Oral history interview with Diana Dʹavila, 1997 [videorecording].

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Oral history interview with Diana Dʹavila, 1997 [videorecording].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50431554

Ms. Dʹavila gives details about Mexican American student life at Ivy league schools like Harvard University. Ms. Dʹavila talks about the importance of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in Texas politics and to the Mexican American community. She explains why she developed an interest in Texas politics and how her experience as a legislative aide to Representative Romʹan Martʹinez, led her to decide to run for public office. Ms. Dʹavila elaborates upon the political processes and internal politics of the Texas Legislature and she describes political and attitudinal difficulties she faced as a woman and as a Mexican American with other White and Mexican American politicians who sought to undermine her activities and political proposals. She explains how the political process of getting a bill through the legislature is different from the operational reality of how that is accomplished. She addresses the issue of women in politics and gives her ideas comparing women with male politicians and leaders. Ms. Dʹavila describes her political campaigns and how they were managed and financed. She elaborates upon some of the key issues current in the legislature at that time such as legislative redistricting, child health care issues, public school finance, and educational equity. Ms. Dʹavila laments the negative backlash the Mexican American community experiences following the notoriety of prominent Mexican Americans who have fallen into legal trouble. She describes intra-group rivalries between individual Mexican American politicians in Texas and tells how it works against accomplishing anything positive for the community. She concludes the interview by expressing her hope that the Mexican American community will become empowered through electoral participation and will find political strength by standing together for change.

2 videocassettes (VHS) (3 hr., 24 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 103 p. ; 28 cm.

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 7625546

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

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Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636 that allocated “400£ towards a schoale or colledge.” Subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that created the Harvard Corporation as the College's primary governing board and defined its composition and authority. The College Charter became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General C...

Martʹinez, Romʹan.

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Dʹavila, Diana,

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Diana Dʹavila was a State Representative from District 145 in Houston, and was a former legislative aide to State Representative Romʹan Martʹinez. Ms. Dʹavila earned her B.A. in Anthropology from Harvard University. From the description of Oral history interview with Diana Dʹavila, 1997 [videorecording]. (University of Texas at Arlington). WorldCat record id: 50431554 ...

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The Texas Legislature's Central Investigating Committees of the House and Senate were formed in 1917 to investigate every state department and institution in Texas. The investigation was an outgrowth of general public suspicion and distrust of state government, aggravated by: the entry of the United States into World War I and the resulting distrust of German-Americans; the impeachment of Governor Ferguson earlier in 1917; and charges of corruption and collusion made against officia...

Mexican American Legislative Caucus (Tex.)

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Davila, Diana

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Gutiérrez, José Angel,

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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...