Interview with Daniel Acevedo, civil rights activist from Pharr, Texas. He discusses his early life, education, involvement with the Chicano movement, Colegio Jacinto Treviño, and civil rights activism in South Texas.

Ms. Diaz discusses her personal history as a teacher during and after desegregation in Corpus Christi. She and her husband, former CCISD superintendent Tony Diaz, remain active in the community as advocates for education.

Cavasos discussed his role as a principal during Cisneros/desegregation in Corpus Christi

Mr. Tamez discussed his career as a police officer and LULAC local president in Corpus Christi.

Interview with Narciso Aleman, civil rights activist from Pharr, Texas. He discusses his early life, education, involvement with the Chicano movement, Colegio Jacinto Treviño, and civil rights activism in South Texas.

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.

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.

David K. Baker was born in 1951 In Mckamy, Texas. He graduated from high school in 1969 and then worked for a few months in the oil fields of West Texas. Baker then worked for Southwestern Bell, beginning in October of 1969, and soon joined the Communication Workers of America union. He worked for Southwestern Bell until 2002 and then returned (now to AT&T until 2010). Baker was drafted in 1971 into the Vietnam War. Baker moved to Odessa, Texas in 1980 and then became part of the union’s executive board at the local level, and was president of the local from 1987 to 1990. He is now president of the Permian Basin Central Labor Union.

Gethrel Williams was from Beaumont, Texas. She was a long time civil rights and labor activist. During her time working for the U.S. Postal Service, she became a leader in in the American Postal Workers Union, both locally and nationally. In 2007, she was elected to the Beaumont City Council as Council-member-at-Large. In her interview, she discussed her efforts to desegregate public accommodations, her participation in the labor movement, and her work as a public, elected official. She died February 18, 2018.

Mrs. Burrell was born and raised in Liberty, Texas. She attended the black Catholic school until she was in 3rd grade, when the Catholic schools integrated. After graduation, she joined the Air Force. After serving for a year, she married and eventually began working in multiple positions for the city of Baytown. She returned to LIberty in the 1990s and began working for the Sam Houston Regional LIbrary. In her interview, Mrs. Burrell described segregation in Liberty, the Creole community, the relationship between the black community and law enforcement, the role of the Catholic Church, her experience in the Air Force, discrimination and clashes on the job, and how Liberty has changed.

Bobby Caldwell was born in Dallas in 1934. He grew up in different areas of Dallas, and faced barriers with discrimination and health issues as he had polio at age 3. He moved to Houston to attend Texas Southern University, and in 1957, he earned his law degree. He began practicing law in the 1960s, and quickly became involved in defending student activists, beginning with SNCC. Mr. Caldwell also became involved in pressing HISD to include African American studies in their curriculum, a movement led by the NAACP. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, he began defending more militant activists including the members of the Peoples Party II, the TSU Five, and other student movements across the country. In 2014, Caldwell received a Lifetime Award from the Black Panthers for his commitment to defend Houston's African American community.

Ms. Chumbley was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She worked as an elementary school teacher prior to integration and as a substitute while her children were small. She then became a teacher with Head Start. In the group interview, Ms. Chumbley describes her community and both going to and working for the segregated school system, as well as police brutality, African-American businesses, family structures, and the community involvement in raising children. Ms. Farr was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She went to Stephen F. Austin State University shortly after integration and became a nurse working for Lufkin State School and, later, worked as a nurse for Nacogdoches school district. In the group interview, she described life in segregated Nacogdoches, police brutality, African-American businesses, discrimination in her working career, protests and marches in Nacogdoches, and local politics. Ms. Sexton was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She attended EJ Campbell school prior to integration and Stephen F. Austin State University shortly after it integrated. She then worked for Lufkin State School until her retirement. In the group interview interview, she described her neighborhood, segregation in Nacogdoches, police brutality, protests and marches for equality, and the African-American community and businesses. Ms. Simpson was …

Cristina E. Martinez was born in 1961 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Arriving in the United States when she was twelve years old, her family settled in Katy, a northeastern suburb of Houston, Texas. She witnessed sexual discrimination due to her unwillingness to hide that she was a Mexican lesbian. Martinez would eventually be kicked out of her house and was taken in by LGBTQ members of the Montrose community. Due to her experiences, she would found a Rainbow House for queer youth who experienced homelessness. She has participated in several efforts to address Latina/o queer issues, including the founding of a Gay and Lesbian Rainbow Pages of supportive businesses and a Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in San Antonio. She discusses how Latina/o LGBTQ issues have been left out of the mainstream LGBTQ movement as well as discrimination within the Latina/o community. Martinez also talks about her involvement in fundraising and organizing efforts through the Gay and Lesbian Latino Organization and the creation of AIDS advocacy campaigns. Due to her work in the Queer community, she has received numerous awards.

Interview with Carlos Moore, from Fort Worth, Texas. In his interview, he discusses his early life and family history, time in the military, race relations in Fort Worth, labor unions and Democratic party activities.

Patricia "Pat" Gonzales was born in 1967 in Houston in the Gulfgate area. She moved to the toxic Manchester neighborhood, a predominately Latina/o area of town next to the oil refineries, after she graduated from high school. Gonzales became active in the environmental justice movement due to the health issues she acquired while living next to the refineries. She later worked for the Texas Organizing Project to address the lack of infrastructure in the Northern Pasadena area. Gonzales discusses the risk of explosions in Pasadena, attending EPA conferences and addressing environmental racism, how the Anglo power structure functions in Pasadena, and how both African Americans and Latinas/os are neglected. She also talks about the recent voting rights violations in Pasadena and how the city capitulates to the interests of the oil industry.

Diana Lyons was born in Galveston, Texas in 1954, and grew up on the west side of the Island. Although she experienced integration during her school years, Lyons faced discrimination in the schools she attended, including colorism and being placed in Special Education classes due to her behavior. Lyons also witnessed several episodes of racial tension on the Island. She would drop out of school and attend beauty and nursing school. Most recently, she has been involved in the Residents’ council of the Holland House, a public housing building, where the group addresses the needs of the community.Clifton O’Neal was born in Galveston, Texas in 1954. He group up in housing projects such as Palm Terrace and Oak Terrace. He attended Booker T. Washington, and all-Black school, where he had teachers that cared about his success. O’Neal began attending Ball High School in 1969, and was part of the first integrated class. O’Neal witnessed racial tensions in Galveston as he grew up during the Island’s integration. He currently serves as the President of the Holland House’s Resident’s Council, where he serves as a liaison between the community and the administration.

Jannell Robles was born in 1987 in Northern Pasadena. She grew-up in an extended family environment. Robles recalls her family sharing stories of encounters with the Ku Klux Klan in Pasadena. After graduating from high school, she got involved in the Immigrant Rights Movement. Robles worked as an Immigrant Advocacy Coordinator for the Central American Resource Center, an Immigrant Outreach Coordinator for The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in San Antonio, a Reconciliation Project Coordinator for the the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, and as an intern for the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center's Build a Better Texas Campaign. She discusses the disparity of city services in North and South Pasadena, how Mexican American Studies at the University of North Texas set her on a community activist path, the rise of anti-immigrant bills after Arizona's SB 1070, addressing immigrant construction workers that are exposed to unsafe working conditions, and Secure Communities and the bridging of law enforcement and immigration enforcement. She also talks about how she worked to unite African Americans and Latinas/os around mutual issues, how Maria Jimenez served as a mentor to her, and how women's leadership style was more communal.

Interview with Minnie Mosley Gram and Rostell Williams, civil rights activists from Tyler, Texas. Gram and Rostell discuss their early lives, student activism, Jim Crow segregation, and community organizing in Tyler.

Mr. Morales started the first newspaper for Latinas/os in Fort Bend County in 1975. He spent a lot of his life in Corpus Christie, but moved to Houston and then Rosenberg. He mentioned labor unions, experiencing discrimination, and the transitioning of neighborhoods from predominantly White with some Latinas/os to more people of color.

Discussed her experiences as a white woman living in a quickly changing racial environment, her experiences with gender and race, and her work as a journalist covering the civil rights movement and its struggles.

David Willard is an educator in Beaumont, Texas. In his interview, he discussed his father's work and legacy in the desegregation process in southeast Texas, his own work in civil rights and education, and the ongoing struggles of the black community in the region.

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.

Mr. Wright was born in Texas. He went to Texas A & M University where he obtained certification in education. He began his teaching career in Lewisville and became very active in the American Teacher's Federation. He and his family moved to Nacogdoches, where he continued his teaching, union activism, and became politically active. He is currently running for state representative. Mr. Wright spoke in his interview about racial tensions in Nacogdoches, the progress and barriers for union activism in Deep East Texas, and the activism of the Democratic Party in Nacogdoches County.

Mr. Pollard was born and raised in Central Heights, Texas. A relatively young man, he had an easy transition coming out as a gay man. In his parts of the interview, he describes the, discrimination he heard about, what made his time easier in comparison to others, and the changes he has witnessed in the area. Mr. Pierce was born and raised in Wells, Texas. He came out to his family when he was sixteen in the 1980s. He then began a career as a hairdresser in Tyler prior to moving to Alabama and then back to the Nacogdoches area. Mr. Pierce, while he did not experience overt discrimination himself, described the treatment of people he knew in the area. Mr. McClain was raised in Houston, Texas. He served in the military prior to moving to be near family in Nacogdoches in the 1960s, where he worked at a radio station. Mr. McClain, a white, straight man, described his experiences witnessing racism and discrimination against gay men.