Oral history interview with Ray A. Gonzalez, 1997 [videorecording].

  1. Resources
  2. View Resource

ArchivalResource

Oral history interview with Ray A. Gonzalez, 1997 [videorecording].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49665408

Mr. Gonzalez discusses his activities as a member of Mexican American Democrats (MAD) and its efforts to organize Mexican American voters in the Wichita Falls, Texas area. He talks about the difficulties of motivating Mexican Americans to become activists in the political process and about how the political establishment manipulates Mexican American voters to accomplish their objectives. Mr. Gonzalez relates how he gains community wide recognition by volunteering in the community. He exlains that it is very difficult to establish Mexican American representation in city government and on the schoool board because Mexican Americans are so few in number in the Wichita Falls area and they tend to be scattered throughout the neigborhoods instead of centrally located. He identifies education as the most important issue facing the Mexican American community. He tells about his admission to the public swimming pool in Wichita Falls when he as a youth and how psycholocially damaging to him the experience was. He credits some of those racial discrimination experiences with fueling his interest in political activisim. Mr. Gonzalez elaborates upon his service in the military and his participation in the Vietnam War in which he was injured. He describes his long convalescence from that war injury and the damaging effect the Vietnam War protests had on him emotionally. He conlcudes the interview by explaining his goals, objectives, and activities in establishing the local Mexican American Democrat(MAD)chapter and his hopes for gettting more Mexican American participation in public life leading to achieving political representation.

1 videocassette (VHS) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 79 p. ; 28 cm.

eng,

spa,

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7612048

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

University of Texas at Arlington. Center for Mexican American Studies

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

Gonzalez family.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cg8x08 (family)

Gonzalez, Ray

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6797m97 (person)

Born in 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Mr. Gonzalez was vice-chair of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas in 1997. He is a Vietnam War era veteran. Mr. Gonzalez attended Midwestern University and has operated and automobile repair business with his father for over thirty years. From the description of Oral history interview with Ray A. Gonzalez, 1997 [videorecording]. (University of Texas at Arlington). WorldCat record id: 49665408 ...

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...

Mexican American Democrats of Texas

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w613112v (corporateBody)

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 Rodrigu...