Long time supporters of civil rights and advocates of social justice, Erasmo and Sally Andrade have a history of serving the community at all levels and from different perspectives, from the local neighborhood, to the city and county, and up to the state and national level. They have been supporters of Mexican American and other Hispanic causes in the United States and in Latin America, particularly those concerned with the areas of education, economic justice, and social services, especially health care. They have participated in organizations ranging from those active in education and cultural issues, to those dealing with labor and politics, and finally those focused on the issues of women and family.

The son of Wilivaldo and Maria Nieto Andrade, Erasmo was born in Bruni, Texas on May 12, 1931. Within a year of graduating from San Antonio Tech in 1950 Erasmo joined the U.S. Navy. He served from 1951 to 1953, achieving the rank of Machinist’s Mate, Third Class. Concurrently while earning a degree in International Relations and working towards a Masters in Education Ersamo worked as a substitute teacher in the Edgewood school district in San Antonio. Shortly after getting his Bachelors Degree he entered the San Antonio school district as a teacher in 1958. It was around this period, the late 1950s and early 1960s, that Erasmo started participating in a number of groups and organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the San Antonio Federation of Teachers.

During the 1960s, Erasmo continued to increase his participation in the number of groups that championed the causes of Hispanics and minorities as a whole. These included the Catholic based Bishops’ Committee for the Spanish Speaking, the politically founded Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (PASSO), and the Federation for the Advancement of the Mexican American (FAMA). As chairman of Valley Workers Assistance Committee he supported the Rio Grande Valley farm workers in their strike against South Texas growers and was able to direct several food caravans to assist the farm workers with their plight.

In addition to his civic activism Erasmo was also a participant in the political arena. Between 1966 and 1970 he ran for political office several times at both the county and state level.

From 1969 to 1970 Erasmo worked with teachers groups and the community in dealing with problems associated with desegregation and integration of school programs. He became executive director of the Zavala County Mental Health Program, serving from 1971 to 1973. He was responsible for the delivery of social services to the indigent population of the county. He entered the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1974. Within a year of receiving his Jurist Doctorate in 1977 he joined the Austin Independent School District’s (AISD) Department of Community Education as the facilitator of its Stimulating the Neighborhood Action Process (SNAP) program. In the early 1980s he was chosen to serve on the City of Austin’s Arts Commission. He took his last jump into the political ring in 1988, competing for the seat of Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 1.

Like her husband, Sally Andrade focused her energies on serving the Hispanic community in the United States as well as in Latin America. Through her writings and her work with both government and private entities she publicized and supported many issues important to the Latino population. She was particularly active in education, health promotion, including mental health, and issues affecting women and families. She participated in a number of organizations, such as the Partners of the Americas exchange program in 1987, and being a consultant to the Governor’s Task Force on Inhalant Abuse in 1984. In 1988 she became Director of Research and Planning for Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. She was hired in 1993 as the first director of the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research and Planning at the University of Texas at El Paso. She was responsible for the evaluating the university’s program to double the number of minorities earning a bachelor’s degree in the sciences and engineering.

In 1994 the Andrades left Austin and moved to El Paso.