Alfred J. Hernandez Papers MSS.0159

Biographical Note

Alfred J. Hernandez was born in Mexico City in August 1917. At age four, his parents emigrated to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas as farm workers. He graduated from high school, and during WWII, enlisted in the U.S. Army serving in the African and European war operations as a technical sergeant. Hernandez received his American citizenship while he was serving in Europe. On his return to the United States, he enrolled in the University of Houston where he did his pre-law work and obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from South Texas College of Law in 1953. Alfred J. Hernandez married the former Minnie Casas and they had two sons: Alfred, Jr., John Joseph and a daughter, Anna Marie.

Hernandez was president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) from 1965 to 1967 and became a civil rights leader, working for the improvement of the social and economic conditions of all American citizens of Spanish-speaking descent in the United States.

On March 28, 1966, Judge Alfred J. Hernandez, together with delegates of LULAC, organized with "Albuquerque Walkout" in protest of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) discriminatory hiring practices against Mexican Americans. He also was one of the organizers of the Selma [Texas] Minimum Wage March of 1966, a two-month trek from the Rio Grande Valley, which began as a labor strike of the United Farm Workers Association against local agri-business and ended in a confrontation with Governor John Connally on the highway near New Braunfels. The march to Austin received national coverage and brought national attention to social conditions of Mexican Americans.

Judge Alfred J. Hernandez was Chairman of the Board of Project SER, (Job for Progress, Inc.) created in 1965 as a job training center for unemployed Mexican Americans. He also served on the GI Forum Job Opportunity Program and was a member of the Houston Crime Commission.

Scope and Contents

The Alfred J. Hernandez Papers consist of private and organizational records representative of Judge Alfred J. Hernandez's legal and civic advocacy, LULAC's organization, reports, projects and documents concerning the welfare, health and education of Mexican American citizens in the United States. The collection also includes photographic material of Judge Alfred J. Hernandez and LULAC's membership.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Microfilm is available for viewing.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the Alfred J. Hernandez Papers must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Alfred J. Hernandez Papers. MSS 159. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Alfred J. Hernandez , October 12, 1987.

 Microfilm 

The Alfred J. Hernandez Papers were microfilmed as part of a cooperative effort between the Houston Metropolitan Research Center and the University of Houston Special Collections and Archives to preserve the collection. As part of the project, the University of Houston produced these microfilm copies for use by HMRC patrons.

Roll 1: Box 1, Folder 1 through Box 5, Folder 2

Roll 2: Box 5, Folder 3 through Box 7, Folder 2

Roll 3: Box 7, Folder 2 (continues) through Box 10, Folder 1

Roll 4: Box 10, Folder 2 through Box 13, Folder 1

Roll 5: Box 13, Folder 2 through Box 15, Folder 1

Roll 6: Box 15, Folder 1 (continues throughout Roll 6)

Roll 7: Box 16, Folder 1 through Box 17, Folder 8

Roll 8: Box 17, Folder 9 through Box 19, Folder 6

Roll 9: Box 20, Folder 1 through Box 21, Folder 4

Roll 10: Box 21, Folder 5 through Box 22, Folder 8

Roll 11: Box 23, Folder 1 through Box 24, Folder 14

There is no microfilm for Box 25

Detailed Description of the Collection