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Contact: Julie Navejar
kajam03@tamuk.edu or 361-593-2590

A&I Chicano Activist Colloquium scheduled as part of heritage month

KINGSVILLE (October 3, 2005) — One of the highlights of Hispanic Heritage Month at Texas A&M University-Kingsville will bring alumni back from all over South Texas. The A&I Chicano Activist Colloquium will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the Memorial Student Union Building at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The colloquium is geared toward students who were at Texas A&I University from approximately 1965 through 1975 or those interested in learning about the activist movement that existed on the campus at that time.

Cecilia Aros Hunter, university archivist, said, “We are seeking any alumni—Chicano, or any other ethnic, racial or gender group that were active or sympathetic to the movement. We want them to return to campus and participate in the round table discussions, be on a panel or just sit in the audience.

“And because we want to be fair in our treatment, we welcome those who experienced those tumultuous times and did not feel it was justified to also return and join our discussions.”

Hunter said several alumni approached her about the event. It was decided that it would fit into Hispanic Heritage Month activities. The theme for this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month is Yesterday’s Voices, Today’s Dreams.

One of those alumni is Antonio Bill who has stepped up as a chief organizer of the event.

“Approximately 40 years ago young Mexican-Americans and African-Americans, fueled by existing inequities on campus and in the community took action and made Texas A&I one of the central locations for the civil rights movement in South Texas.”

Bill said it was those students who were instrumental in getting the first Chicano elected to the student council. Soon after, the coalition successfully campaigned and elected the first

Mexican-American females as Homecoming and Lantana Queen and later went on to become leaders in groups such as La Raza Unida and the Mexican-American Youth Organization (MAYO).

“The goal of the colloquium is to show our current student body what it was like to try to get a college education if you were a minority at that time,” Hunter said. “Perhaps they do not all appreciate or know that discrimination was something we suffered rather silently for a very long time before people like these Chicano activists finally protested. We want our alumni to return to campus and talk about these things to our current students.

The colloquium will get underway at 9 a.m. in the Memorial Student Union Building ballroom with a welcome from Dr. Rumaldo Z. Juárez, university president. Bill, who is a businessman and president the Alice Independent School District Board of Trustees, will introduce the speakers.

Speakers include Dr. Ward S. Albro, lecturer in political science and geography at University of Texas-San Antonio and professor emeritus of history from A&M-Kingsville. His topic is The Historic Past of the Chicano Movement at A&I.

The second speaker of the morning will be Carlos Guerra, metro columnist for the San Antonio Express-News. His work is syndicated in other newspapers. He also contributes articles to several national publications. He was a front-page columnist for the San Antonio Light for a number of years. He is a 1969 graduate of Texas A&I University.

He also has worked for several philanthropic foundations on the East Coast and has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Latin America. Guerra was one of the first Americans invited to travel to China after World War II.

A native of Robstown, Guerra was active in civil rights efforts from the 1960s through the 1980s. He helped found the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) and Raza Unida Party.

The remainder of the morning will be dedicated to panel discussions. The discussion topic at 10 a.m. is Chicana Issues and Involvement in the Movement. The panel leaders are Dr. Diana Franco, director of the Health Clinic and Early Childhood Intervention Program for Community Action in Alice; Viviana Santiago Cavada, attorney in Corpus Christi; and Esther Pena Salinas, special education counsellor for the La Joya Independent School District.

At 11 a.m. the panel topic will be Chicano Issues and Involvement in the Movement. Participating in the panel is Alberto Luera, retired director of the Centro De Aztlan in Laredo and Armando and Abel Cavada, attorneys in Corpus Christi.

The afternoon sessions from 1 to 3 p.m. will be round table discussions led by university alumni involved in the Chicano movement. The discussions will be held in different rooms on the second floor of the Memorial Student Union Building. Participants are invited to sit in on one session or move to several sessions throughout the afternoon.

Topics and discussion leaders include elections led by Mary Jo Sanders, Juanita Alba, Linda Mora, Margarita Saenz and Juan Rocha; housing led by San Juanita Gonzalez, Antonia Alvarez, Mary Flores and Maggie Salinas; student political organizations including MAYO and PASO led by Carlos Guerra and Jose Angel Gutierrez; music led by Rosa Perez and Oscar Villa; faculty and curriculum led by Victor Nelson, Jose Reyna and Emilio Zamora; and political activities during the 1970s and after La Raza Unida led by Rogelio Cuellar, Rogelio Nunez, Abel Cavada and Manuel Flores.

Following the colloquium will be the Hispanic Heritage Banquet at 6:30 p.m. in the ballrooms of the Memorial Student Union Building. Continuing the theme of the day, Jose Angel Gutierrez, 1966 alumnus, will be the keynote speaker.

Gutierrez was lead organizer, founder and co-founder of several organizations including the Mexican-American Youth Organization, Mexican-American Unity Council, Cuidadanos Unidos, Obreros Unidos Independientes, La Raza Unida Party and more.

He is currently political science professor at the University of Texas-Arlington, where has worked since 1993. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&I, a master’s degree in government from St. Mary’s University and a doctorate from the University of Texas. All are in government. He also earned a law degree from University of Houston, Bates College of Law.

Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased by calling 361-593-2760.

Protest music will be provided Rumbo al’ Anacua featuring Jose and Rosa Pérez of Olmito. The couple grew up in Premont. They present music with commentary on the Mexican-American experience. The program Cultura con Canción also features pieces of original poetry as well as blues and folk music. Affirming the musical heritage that formed the roots of the Chicano sentiment, Joe and Rosa Pérez interpret selections that speak of a people who have preserved their culture singing about resistance, tragedy and love.

In addition, work from Chicano artists of the 1960s and 1970s will be on display in the ballrooms during the banquet.

Anyone interested in participating in or just attending the A&I Chicano Activist Colloquium may contact Hunter at the South Texas Archives at 361-593-4154 or Bill at 361-664-9628, 361-668-8293 or email antoniobill@stx.rr.com. The colloquium website is www.chicanohistory.net.

This page last updated 7 October, 2005