Mexican American Democrats of Texas

A group of Democrats, formed in 1975, dedicated to increasing the influence of Mexican Americans in the Democratic Party at the state and national levels. Eugene and Sylvia Rodriguez were charter members of the group and both served on the Democratic National Committee in the 1980s.

From the description of Mexican American Democrats of Texas collection, 1962-1987. (University of Texas at San Antonio). WorldCat record id: 40792718

Eugene (Gene) and Sylvia Rodriguez were both charter members of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas (MAD) and prominent political and social activists from San Antonio, Texas. They both served on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hispanic Caucus of the DNC. Mrs. Rodriguez first served on the DNC in 1978 and Mr. Rodriguez was elected in 1984. They also held a variety of positions in local and regional political groups. Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez were active in support of Democratic candidates including Henry B. Gonzalez, Henry Cisneros and Jimmy Carter. Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez worked tirelessly to advance the interests of Hispanics, both within the Democratic Party and the community, . Their interests included immigration, housing, employment and education. They also helped to found the TEJANOS Political Action Committee.

In December 1975 MAD was formed to provide a formal structure to make gains for Mexican Americans in the Democratic Party. The group grew out of a conflict over the selection of state delegates to the 1974 Democratic Mini-Convention in Kansas City. Only four of the ninety-six Texas delegates were Hispanic. DNC member Joe Bernal and other Mexican-Americans described this as an act of discrimination and asked for five anglo (caucasian) delegates to be replaced with Mexican-Americans. Starting in 1976, MAD held annual conventions and lobbied for pro-Mexican-American positions to be adopted by the larger Democratic Party.

In addition to their political activities, Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez had connections to a variety of civic and community development groups. Mr. Rodriguez was Executive Director of the Economic Opportunities Development Corporation of Bexar County and the Director of the Department of Economic and Employment Development. In these capacities, he worked to improve the position of Hispanics and other minority groups particularly in the areas of employment and housing. He also worked with United Way and other charity efforts to help the poor of Bexar County. Mrs. Rodriguez was an officer in the YWCA and Parent Child, Inc., a non-profit organization that administered daycare programs in San Antonio.

Mr. Rodriguez received a Bachelors and a Masters degree in political science from St. Mary's University. He also earned another Masters degree in Environmental Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He held several positions at UTSA, including the head of the Center for Studies in Business, Economics and Human Resources.

From the guide to the Mexican American Democrats of Texas Records MS 29., 1962-1987, (University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections)