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Oral history interview with Vicente Ximenes, 2004

Title: Oral history interview with Vicente Ximenes, 2004

Vicente Ximenes begins with his father's role in Floresville and South Texas politics in the 1930s and his work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He shares being a part of a Mexican American student co-op in Austin to help with college expenses at the University of Texas and recalls the group's lively debates on race discrimination. He reveals details of his military service at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico and in the Mediterranean theater during World War II and gives details about his family and his affiliation with the University of New Mexico. He talks about his work with the American G.I. Forum and his friendship with Dr. Hector García in the 1950s and 1960s and points out the involvement of New Mexico Senator Joseph Montoya, California Senator Edward Roybal, and (James) Carlos McCormick in the Viva Kennedy Clubs. He mentions the presence of Robert F. Kennedy at the American G.I. Forum Convention in Chicago in 1960, and discusses the job he took with the Agency for International Development as a program officer in Quito, Ecuador. He highlights his work for President Lyndon B. Johnson as director of the Viva Johnson Clubs (funded by the Democratic National Committee) for the 1964 presidential election. He recounts his encounter with Chicago mayor Richard Daley's cronies during his effort to organize Viva Johnson Clubs across the U.S. and describes the frenzied efforts to distribute a campaign newspaper, 'El Nuevo Piñon,' nationwide. He speaks of the political efforts of celebrities such as Ricardo Montalbán and of drafting Mexico's Cantinflas for a political rally. He alludes to Sargent Shriver's role in the War on Poverty after Johnson's reelection as an obstacle to further Mexican American involvement in national politics, apart from the creation of the Cabinet Committee on Opportunity for the Spanish-Speaking (a.k.a. Mexican American Affairs). He tells of his efforts to organize the White House Conference slated for El Paso, Texas to address Mexican American issues and spells out his reasons for resigning from his position under Sargent Shriver to take a post in Panama. He relates the circumstances that brought him back to Washington, D.C. as Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and discloses his pivotal conversation with New Mexico Senator Clint Anderson. He explains the real power was not through his role as EEOC commissioner but rather his post as chairman of the Cabinet Committee, along with the help of committee member John Gardner, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Ximenes takes credit for the creation and initiation of Affirmative Action programs, and attributes the assistance of John Macy, head of the U.S. Civil Service Commission, for its success. He notes flying on Air Force One and provides logistical details of the White House Conferences planned for San Antonio, Albuquerque, and El Paso, the last of which included Mexico's president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz to orchestrate the cessioning of the Rio Grande's El Chamizal. He laments his failure to win over George Sánchez and Cesar Chávez and exposes the complexity of the politics involved. He covers the involvement and activities of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), the Political Association of Spanish-speaking Organizations (PASSO), and the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) during the conference. He disputes the alleged walkout during the conference in El Paso and chronicles the conference events from the introduction of Texas governor John Connally to the reception of then vice president Humbert H. Humphrey. He cites bilingual education and immigration as sources of political contention between Mexican Americans and African Americans and talks about the role of Louis Martin, an African American journalist and colleague of Cuban origin, in the Viva Johnson Clubs. He gives his opinions on the Democratic Party, comments on Mexican American politicos Henry B. Gonzales, Albert Peña, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, and expresses his views on issues facing Mexican Americans.

ArchivalResource: 2 videocassette (VHS) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 93 p. ; 28 cm.

https://uta.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01UTAR_INST&rfr_id=info:sid%2Fsummon&rft_dat=ie%3D51103097330004911,language%3DEN&svc_dat=CTO&u.ignore_date_coverage=true&vid=01UTAR_INST:Services View

Guajardo Peña, Frances, 1947-2006,. Oral history interview with Frances Guajardo Peña, 1996 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Frances Guajardo Peña, 1996 [videorecording].

Frances Guajardo Peña explains the purpose of the Su Voz Es Su Voto rally and traces its origins to her work with the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. She talks about the work of the Committee to Educate on Voting Rights and Procedures and details the makeup of the Inner City Advocates (InCA), a group founded by her husband, Albert Peña (Jr.). She describes the efforts of her father, José Manuel Guajardo, as a lawyer in San Antonio and in encouraging activism in the family. She speaks of her family background and homelife and highlights the time she heard Cesar Chavez speak during a Chicano movement rally. She recounts her political activities as a student and defines her involvement with the Mexican American Unity Council (MAUC). She provides details about her first husband's family business, Green's Jewelers in Corpus Christi, and reveals the origin of its non-Hispanic business name. She recalls the race discrimination she saw in Corpus Christi in contrast to her life in San Antonio and discusses her part in creating a trade school in San Antonio under Project Learn to Build in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor. She relates the origins of the Fiestas Patrias (Mexico's Independence Day celebrations) at Mission County Park in San Antonio and attributes the success of the Fiestas Patrias celebrations to the efforts of the Ladies LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) 648. She refers to the leadership of Joyce Peters as the Bexar County Democratic Party chair and berates Henry Cisneros' failure to improve the Alazán Apache apartments in San Antonio's public housing as mayor or while head of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She laments the weakening of LULAC when José Velez of Las Vegas, Nevada served as its president (1990-1994). She mentions Mexican American politician Victor Morales and San Antonio mayoral candidate Kay (H.) Turner. The interview was conducted at a Su Voz Es Su Voto rally.

ArchivalResource: 1 videocassette (VHS) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 42 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/460160769 View

Biography -- Peña, Albert A.

Title: Biography -- Peña, Albert A.

ArchivalResource: 1 file folder.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/310564280 View

Torres, Gilberto,. Oral history interview with Gilberto Torres, 1998 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Gilberto Torres, 1998 [videorecording].

Mr. Torres discusses his family history and genealogy. He recalls memories of race discrimination practices by teachers and school administrators. He talks about racist acts by law enforcement agencies and other incidents of race discrimination he experienced while in the military. He focuses on his twenty-one year career in the U.S. Army including the difficulties and successes he experienced as a soldier. He explains that he decided to get into politics because of the abuses he and other Mexican Americans have experienced. He details his involvement with the Economy Furniture Strike in Austin, the student walkouts in Uvalde, and other political movements and protests. He comments on his political campaigns, including methods of raising money and campaign management. Mr. Torres recounts the events that led to his decision to run for county commissioner, and he describes the support he received from Mexican American leaders such as Josʹe Uriega, Alberto Peña, and Dr. Fermʹin Calderʹon. He elaborates upon his activities as a county commissioner, and describes the abuses of power and corruption in Uvalde County politics and government. Mr. Torres explains some of the measures he took to combat and/or correct such abuses. He concludes the interview by describing how some Mexican American political leaders do not understand the nature of politics and how the system operates which results in them hurting their own political futures as well as that of other Mexican American politicians.

ArchivalResource: 2 videocassettes (VHS) (1 hr., 48 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 81 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50414033 View

Bustamante, Albert Garza,. Oral history interview with Albert Garza Bustamante, 2004 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Albert Garza Bustamante, 2004 [videorecording].

Albert Garza Bustamante begins with his personal and family background and elaborates on his family's home life and work around Dimmit County, Texas, and as migrant agricultural laborers in Oregon. He expresses his budding interest in politics through the American G.I. Forum. He touches on the race discrimination he encountered in Texas in Nueces and San Patricio Counties during his military service and provides details of his military experience as a U.S. Army paratrooper. He explains how he worked his way through San Antonio College and struggled through Sul Ross State College despite the aid of G. I. Bill veterans' benefits because he had married in 1958. He discusses his successful efforts as a teacher and coach at James Fenimore Cooper Junior High School in San Antonio and recalls how he met Henry B. Gonzalez through Lalo Solis and worked as Gonzalez' aide at the Hemisphere [sic, HemisFair]. He assails Gonzalez' political maneuvering and discusses Gonzalez' career in Washington, D.C. He addresses his decision to run against Albert Peña for Bexar County Commissioner and talks about his confrontation with George Velasquez. He reveals the reason behind the breakup of the friendship between Peña and Gonzalez and for hiring Peña's campaign manager, Peter Penfield. Bustamante describes his unique campaign strategy when he ran for and won election as Bexar County Commissioner in 1972, including the creation of a comic book and his television debate, and discusses his campaign funds. He notes working with the Committee Organized for Public Service (COPS) while he served as a Bexar County Commissioner and cites his efforts to provide facilities at Mission County Park. He comments on fellow commissioner Blair Reeves and commissioners court Judge Plau [sic?] and applauds his efforts as Bexar County Judge to collect deliquent business taxes to fund county hospital programs. He jumps into his election to the U.S. House of Representatives and points to his election as president of the Democratic freshman class in Washington, D.C., entitling him to dine with Ronald Reagan. He tells of his role on the House banking subcommittee during the savings and loan bailout crisis involving the Resolution Trust Corporation, discusses the wheeling and dealing for military appropriations in Washington, D.C., and argues about nuclear disarmament and the handling of nuclear waste. He expounds on his congressional junket into Honduras and Nicaragua to investigate contras (counterrevolutionaries), the Central Intelligence Agency, and illegal gun sales surrounding Oliver North and mentions the dealings in Central and South America involving Manuel Noriega, Omar Torrijos and Pete O'Shea and their rumored drug connections to La Mena [sic, Mena], Arkansas. He talks about his campaign fundraising and his election defeat by Henry Bonilla in 1992 following congressional redistricting and speaks of the investigation on bribery and racketeering charges into contracts and financial dealings affecting his wife, attorney Rebecca Bustamante, contractors Oliver Heard and Evaristo 'Eddie' García, and Falcon Food Services and Management, Inc. He briefly discusses his financial and real estate woes to cover his trial expenses and he laments his choice of attorney, Tony Canales over Bill Clinton's impeachement attorney, Abbey [sic, Abbe D.] Lowell. He discusses his appeal and request for a presidential pardon, mentions Bill Clinton's pardon of Henry Cisneros, and provides details of his imprisonment at the El Paso Prison Camp. He contrasts the relative unity of the African American community through Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to the disunity of the Mexican American community, and comments on fellow congressmen such as John McCain, Tip O'Neill, and Jim Wright.

ArchivalResource: 3 videocassette(s) (VHS) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 190 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/434047972 View

Peña, Olga, 1925-. Oral history interview with Olga Peña, 1997 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Olga Peña, 1997 [videorecording].

Olga Peña speaks briefly of her family background and her early life in San Antonio, Texas. She refers to Albert Peña's campaign for state representative against Ray T. Felixson in the early 1950s, his run for Bexar County Commissioner in 1956, and his involvement in the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). She discusses his political group, the Loyal Latin American Democrats, their work with the Democratic Party conventions in the 1950s and 1960s, including Adlai Stevenson's campaign, and with the Raza Unida Party. She talks about the involvement of Lalo Solis and Ruben Mungia [sic, Munguía] in the Democratic Party and notes briefly her husband's civil rights and race discrimination cases. She recalls the startup of radio station KEDA and describes the impact of redistricting efforts on election outcomes. She tells about Albert Peña's connection with the case of Communist Party member Angela Davis through his colleague G. J. Sutton, and its effect on his 1972 election campaign, and reads a communication from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., about Albert Peña's interest in the Poor People's Campaign. She comments on her work with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) which led to a protest march in Del Rio in 1969 as part of the Chicano Movement. She mentions the campaigns of Henry B. Gonzales and assails his attitudes, particularly those toward the Political Association of Spanish-speaking Organizations (PASSO) and the Viva Kennedy Clubs. She gives the underlying reasons for her divorce and discusses her life following the divorce, including her work on George McGovern's campaign.

ArchivalResource: 2 videocassettes (VHS) (3 hr. 32 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 111 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/429075450 View

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) records, 1967-2002.

Title: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) records, 1967-2002.

Administrative records, litigation files, and special program files.

ArchivalResource: 3,308.5 linear feet.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/462018925 View

Vela, José Chito, Jr., 1944-1999. Oral history interview with José Chito Vela, Jr., 1997 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with José Chito Vela, Jr., 1997 [videorecording].

José 'Chito' Vela, Jr., begins with his political career, discussing his successful elections as justice of the peace and as county commissioner in Webb County, Texas, and his failed bid for district judge. He describes the procedural problems in investigating local deaths as a justice of the peace and the changes he instituted to eliminate local corruption between police and local businesses. He recalls his first law partner, Alberto Huerta, and their law office in Corpus Christi, where they were joined by Albert Peña and Raza Unida Party gubernatorial candidate Ramsey Muñiz, and reveals their office phone lines were wiretapped by the Texas Department of Public Safety. He explains his brief time in Austin followed by his decision to return to Laredo to work with Oscar Peña. He refers to the arrest of Ramsey Muñiz on drug charges connected to poppy growing in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, who was brought back to the United States by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He describes activities of the Raza Unida Party in Texas, reviews his family's history, and tells about to the coal mines in Laredo. He talks about his college years, an election selecting the first Mexican American homecoming queen at Texas A&I-Kingsville (now Texas A&M University-Kingsville), and his friendship with Kingsville Mayor James McCrocklin. He elaborates on the race discrimination he felt at Texas A&I and details the time he spent in the U.S. Air Force. He comments on fellow student William Leon Richey, an 'Anglo' American who changed from bigot to supporter of the Chicano Movement, and expresses his opinion on the isolated culture of Laredo. He contrasts the differing border policies of the United States and Mexico and their impact on the Laredo area and touches on the water pollution of the Rio Grande. He addresses the local banking interests of Tony Sanchez and Alberto Santos and the role of the local banks in providing political campaign funds, and refers to Sanchez's own newspaper which competed with the 'Laredo Times.' He deplores the Repubican Party stronghold in the court system in South Texas and notes an influx of African American minorities through the sports program at Laredo Junior College. He mentions such prominent individuals as African American Mickey Leland, Mexican American artist Armando Hinojosa, and Texas State Senator Judy Zaffirini.

ArchivalResource: 2 videocassettes (VHS) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript, 102 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/427548358 View

Bernal, Joe, 1927-. Oral history interview with Joe Bernal, 2003 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Joe Bernal, 2003 [videorecording].

Joe Bernal begins with his family history and his perspective of the Catholic relgious culture in San Antonio. He recalls his brothers working for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression on projects which included the Alazan-Apache Courts and the San Antonio River Walk (now the Paseo del Rio). He tells about the family's survival after his father's death, discusses the negative effect of school pressure to speak only English, relates an incident of early gang violence, and praises the sports program at the Mexican Christian Institute (later the Inman Christian Center of the Disciples of Christ). He shares his experiences with race discrimination under a training program at Texas Tech University prior to his induction into the U.S. Army and his transfer to the Pacific Air Command, United States Army (PACUSA). He recounts his experiences in Manila, the Philippines, and in Tokyo, Japan, including Emperor Hirohito's daily meeting with General Douglas MacArthur. Dr. Bernal elaborates on his post-war educational choices and attributes efforts of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) for higher education opportunities in Texas for Mexican Americans. He points to the Good Government League in convincing him to run for public office and to redistricting for aiding his election. He provides details on his election campaigns and campaign finances, and comments on his election opponents David Carter, David Evans, Frank Lombardino, and Nelson Wolfe [sic, Wolff] to whom he lost his senate election in 1972. Dr. Bernal talks about leaving state politics and returning to school administration prior to his election to the Texas State Board of Education. He reports on his meeting in Rio Grande City with Benito Rodríguez who was assaulted by Texas Ranger Captain Alfred Y. Allee, cites the court case against the Texas Rangers in the abuse of United Farm Workers organizer Francisco 'Pancho' Medrano in South Texas, and describes his own confrontation with Allee. He explains the formation of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas (MAD) and of the Tejano Democrats and discusses the Raza Unida party. He mentions such prominent Mexican Americans as Henry B. Gonzalez, Juan Maldonado, Tony Sanchez, Albert Peña, and José Luís Tovar.

ArchivalResource: 1 videocassette (VHS) (2 hr., 3 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript, 99 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/420511737 View

Madla, Frank, 1937-2006,. Oral history interview with Frank Madla, 2003 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Frank Madla, 2003 [videorecording].

Frank Madla provides details of his family's background and Mexican-American heritage, but also notes his Polish ancestry. He discusses his difficulties in grade school because he spoke only Spanish and tells about his childhood enterprises to earn money. He attributes the influence of Democrat Lalo Solís and Professor Bill Crane at St. Mary's University for his political interests, describes his first political campaign running for precinct committeeman, and tells about his campaign for the Texas House of Representatives in 1970. He credits legistlative redistricting and his support of Paul Silver for boosting his second campaign to win his election to the Texas House in 1972. He talks at length about his friendship with Frank Tejeda, recalls his run for the Texas Senate against Ciro Rodriguez, and points to his campaign manager for garnering support in West Texas. He discusses his campaign finances and explains the complexity of pushing an unpopular bill through the Senate. He refers to the American GI Forum and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). He mentions such prominent Mexican Americans as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Henry B. Gonzalez, Pete Torres, John Alaniz, and Albert Pen̋a.

ArchivalResource: 1 videocassette (VHS) (1 hr., 3 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/406416268 View

Peña, Albert,. Oral history interview with Albert Peña, Jr., 1996 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Albert Peña, Jr., 1996 [videorecording].

Peña discusses his role in school desegregation cases in Texas and how he became involved in the Hondo and Lytle lawsuits. He relates how the visibility generated by these cases led to his involvement in Democratic Party politics in Texas. Peña describes his involvement in the founding and early development of the Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (PASO), MALDEF, and the Viva Kennedy Clubs. He recalls his association with such Democratic Party notables as Lyndon Johnson and members of the Kennedy family as well as with political interest organizations such as the Teamsters, the American G.I. Forum, and LULAC. Peña addresses efforts to organize voters and recruit PASO members in New Braunfels and Crystal City, Texas, and describes his involvement with political campaigns and elections. He mentions other prominent Mexican Americans such as Albert Fuentes, Pete Tijerina, Dr. Hector Garcia, and Henry Cisneros, and gives his perspective on their roles in Mexican American politics in Texas. Peña concludes the interview by discussing more recently established Mexican American organizations such as the Inner City Advocates.

ArchivalResource: 2 videocassettes (VHS) (1 hr., 55 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 62 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50513169 View

Peña, Olga, 1925-. Oral history interview with Olga Peña, 1997 [videorecording].

Title: Oral history interview with Olga Peña, 1997 [videorecording].

Olga Peña begins with her family background and her early life and expresses her passion for performing traditional Mexican American dance, Ballet Folklórico, in San Antonio, Texas. She talks of the discrimination she and her former husband, Albert Peña, faced during their years in Houston and Pasadena, Texas before their return to San Antonio. She talks about their investigation of school discrimination in Hondo and Mathis, Texas. She refers to Albert Peña's campaign for state representative against Ray T. Felixson in the early 1950s, his run for Bexar County Commissioner in 1956, and his involvement in the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). She discusses her grass roots campaigning, the poll tax, and the intimidation aimed at preventing Mexican American voter registration. She discusses their involvement in the American G.I. Forum and the Democratic conventions in the 1960s, and comments on Henry B. Gonzales, Adlai Stevenson, and her husband's law partner African American G. J. Sutton.

ArchivalResource: 1 videocassette (VHS) (1 hr., 34 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 51 p. ; 28 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/320249763 View