6th Street for a while; he recalled the complaints of Anglo business people about "loitering" by African American and Mexican American patrons of the bars and cantinas. Mr. Fernandez talked about the conditions at the schools in East Austin, and about student activism at Johnston High School. The second half of the interview is focused on his work in city and county government and his involvement in labor unions and in local politics. Mr. Fernandez discussed the role of East Austin Mexican Americans in local politics and the relationship with groups like Anglo liberals and environmental groups. He also commented briefly on his involvement in the Austin Brown Berets, and El Concilio as a coalition of neighborhood organizations.
Date: July 2, 2016
Creator: Sinta, Vinicio; Arionus, Steve & Fernandez, Gavino
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Guadalupe Quintanilla on June 30, 2016. captions transcript

Oral History Interview with Guadalupe Quintanilla on June 30, 2016.

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 …
Date: June 30, 2016
Creator: Enriquez, Sandra; Rodriguez, Samantha & Quintanilla , Guadalupe
System: The Portal to Texas History