Ms. Flores discussed her family's arrival to southeast Texas, her community and relationships with whites and other minorities, and her work to preserve Hispanic culture in the region.

Huff York described her rural upbringing, her experience in the civil rights struggle locally, and the changes that have happened in the region since her childhood.

Terrence L. Holmes is a judge for the Jefferson County Court in Texas. Holmes earned a B.S. from Southern University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) in 1980. He later earned an M.S. from Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas) in 1982 and a J.D. from Texas Southern University (Houston, Texas) in 1990. In his interview, Judge Holmes discussed segregation, the housing projects of Houma, Louisiana, and his trajectory to law and local politics.

Steven "Steve" Flores was born in 1954 in Houston, TX. Growing up in a segregated environment, he witnessed red lining and HISD's false pairing plan to integrate the schools. Due to an NAACP lawsuit that forced the phone company to hire minorities, Flores was hired at Southwestern Bell and would eventually become a shop steward. He discusses his involvement in the Latino Labor Leadership Council, how unions have provided a space for cross-racial collaboration, and what collective bargaining means. Flores also talks about how the immigrant rights movement and the labor movement intersect and his role as the vice president of the Communications Workers of America. Jesse Fuentes was born in San Antonio in 1956. He would migrate to Houston when he was fifteen years old. He discusses how the push for minority hires paved the way for his to get hired at AT&T. After becoming a shop steward and rising in the ranks of the Communications Workers of America union, he would become involved in the Latino Council for Latin American Advocacy where he remains very active in the area of voter registration. Fuentes talks about how union organizing paves the way for cross-racial collaboration. Later in his adult …

Described her family's rural life, her travels, and her parents attempts to shelter her from racism. Also, she described her own encounters with racism in Texas and elsewhere, and her work on behalf of civil rights.

Mr. Burrell was born in Turkey Creek (Liberty) in 1946. He discussed his experiences living in a segregated neighborhood and attending segregated schools. Burrell also discussed how who you knew or were affiliated with influenced your experiences during segregation. He mentioned some fights between white and Black children that occured during his childhood. Burrell was the first of his family to attend college. He was drafted into the army after dropping out of school to work following his sophomore year in college and served in Vietnam. Burrell descibed the lack of Black officers within the military structure despite a large and disproportionate amount of Black soldiers serving. He believed that it may have been attempt to "get rid" of Black folks. Burrell discussed the stigma that Vietnam veterans faced. He went back to school after leaving active duty. Burrell described benefitting from the Civil Rights Movement in terms of affirmative action in the workplace. He also described his experiences dealing with discrimination in the workplace and housing. Burrell worked as an engineer. He ultimately worked for and retired from NASA. Burrell along with his wife and others (Concerned Citizens for the Future) fought racist and discriminatory practices in the local …

Ms. Lange was born in Raywood, Texas. Her father took a job with Exxon in Crosby, so the family split their time between the two places. She then went to Xavier University, where she became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. After moving to Houston to go to Texas Southern, she became part of the sit-in movement, participating in sit-ins at multiple places, including the Shamrock Hotel in Houston. She continued her activism in her career as a social worker and a member of many organizations. She currently owns a farm and bed and breakfast. In her interview, Mrs. Lange described the role of the Catholic Church and Creole heritage in her life, segregation, the sit-in movement in Houston, her extensive activism, how the area has changed over time, and her hopes for the community.

Mr. Walters was born and raised in Ames, Texas. He grew up on his family's farm; his father worked as a cowboy on a nearby ranch. He attended the Catholic school in Ames, a Creole settlement, until junior high, when he attended West Liberty High. In 1969, he participated in integration. After persistent discrimination, he left high school and joined the military, where he stayed until 1976. He then began work at Texaco. In his interview, Mr. Walters describes the history of Ames, his father's career and encounters with racism, the difficulties of integration, and discrimination in both the military and at work.

Mr. Grays was born in Dayton in 1947. Grays grew up in the Low-Woods community of Dayton. Grays mentioned a time when the church vehicle was stranded and they were not allowed in an establishment to call for aid in the late 1950s. Grays attended Prairie View and graduated in 1969. Grays then taught for a year in Port Arthur teaching drafting. Grays had some difficulty with promotions and training in the workplace as a drafter and plant/piping designer.

Neal Pearson was raised in Florida and joined the military during the Korean war. After the war, he worked for the CIA and Department of State. Pearson attended Georgetown University as well as the University of Florida for his graduate degrees in foreign affairs and political science. He obtained his PhD from the University of Florida in political science with a focus on Latin America. He arrived at Texas Tech University in 1969 and belong to various civil rights organizations, including LULAC. Pearson also contacted the department of justice in regards to segregation within Lubbock public schools.

Manuel Orona was born in 1964 in Pecos, Texas. He attended segregated schools until high school, going to Central High school and graduating in 1966. He then enlisted in the U.S. Marines, serving in Vietnam from 1967-1969. He was wounded in Vietnam. Upon returning to the United States, Orona attended Odessa College in Odessa, Texas, graduating in 1969. He then attended West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas for a year before transferring and graduating from the University of Houston in 1973. When returning from Vietnam, Orona was introduced to the Raza Unida Party by Juan Chávez (who then lived in Muleshoe was part of Chicanos Unidos Campesinos). By 1976, Orona left Houston and returned to Pecos to run for County Judge under the Raza Unida Party. In Pecos, he faced political and police oppression in response to his candidacy, and he lost the election. Orona then moved to Odessa permanently. In Odessa, he published El Editor Permian Basin edition from 1980 to about 2011 as well as participated in state level and local election campaigning for both Democrats and Republicans.

Daniel Urbina Sanchez grew up between Lubbock, Texas and Garden City, Kansas. Starting in 1968, Sanchez’s family moved permanently to Lubbock. He graduated from Lubbock High School and Texas Tech University. In the 2000, Sanchez began participating in such organizations as Las Fiestas Del Llano, which is an organization focused on celebrating Mexican national holidays. He is currently an oral historian for Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection. At Texas Tech University, Sanchez became a leader of the Latino faculty and staff. Sanchez also founded Citizens United in Discourse Against Discrimination, CUIDAD, which led rallies within Lubbock and participated in protests in the Texas State Capitol as the legislature considered racists-anti immigration bills.

George Lara was born (1966) in Ector County, Texas but raised in Midland County, Texas. Lara began school as Midland Independent School District was integrated and graduated in 1984 from Lee High School. He has worked in Lara’s Automotive, founded by his father in 1970, since 1984. George Lara took over the small, family owned business in 1988. Lara ran for the Midland ISD Board of Trustees and won in 1999. Lara served as a Trustee for ten years and was part of the board when Midland ISD received unitary status.

Perri "P.K." McCary was born in 1953 in Texarkana. She grew-up in a ethnically diverse community in Alamo Garden, New Mexico and later lived near Prairie View A&M University when her father obtained a teaching position in the Industrial Education Department. McCary's parents gave her the tools to resist discrimination by exhibiting a strong sense of self and for confronting racist acts in front of her. She would opt to attend Jack Yates High School when her family moved to Houston because of the poor treatment of African-American students at the predominately white Madison High School. By 1970, McCary was attending the University of Houston and becoming involved in student activism. She would later engage in peace work and adapting religious texts with Black urban language to appeal to youth. She talks about instances of racism growing up, how her early experiences with diversity shaped the ways in which she engaged in cross-racial collaborations in her adult life, how Deloyed Parker and Ester King mentored her at UH, police brutality, and her family's association with the political movements of the 1960s and 1970s. She also discusses SHAPE Community Center and the Elders Institute of Wisdom, when she wrote a newspaper …

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.

Felix Fraga was born in Houston in 1929. His parents settled in Houston's East End. At a young age, he began working in the Rusk Settlement House, where his bosses supported him and his education. He attended the University of Houston on a baseball scholarship. His work in the Rusk Settlement House and the growth of the Mexican American population in the area led him to work at the Ripley House in 1954. In 1970, he became the director of the Ripley House until he stepped down in 1990. During his tenure as director, he instituted several programs to help the community including English and citizenship classes, youth mentoring, early childcare, and became a polling place. In the last few years, the Ripley House has expanded by creating several charter schools to help the community of East End. Fraga served in the Houston Independent School District from 1990-1994 and in Houston City Council from 1994-1999. Towards the conclusion of his interview, Fraga discusses his legacy and and community leader Lionel Castillo.

Ms. Ali was born in Beford, Texas. She was raised in her family's community, County Line, outside of Nacogdoches. Ms. Ali went to Cushing High School, UT-Austin, and is currently a librarian at the Nacogdoches Public Library. She is also a hip-hop artist. In her interview, Ms. Ali described the rich history of her family's community, dating back to newly freed slaves moving in from Tennessee. She relates stories of racism and violence as well as community building and endurance. Her personal account describes racism at Cushing schools in the 2000s and her efforts to build a sustainable homestead for herself in County Line.

Robert talks about growing up in San Antonio; his time with the Brown Berets; and environmental racism with the chemical spill at Kelly AFB

Eulalio "Lalo" Calderon speaks about his early years in San Felipe schools and the community coming together to build some of the structures within the school district. Calderon speaks to the reasons why San Felipe lost out on the kids from Laughlin AFB. The federal government provided additional funds, per student, for every base kid that attended a particular school. Calderon speaks of how San Felipe superintendent, J.B. Pena, signed an agreement with Del Rio superintendent that allowed the base kids to go to the Del Rio school district.

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.

De La Paz's interview reflects on the contemporary issues that Del Rio is facing. She speaks about the importance of Casa De La Cultura in her life growing up. She lived in the Chihuahua barrio and went to Del Rio schools. She speaks about not learning about her culture and people who look like her in school. In order to supplement her learning, she would attend classes at the Casa. She spoke about learning culture through teatros and folklorio offered at Casa. The latter part of the interview deals with contemporary problems in Del Rio and the current work of Casa in the community.

Discussed his career as a minister and an assistant principal in Corpus Christi.

Mr. Hernandez discussed his career as county employee and local activist.

Perez Garza discussed growing up in Corpus Christi and his discrimination lawsuit against a local steel factory.