Interview with Frances Rizo, a community activist and civic volunteer from Dallas, Texas. In her interview, Rizo discusses her family background, experiencing discrimination in school, civic engagement, politics, and working in broadcasting.

Interview with Tony Gutierrez, an activist and former county commissioner from from Harlingen, Texas. In his interview, Gutierrez discusses his background, working life, his local political activism, and race relations in Harlingen.

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.

Ruben Bonilla is an attorney in Corpus Christi. He is a graduate of The University of Texas (B.A.) and The University of Texas School of Law (J.D.) Admitted to the State Bar in 1971, he advocated for the Mexican American community with such groups as LULAC, the American G.I. Forum and the Texas Mexican-American Democrats. In his interview, he recounted his role as LULAC national president and civic leader.

Ida Bridgewater discusses growing up in the Stop Six Neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas, where her parents, Garfield and Dorothy Thompson were civil rights activists. Her father graduated from I.M. Terrell High School and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was elected state representative of District 95 and held office for 10 years until his retirement.

Interview with Becky Moeller, from Corpus Christi, Texas. In her interview, Moeller gives an overview of the labor movement & her prominent role in it. She covers her early life, working and becoming an union activist, labor unions and segregation, women's rights and gender equality, and the local political environment of Corpus Christi.

Gonzalo Barrientos discusses his life growing up in Bastrop, Texas and later serving as a Democratic State Senator representing the 14th District from 1985-2007. He was also a member of the Texas House of Representatives from Austin from 1975-1985.

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. 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.

Mr. Van Os grew up in segregated Kilgore, in East Texas; the first part of the interview is spent in his recollections of the era, including the eventual integration of the schools in the mid-to-late 1960s. He attended UT Austin, where he became involved in SDS and joined several activities that involved African American and Mexican American activists. While studying law, he did an internship with the law firm of David Richards, who had been working on voting rights litigation earlier that decade. After graduating, he worked as a union-side labor lawyer and represented the Austin chapter of the NAACP in a lawsuit to do away with at-large place system for city council elections. In addition to his early activism and work in civil rights litigation, Mr. Van Os talks about the relationship of racial and economic justice and the role of labor unions in ensuring both.

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.

Mr. Montemayor was adopted by the Montemayor family in Laredo; his family was heavily involved in community affairs and Mexican American activism. His adoptive mother, Alicia Dickerson Montemayor, was elected vice president general of LULAC. After attending college in St. Edward's University in Austin, Mr. Montemayor worked as a teacher in Del Rio, where he became involved in Chicano activism. He was a central player in the events that led to the march in Del Rio, and later taught at walkout schools in Uvalde and other communities in the RGV. He was one of the founders of Colegio Jacinto Treviño (eventually becoming involved in Juarez Lincoln University). He eventually settled in San Antonio, where he became a full time staff member at IDRA. Throughout the interview, Mr. Montemayor talks about the pedagogical foundations for his work in Chicano-oriented courses, entrepreneurship, and some of the rifts that caused certain Chicano/a initiatives to split (e.g. Colegio Jacinto Treviño).

Gilbert Rivera is a retired energy professional, author, and activist. He and his wife have lived in the historically black Rosewood neighborhood of Austin for over 30 years. Gilbert was a member of the Brown Berets in Austin and other Chicano civil rights groups. In his interview, he talks about his early years; and resistance against rules against Spanish in schools.

Mr. Romo was born in Kyle, but grew up in Austin, near the UT campus. He later attended UT as a journalism major; when looking for an internship, he found work with Marcelo Tafoya at The Echo, a Chicano newspaper based in East Austin. Mr. Romo talks about his work and his views on Chicano-oriented journalism, as well as his involvement in initiatives for revitalization in East Austin. He was also involved in the creation of the Mexican American Cultural Center and worked in SER-Jobs for Progress.

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.

Ms. Perez-Wiseley was raised in the west side of Corpus Christi. She witnessed some acts of racial and class discrimination, but was not directly subjected to it during her youth. While she was very involved in community and student affairs, she did not become involved in the Chicano movement until she attended UT in the early 70s. After being excluded from leadership position in the Young Democrats, she joined the Raza Unida Party and was a member of MAYO at UT. After college, she worked for the city of Austin and became heavily involved in American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (ASCFME), eventually becoming a full-time organizer. During the interview, Ms. Perez-Wiseley discusses race relations in Corpus Christi, her career in labor organizing (including her own struggles against inequities in pay within ASCFME) and her current involvement in politics.

Juan Tejeda is the co-founder and producer of the Guadalupe Cultural Center's annual Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio. In his interview he discusses, growing up on the Southside of San Antonio, Mexican American Studies, and educational equality.

Tommie Wyatt talks about segregation and the newspaper business.

This is a wide-ranging interview by Mario Salas from his time as a child to his aspirations in the political arena

Mr. Tafoya grew up in Georgetown, Texas, but spent part of his youth working in several Catholic initiatives, including running an orphanage in Cuervanaca, Mexico. Upon returning to his hometown, he started working in the local radio station, eventually launching the first Spanish-language programming. Later, his radio shows took a political role, encouraging the Mexican American community to become involved. In later years, Mr. Tafoya launched Spanish radio programming in several Texas communities including Austin, where he settled permanently. He also worked in television and created a Chicano newspaper called The Echo. In the interview, Mr. Tafoya talks about his role as a community leader in East Austin and his role in the dissemination of Tejano music.

Ofelia Vasquez-Philo was born December 28, 1932 in Seguin, Texas, and was the oldest of nine children. She grew up on Freeman Ranch, in Wimberley, Tx., where her father was the ranch foreman. She married Joe Vasquez, Jr. in 1950 and they raised 7 children in San Marcos. After Joe's death in 1986, she married Harry Philo. Ofelia worked part-time in 1966 at the Office of Community Action. In 1970, she became executive director, a position she would hold until her retirement in 1993. During this period, she obtained her GED certificate, and her bachelor's degree from Antioch University, Austin campus in 1978. She was the first Latina to serve on the San Marcos Independent School Board from 1969-1971. She was a charter member of the San Marcos Heritage Foundation, and a member of the Hays County Historical Commission, the San Marcos League of Women Voters, the Hijas de Maria, the Archicofradia of St. John's Catholic Church, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Finance Council and the Bereavement Ministry of St John's Catholic Church. She also worked for the preservation of Hispanic cemeteries and served on numerous other city and county boards and commissions. She is coauthor of Suenos …

Roen Salinas is from Austin, Texas. He is one of the founding members of Ballet Folklorico Aztlan de Tejas, an internationally known dance troupe. In his interview, Salinas speaks about the role of the cultural arm of the Chicano movement.

Urdy talks about his life, politics, his time at Prairie View and student activism there; going to University of Texas as a black graduate student.

Video recording of a group interview with Victor San Miguel and David Gomez, two of the current leaders of the Brown Berets in San Antonio, Texas. During the interview each of the men discusses his background and upbringing, and how he came to join the organization. Additionally, Mr. San Miguel explains the role of the southside Brown Berets and the philosophy of Carnalismo including anecdotes about traveling to other cities in Texas to organize Brown Berets, as well as several specific protests where they got involved.