Oral history interview with Lorenzo Rojas, 1998 [videorecording].

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Oral history interview with Lorenzo Rojas, 1998 [videorecording].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48547496

The heart of the interview is the insight provided by Judge Rojas into his approach to being a justice of the peace and his philosophy of dealing with people and their problems. Rojas talks extensively about Lupe Youngblood, his right-hand man and successor as J.P., and Youngblood's commitment to helping people. The judge relates his involvement with Familias Unidas and the Raza Unida Party, and describes apparent election fraud in Robstown. He expresses his opinion of Solomon Ortíz and other Mexican American political officials and briefly explains his nephew Jesse Rojas' (CMAS 78) motivation to run for the Robstown, Texas, school board in 1998. Judge Rojas recalls his struggle to survive and to support his siblings after he was orphaned at age thirteen. He also explains why he became politically active, describes conditions for Mexican Americans in Robstown and the town's response to their needs, and talks about why he decided to step down from his position as J.P. after sixteen years of service.

1 videocassette (VHS) (48 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 22 p. ; 28 cm.

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 7595600

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

Related Entities

There are 8 Entities related to this resource.

University of Texas at Arlington. Center for Mexican American Studies

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63c6s61 (corporateBody)

Familias Unidas.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68x00z5 (corporateBody)

Raza Unida Party (Tex.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6d262nv (corporateBody)

The Raza Unida Party (RUP) was first established as a third political party in Crystal City, Texas, in January, 1970. As an alternative to the two-party system in Texas, Raza Unida sought social, economic, and political self-determination for Chicanos, other minorities, and the disenfranchised through local and, later, state politics. At its start, the party organized around county, local, and school district elections in south Texas; winning city council elections in Cotulla, Carri...

Gutiérrez, José Angel,

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62r404b (person)

José Angel Gutierrez was born Oct. 25, 1944, in Crystal City, Texas. An activist, educator, organizer, and lawyer, Gutierrez co-founded the La Raza Unida Party and played many leadership roles in the early Chicano civil rights movement. He served as President of the Crystal City Independent School District Board in the early 1970s and as a County Judge for Zavala County, Tex. (1975-1980). In the 1980s, Gutierrez pursued a teaching career and moved to Oregon where he taught at Colegio Cesar Chav...

Ortiz, Solomon P. (Solomon Porfirio), 1938-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bg5rpq (person)

Solomon Porfirio Ortiz (born June 3, 1937) is an American politcian. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 27th congressional district, based in Corpus Christi, from 1983 until 2011. Born in Robstown, Texas, he left Robstown Public High School to work as a printer’s aide at the Robstown Record. In 1960 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and earned his general equivalency degree. The military sent Ortiz to France, where he learned the language and worked ...

Youngblood, Lupe.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60k696c (person)

Rojas, Jesús Zavala.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64b713x (person)

Rojas, Lorenzo,

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6mh1pvf (person)

Justice of the peace in Robstown, Texas. Judge Rojas was born April 30, 1936, in Robstown, and worked as a migrant farm laborer before holding political office. From the description of Oral history interview with Lorenzo Rojas, 1998 [videorecording]. (University of Texas at Arlington). WorldCat record id: 48547496 ...