Interview with A.C. Jaime, an accountant from McAllen, Texas. Jaime was the first Mexican-American mayor of Pharr, Texas. In his interview, Jaime discusses his early life, education, political and professional career, the riots in Pharr, and race relations in the Rio Grande Valley

Interview with Abel Ochoa, educator from Donna, Texas. In the interview, Ochoa discusses his upbringing, education, military service, civil rights activism, and the Chicano movement in South Texas.

Ms. Walker grew up Raywood, Texas which is a unincorporated town of a few hundred people. She was born in 1943 in Liberty County. Walker discussed the Black neighborhood she grew up in and changes in Raywood over time. Walker described her experiences attending segregated schools including the quality of resources and instruction. Walker also discussed the role of colorism in the community. Walker described a divide between some Black children and Creole children based on color. Walker left Raywood to attend Prairie View and returned to Raywood. Walker has taught in Raywood schools for 52 years. Walker also discusses how segregation operated in such a small town. She described a more positive Black-White relations during segregation in comparison to how others described race relations in surrounding areas.

Adela Vasquez was born (1949) and raised in Odessa, Texas. Her family was able to move to the Anglo area of West Odessa when she was a child. Vasquez attended the predominantly Anglo School, Zavala Elementary. She later went to Ector High School, where she graduated in 1967. Vasquez attended Odessa College, where she met her husband Gilbert Vasquez, and then attended Texas Tech University. Vasquez also obtained an MA degree in psychology at Texas Tech University. Vasquez held various leadership positions in Ector County ISD and Region 18.

Agustin Loredo was born in Baytown, Texas in 1974 and comes from a family with long ties to the area. In the 1930s, several family members, including his father, were repatriated even though they were U.S. citizens. Loredo grew up with stories (that he later researched as a college student at UH) about the vibrant Mexican American community in Baytown, including stories of fiestas patrias and Guadalupe Church, the hub for the community. In 1996, he attended the University of Houston, where he enrolled in courses taught by the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS). These courses sparked his interest in the culture, history, and eventually encouraged his community involvement. After he spent some time in Austin, he returned to Baytown in the early 2000s. After the Luis Alfonso Torres police incident in 2002, Loredo met Fred Aguilar, and became involved in the marches and protests that followed. Loredo witnessed the coalition of African Americans and Latinos to help the youth of Baytown. He then became a member of the West Baytown Homeowners Association and a board member for the Promise Center (led by Aguilar). A teacher at South Houston High School, he is an advocate for Mexican American Studies …

Interview with Al and Larneatha Bowdre, retired couple from Prairie View, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Bowdre discuss their childhood experiences, education, and raising their family in Texas. Mr. Bowdre also discusses his work as a volunteer firefighter.

Interview with Alcadio Zamudio, from Weslaco, Texas. In his interview, Mr. Zamudio discusses his background, attending the University of Wisconsin, organizing in Wisconsin among migrant workers, La Raza Unida in Wisconsin, the Pharr, Texas riot, and other topics related to Chicano rights and political activity.

Perez talked about his life as a migrant worker and working in a cannery. Supporting the walkouts in Uvalde was his first political march. He also participated in voter registration drives at Texas A&I. Mr. Perez also discusses his time working with the La Raza Unida Party in Crystal City.

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.

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

Alfredo Santos was born in southern California; after spending the first years of his life attending schools there, he moved to Uvalde and started attending schools there. While he had some awareness of disparities and the strains in relations between Anglos and Mexican Americans, he became politicized while attending high school. He joined the local chapter of MAYO, led by Amaro Cardona and Rogelio Muñoz, and was involved in their early direct action activities, including protests against police brutality and their efforts to instill ethnic pride among Mexican American students. While he was no longer attending school, he supported the 1970 walkout. Santos later moved to California and went to college there, majoring in economics at UCLA. While in California, his activism turned to farm workers' struggle (and in the interview he suggested this was his main interest). The next decades, Santos worked in a variety of jobs in different places; upon returning to Texas, he created a network of bilingual publications named La Voz -- one of which was based in Uvalde. Santos currently runs La Voz in Austin and is highly involved in Chicano politics across Texas.

Interview with Alicia Chacon, the first Mexican-American woman to be elected as a city council representative from El Paso, Texas. She was also elected to the school board and as county clerk. Chacon discusses her community involvement and political career, including working in the Jimmy Carter administration.

Alonso speaks about growing up in San Felipe and the segregated nature of Del Rio generally. He also speaks a great deal about migrant farm work and following the seasonal harvest. He speaks about his time in the West Texas cotton fields and speaking Spanish in Anglo schools out in West Texas. He talks a little bit about the 1969 Palm Sunday march--he wasn't a participant but he talks about the march. He also talks about the importance of education he received from Bambi Cardenas and Aurelio Montemayor who were both educators at San Felipe in the late 1960s. All in all, this is a great interview that has tons of useful information on Del Rio, San Felipe, and Alonso's life story.

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.

Interview with Al Saenz, a city councilman from Bryan, Texas. In the interview, Saenz discusses his family background, civil rights organizations and the Mexican-American community in Bryan. Saenz also discusses time living in Houston during his childhood.

Interview with Amy Boykin, retired educator from Prairie View, Texas. She discusses her childhood in Prairie View, her education, her employment at Bishop College and McKinney schools, experiences with racial discrimination in Texas, and her activism.

Tijerina-Taylor discussed growing up in Robstown and her career as a teacher.

Interview with Ann Boney, retired staff of Texas A&M University and president of the Brazos County NAACP from Bryan, Texas. Boney describes her early life and education, her employment around the state, including working at the Benz School of Floral Design at Texas A&M. Ms. Boney also discusses her experiences as president of her local chapter of the NAACP and current community issues addressed by the organization.

Ms. Gonzales described her early childhood, learning about her culture from her grandmother, her journey to college, and her work as a social worker helping disadvantaged communities.

Armando S. Rodriguez was born and raised in south Odessa, Texas. He attended Ector County High School, where he was senior class president. As the class president, Rodriguez led a school walkout to demand that advance academic classes be offered in the majority minority school. He later attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and is now an Ector County Commissioner.

Interview with Armando Trevino, an attorney from Laredo, Texas. In his interview, Trevino discusses his family background, education, experiences with discrimination, political activism, the Crystal City walkout, community action, and the Chicano movement. Trevino also discusses providing legal aid in the Laredo area.

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.

Arturo spoke about growing up in Crystal City. Him working the fields during his earlier years. He speaks a lot about local Crystal City politics. The initial push for representation envisaged by Los Cinco. Some about local Crystal City folks who were drafted for Vietnam. During this period--late 1960s, Arturo went to Wisconsin to work and live. He talked about the Crystal City walkouts--hearing about them in Wisconsin then moving back--and the demands that the students made. Finally, he talks a lot about Raza Unida internal politics, especially his side of the split. He was with the Barrio club/anti-Gutierrez faction and running Gutierrez out of Crystal City.

Art Leal was born and raised in Odessa, Texas. Leal graduated from Odessa High School, after which he joined the U.S. Army and served in the first Gulf War. He graduated from Odessa College and the University of Texas at the Permian Basin. Leal ran for mayor of Odessa in 2008. Leal has been Ector County Democrat Precinct 406 Chair, is a member Mexican American Democrats Texas, has organized first Cesar Chavez Day March in Odessa, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Declamations in Odessa, Civic Participation Workshops in Odessa, of Election Debates/Forums in Ector County, multiple 1st Amendment Demonstrations in Odessa, is past Chairman Una Voz Unida of Odessa, is past Board Member Black Chamber of Commerce, is past Ambassador Odessa Chamber of Commerce, is past Board Member City of Odessa Planning Board of Adjustments, is past Chairman Odessa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and is past Co Chair March of Dimes. Finally Leal help start the Brown Berets Odessa (the city’s second Brown Beret group).