UT Collections
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Mario Cantú was a civil rights activist best known for his success in the restaurant business. In 1969, Cantú began political organizing around Chicano rights by organizing the first "Semana de la Raza" in San Antonio, Texas. He subsequently founded several organizations designed to support undocumented immigrants and reduce police brutality against Chicanos in San Antonio. In 1976, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) raided Cantú's restaurant and convicted him on charges of employing illegal aliens. Across the border in Mexico, Cantú supported the Partido Proletario Unido de America (PPUA) internationally until he was found to violate terms of his probation following the 1976 conviction. Cantú subsequently focused his energy on the restaurant business, but maintained the physical records of his political endeavors in this collection. Materials include legal documents from the 1976 trial, a large body of documents from the various initiatives mentioned above and collected materials on related topics.
1957-1998 -
Writer and political activist Martha Cotera founded Information Systems Development, a consulting firm in Austin, Texas, and was the publisher of the Austin Hispanic Directory. Active in Raza Unida Party politics, the feminist movement, and educational and social agencies, Cotera is also the author of several books and articles on Chicanas. The collection contains manuscripts of works by Cotera and others, as well as clippings, correspondence, publications, and ephemera such as broadsides, bumper stickers, leaflets, posters, and tickets. The collection also includes an address book, audiovisual material, calendars, organizational records, scripts, and teaching materials.
Civil Rights, Segregation, and Apartheid, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Gender and Sexuality1964-present -
The papers of Maurice Cranston (1920-1993) span his professional career as an author, free-lance reviewer, and professor of political philosophy. In 1967 Cranston published the influential essay "Human Rights, Real and Supposed." His papers include the page proofs for What are Human Rights? (The Bodley Head Ltd., 1973), as well as subject files related to human rights.
Civil Liberties and Censorship, Civil Rights, Segregation, and Apartheid, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights1943-1997 -
The Mexican American Programs of the Longhorn Radio Network collection consists of 198 recordings for two series of radio programs: The Mexican American Experience, which first aired in October, 1976, and A esta hora conversamos, which first aired in October, 1981. Both programs were part of the Longhorn Radio Network, a distribution service and production center of public service content for radio stations across Texas and the greater Southwest. The project may also be accessed through its own web page (http://www.laits.utexas.edu/onda_latina) for additional information. The collection contains interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Topics covered on these programs include political activities of Mexican Americans, Mexican American folklore and folk medicine, corridos, Tejano music, Mexican American musicians, voting rights, education, health, farm workers' unions and working conditions, and some Mexican and Central American topics.
Civil Liberties and Censorship, Civil Rights, Segregation, and Apartheid, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Immigrant Rights, Prisoner Rights1976-1982 -
Morris Ernst (1888-1976) was an American lawyer and one of the leading advocates of civil liberties in 20th-century America. Ernst served on President Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights and as counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (and later director emeritus) where he defended individual rights and freedom in numerous landmark federal cases on privacy, libel, slander, obscenity, censorship, birth control, abortion, and labor issues. However, Ernst also feared communist influence and helped establish a loyalty oath policy within the ACLU. In his lifetime, Ernst worked with controversial figures such as birth control activist Margaret Sanger, Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujuillo, and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
The career and personal life of Ernst are documented from 1904 to 2000 through correspondence and memoranda; research materials and notes; minutes, reports, briefs, and other legal documents; handwritten and typed manuscripts; galley proofs; clippings; scrapbooks; audio recordings; photographs; and ephemera.
1904-2000 -
Aurora Estrada Orozco and her four daughters - María Teresa, Sylvia, Irma, and Cynthia - have been active in the fields of art, politics, journalism, and historical research. The collection contains letters, articles, press releases, clippings, handbills and posters relating to Chicano student activism at the University of Texas and elsewhere, Chicano cultural events in Austin, Texas, feminist issues, and political campaigns. Several issues of Para la gente, and Austin paper edited by Irma which supported the Raza Unida Party, are included.
Civil Rights, Segregation, and Apartheid, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Gender and Sexuality1976-present -
R.C. Hickman was a Dallas photojournalist who documented the school desegregation process for the NAACP while working for the Dallas Star Post, Jet and Express during the 1950s and 1960s. His collection includes his photographic work for each of these publications, including coverage of news events, entertainers, and local schools, social events, etc. in addition to coverage of NAACP events and the school desegregation work mentioned above. The collection is divided into two parts, but these documents are included in both section.
1945-1970 -
Bob Sanchez was a civil rights activist and attorney who focused his work on the rights of Mexican Americans. He helped to found the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and Texas Rural Legal Aid during the 1940s. Subsequently, Sanchez became involved with the American GI Forum, the National Council of La Raza and various migrant farm worker organizations. Sanchez was also active in Democratic political campaigns at the local, state and national levels, supporting candidates whose platforms on social justice and the civil rights of Mexican Americanss corresponded to the needs of Mexican Americans as Sanchez saw them. The collection includes materials from each of Sanchez's organizational involvements, his written works, collected materials of interest to him and photographs corresponding to various events sponsored by his organizations.
1921-2005 -
The Raza Unida Party (RUP) was a political party founded in Crystal City, Texas, in 1970. As an alternative to the two-party system in Texas, RUP sought social, economic, and political self-determination for Chicanos, other minorities, and the disenfranchised through local and, later, state politics. Although RUP saw some success in local politics, and particularly in counties with large Chicano populations, it never successfully entered state electoral politics as a strong player. Nevertheless, RUP served as a forum for expressing the political views and priorities of Chicanos throughout the state. Materials in the collection include documents related to the founding of the Party, campaign ephemera from elections around Texas and related audio-visual materials.
1969-1979 -
The collection of writer, historian, and professor Ricardo Romo contains correspondence, manuscripts, research papers, publications, clippings, programs, and photographs related to his activities and interests, such as East Los Angeles: History of a Barrio and New Directions in Chicano Scholarship, Mexican American athletes, mural painting, immigration and urbanization, discrimination in education and employment, Mexican American theater, and prominent Mexican Americans.
1967-present
