Dr. Hector P. Garcia Digital Exhibit

Items

• English-Only Movement Poster, American GI Forum
  Racism also manifested itself in the English-Only movement, which the AGIF considered a violation of the right to free speech.
• Political Education Award, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) presented Dr. Garcia with a Political Education Award, acknowledging his “crusade for voters.”
• Telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. invited Dr. Garcia to a meeting to address the urgent needs of the nation’s poor.
• Letter from President Jimmy Carter to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Dr. Garcia to a panel charged with selecting a judge for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana.
• Letter from Cesar E. Chavez to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  In this 1972 letter, labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez thanks Dr. Garcia for his support of a nationwide protest on behalf of farm workers.
• Funeral Arrangements for Corporal Reynaldo N. Orozco, American GI Forum
  The AGIF made funeral arrangements for soldiers killed overseas.
• Letter from Mr. and Mrs. Eluterio V. Barrera to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  In this letter, the Barrera family thanks Dr. Garcia and the AGIF for honoring the sacrifice of their son, a private killed in Vietnam.
• Hate Letter sent to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  Some people found Dr. Garcia’s unrepentant activism threatening, and reacted with violence and hatred. Hate mail like this reveals the depths of the racism against which Dr. Garcia fought.
• Urgent Notice, American GI Forum
  Dr. Garcia and his family experienced racism regularly. When the Garcias were refused service at a restaurant, he alerted AGIF leaders and urged them to take action.
• Letter from Dr. Hector P. Garcia to the Veterans of Foreign Wars
  In this letter to members of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Dr. Garcia announces the creation of the AGIF and describes many of the problems facing veterans in South Texas.
• Constitution and By Laws, American GI Forum
  The AGIF Constitution outlines the organization’s principles and goals, stating its dedication to all veterans “regardless of race, color, or creed.”
• Notice about the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  In this notice, Dr. Garcia informs AGIF members that he will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and expresses gratitude to his family, President Reagan, and the AGIF.
• Operation Las Colonias Strategy Plan, American GI Forum
  In this document, the AGIF outlines its plan to address the deplorable living conditions in the colonias along the Texas-Mexico border.
• Aviso Importante! 'Poll Tax' [Important Announcement! 'Poll Tax'] Flyer, American GI Forum
  This AGIF flyer alerts Mexican Americans to the 1949 Texas poll tax deadline.
• Statement, Viva Johnson Clubs
  In this official statement, Dr. Garcia urges Mexican Americans to vote for President Johnson, citing Johnson’s commitment to fighting poverty.
• Letter from Clifton C. Carter to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  In this letter, a member of Kennedy’s campaign team thanks Dr. Garcia for all of his work on behalf of the 1960 Kennedy-Johnson ticket.
• 'Viva Kennedy' Club is Planned
  Dr. Garcia was instrumental in organizing Viva Kennedy clubs that supported the candidacy of John F. Kennedy. He later led Viva Johnson clubs that backed Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
• Letter from Dr. Hector P. Garcia to Frank McGee, Corpus Christi Draft Board
  Dr. Garcia promoted equal treatment for all those serving in the armed forces. In 1948, he wrote to the local draft board protesting discrimination against Spanish-speaking draftees.
• 18 Stage School Board Sit-In
  In 1972, Dr. Garcia was arrested after he refused to vacate a school where he was staging a sit-in to protest segregation.
• South Texas War Dead Have Returned
  Dr. Garcia was a crusader for education even before he founded the AGIF. In this 1947 document, he speaks passionately about the importance of education.
• Letter from Dr. Hector P. Garcia to Senator Lyndon B. Johnson
  In his quest to honor Private Longoria, Dr. Garcia reached out to Senator Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX) to explain the situation and urge action.
• Gran Junta de Protesta [Large Protest Meeting] Flyer, American GI Forum
  This flyer implores people to protest the bigotry of the funeral home that refused to host a service for Private Longoria. The massive 1949 protest brought national attention to the AGIF.
• Telegram from Senator Lyndon B. Johnson to Dr. Hector P. Garcia
  Senator Johnson responded to Dr. Garcia’s appeals with this telegram. He arranged for Private Longoria to be buried with full military honors.
• Statement by Ambassador Hector P. Garcia, United States Representative in Committee I, on the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America
  This document is a transcription, in English, of Dr. Garcia’s statement to the UN General Assembly.
• Letter from Dr. Hector P. Garcia to the United States Army
  Dr. Garcia advocated personally for the people who came to him for help. In this letter, he requests a delay in deployment for the son of a sick patient.