Cynthia Parra discussed her upbringing, her navigation of identity, and her work with the Hispanic community in Beaumont, TX. She is Assistant Director for the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Lamar University.

Lupe Garcia was born in 1943 in Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston, TX. He talks about his brother Macario Garcia, a decorated WWII veteran who was denied service at a Sugar Land restaurant after returning home. Macario Garcia's experience with segregation in Sugar Land would lead to LULAC Council #60 to utilize this incident as a means of further tackling Juan Crow. Lupe Garcia talks about how segregation functioned in Sugar Land and what his brother's legacy means for Latinas/os. He also talks about being politically involved in electoral politics.

Ray Hill was born in Galena Park in 1940. He grew up in a blue collar household, and became involved with the NAACP at an early age. After travelling around the country, he returned to Houston and is prosecuted for burglary. Upon leaving jail, he becomes involved in the LGBT scene and movements in Houston including the founding of Pride, the Montrose Center, and through HIV/AIDS advocacy. Mr. Hill also led the prosecution of the Paul Broussard case in 1991. In 1980, he began the Prison Show and has continued to be involved in radio shows and media ventures since.

T.J. Paterson was born in Waxahachie, Texas and grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas. He went to Bishop College in Marshall, Texas and majored in physical education. He then moved to Lubbock to work for a private school. Upon meeting and marrying his wife, he stayed in Lubbock. Patterson was the first African American elected to the Lubbock City Council and served in that role for two decades.

Eric Strong was born in 1952 and raised in Lubbock, Texas. As a child, he grew up in East Lubbock—the African American area of segregated Lubbock. Upon graduating from Dunbar High School, he attended Texas A&M University Prairie View and then obtained a masters degree from Texas Tech University. Strong worked for Texas Tech University and upon retirement began dedicated his life to the preservation and development of East Lubbock. He now helps lead Lubbock’s Roots Historical Arts Council Roots Historical Arts Council.

Rose Wilson was born outside of Waco and moved to Lubbock as a young married adult. She raised her children in the city. Wilson became the first African American women to become president of Lubbock’s NAACP—when she was working as a maid. Because of her work, she faced push back by some community economic elites. Ron McLaurin moved to Lubbock to attend law school at Texas Tech University. Beforehand, he had obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio and had served in the military. After law school, he stayed in Lubbock and was the city’s only African American attorney for much of his career.

Maggie Trejo was born in Nebraska when her parents were working as migrant farm workers. As a young child her family returned to Lubbock. She grew up in Lubbock and was educated in “white” schools despite being ethnically Mexican. After high school, she married, had a child, and returned to university at Texas Tech University as an adult. Trejo was involved in LULAC and became the first Mexican American City Council Member when Lubbock turned to single member districts.

Ms. Davis is a lifelong resident of Lufkin, Texas. She was born with cerebral palsy, but she adapted to her handicap. She chose to go to Lufkin High School prior to forced integration. She became a special education teacher, although she had difficulty with promotions. She has been responsible for most of the caregiving in her family. In the interview, Ms. Davis discusses what segregated Lufkin was like, the difficulty she faced as part of the integration process at Lufkin High School, her education, overcoming a disability, her experience as a victim of domestic abuse, difficulty raising her children, and her life as a caregiver for multiple family members, including her parents and grandchildren.

Mr. Barrios was born and raised in Victoria, Texas. He started working for the local newspaper at the age of 16, writing book reviews. He was drafted into the military, trained as a medic and stationed in Austin, where he attended UT. He later became politicized and joined SDS, involved in anti-war activism. After graduating from college, he taught high school level English in San Antonio and later moved to Crystal City to support the 1969 walkout, eventually staying as a teacher. He wrote several plays that touched upon to Chicano/a identity and politics. Throughout the interview, Mr. Barrios discussed sexism in the Chicano movement, and the exclusion of LGBT Chicanos/as.

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.

Recounted his role as LULAC national president and local leader.