1973 by Elise Hinojosa

Corpus Christi Caller Times. “An article regarding the change of School District zone changes,” Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers, Collection 5, Box 35. Accessed April 12, 2022. Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

This newspaper page is an infographic of the changing school zones for junior high and elementary schools in Corpus Christi on August 16^th, 1973, following the new desegregation laws and plans to redistribute students around the city. Newly effected areas are shaded in grey, solid lines are the already established boundaries while dotted lines map out the new boundaries. There is also a detailed list of schools and how the neighborhoods and homes are to be sorted, along with a short news article explaining how the swap list works and when the official plans will be signed in the Fall in time for the new school year.

Access information: this article can be found in the special archives, the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers Collection, available at TAMU-CC Bell Library. TAMU-CC faculty, staff, and students can access the physical special collections with help of school archivists or for free online. Community members can visit to use the online resources but need to check in at the circulation desk and asked to be logged on to a computer.

Corpus Christi Caller (Corpus Christi, Texas), March 26, 1973: 14. Accessed April 12, 2022. America’s Historical Newspapers.

This news article from the March 26^th, 1973, edition of the Corpus Christi Caller is a celebratory piece discussing the 25^th anniversary of the GI forum, reflecting on all the battles won in the name of Mexican American rights but also the battles that are left in terms of segregation. Starting with the discussion of the advancement of rights for Mexican American veterans and the growing visibility of Chicano civil rights issues the short piece touches on issues of segregated cemeteries, a lack of disability care, and the continued inequality in education, housing, and healthcare. The article ends with the authors hope that the younger generations of Mexican Americans will be ready to take up the cause when they can no longer do so for them.

Access information: this article can be found in the databases’, NewsBank and Americas Historical Papers, available at TAMU-CC Bell Library. TAMU-CC faculty, staff, and students can access the databases for free online. Community members can visit to use the online resources but need to check in at the circulation desk and asked to be logged on to a computer.

Corpus Christi Caller (Corpus Christi, Texas), December 3, 1973: 11. Accessed April 12, 2022. America's Historical Newspapers.

This newspaper article from the December 3, 1973, edition of the Corpus Christi Caller is a community update for the integration plans for Corpus Christi Independent School District. There were initial problems with voluntary integration but the article hints that the board may be discussing trying the strategy again. The article also discusses bussing, and how the new changes would be an extension of the schools existing policies on “racial-ethnic” transfer policy. Then finishes with how the temporary rules will stay until there is a more solid and official version implemented the next Fall.

Corpus Christi Caller (Corpus Christi, Texas), December 6, 1973: 15. Accessed April 12, 2022. America's Historical Newspapers.

This article is from the December 6th, 1973, edition of the Corpus Christi Caller is a printed court document, more specifically the plans of Judge Owen D. Cox for the desegregation of schools in Corpus Christi. The document outlines the requirements of the integration process and largely leaves the details of how it will be done to those who live in/ around and work in the Corpus Christi Independent School District, using terms like “good faith”, saying it would be “a credit to this community” if the problem could be resolved on a voluntary basis.

Gutierrez, Roberto. “A letter from Roberto Gutierrez, President of the Board of Education for West Oso Independent School District, regarding his support for the Bi-lingual program,” Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers, Collection 5, Box 35. Accessed April 12, 2022. Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

This document is a letter from December 14, 1973, written by Roberto Gutierrez, President of the West Oso ISD Board of Education to word his support for the budding bi-lingual program at the school. While the letter is short it does include President Gutierrez’s opinion that the program should be implemented fully from kindergarten to twelfth grade, and his wishes that every child who comes from West Oso to be learn and leave as a bi-lingual student.

"MALDF Chicanos Guaranteed Full Rights in Texas School Desegregation." Chicano (Colton, California), November 16, 1972: 2. Accessed April 12, 2022. Hispanic American Newspapers.

This news article from the November 16, 1972, edition of Chicano looks into the ruling from the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Austin ISD and Corpus Christi ISD with the aid of MALDEF, declaring that Mexican American students have full rights in schools and that the school districts had the responsibility to desegregate their institutions. The article praises the ruling for its breaking down of the dichotomy between segregation by law and by social practice and discussed how in the case of Corpus Christi ISD was implemented by “piecemeal” due to the lie that it was beneficial for the Mexican American students.

Rangel, Jorge C. “Dr. Hector P. Garcia Correspondence Box 40 Item 126,” Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers, Collection 5, Box 40. Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

The following correspondence from Jorge C. Rangel to Dr. Hector P. Garcia holds a copy of the Harvard Civil Liberties law review project report: De Jure Segregation of Chicanos in Texas Schools. The review itself details statistics on Mexican American education, the cultural attitudes, and the barriers both de jure and de facto. Using court cases, sociology, and other reliable sources a very complete view of the then state of Chicano education is painted.

Rindskopf, Elizabeth R. "Civil Rights," Mercer Law Review 24, no. 3, Summer 1973, 745-768. Accessed April 13, 2022. Hein Online.

This review of the state of segregation and the efforts by law to correct it are broken up into segments: Employment, Education, and Political Representation. Rindskopf uses court cases, statistics, and the events of the following year, 1972, to conclude that the fight for civil rights and desegregation had been on the legal decline noting a high level of turnovers and a shaky lower court system.

Access information: this article can be found in the databases’, Hein Online, available at TAMU-CC Bell Library. TAMU-CC faculty, staff, and students can access the databases for free online. Community members can visit to use the online resources but need to check in at the circulation desk and asked to be logged on to a computer.

Taylor, William. “A hate letter from William Taylor to Dr. Hector P. Garcia regarding his political propaganda regarding the betterment of the Mexican American people,” Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers, Collection 5, Box 36. Accessed April 12, 2022. Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

This letter written on March 28, 1973, by William Taylor to Dr. Hector P. Garcia details Taylor’s thoughts and confusion on the Chicano movement and the civil rights fight for the betterment of Mexican Americans. Taylor claims Dr. Garcia is simply inviting Mexicans to cross the border illegally, causing an uproar over nothing, and that his own “Mexican friends” don’t feel the same or call themselves Chicanos. Taylor takes the opportunity to compare the Mexicans he knows to the “negroes” claiming that the Chicanos are much harder to work with and poor at organizing. The letter ends with Taylor comparing his own Anglo ability to disavow the British empire as opposed to Chicanos who he says can’t do the same to Mexico.

William, Dana. “An article regarding a Transfer plan for the latest desegregation plan for the Corpus Christi Independent School District,” Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers, Collection 5, Box 35. Accessed 12, 2022. Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

This document is a pair of newspaper clippings from August 21, 2022, on the subject of the newest updates on the desegregation of Corpus Christi ISD. The first and shortest article details the local NAACP’s push for a transfer-based plan to desegregate CCISD calling for the closing of Solomon Coles Junior High and the rezoning of Evans, Furman, Menger, Oak Park, Savage, Southgate, and Washington. The second larger clipping is the news of the closing of Solomon Coles Junior High being approved by the board and the proposed and confirmed rezoned schools.

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