Pioneer of Mexican-American civil rights : Alonso S. Perales
Cynthia Orozco (Author)
In this wide-ranging biography, historian Cynthia E. Orozco examines the life and work of one of the most influential Mexican Americans of the twentieth century. Born in 1898 in Alice, Texas, Alonso S. Perales, who was an attorney, leading civil rights activist, author and US diplomat. Perales was active in promoting and seeking equality for "La Raza" in numerous arenas. In 1929, he co-founded the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the most important Latino civil rights organization in the United States. He encouraged the empowerment of Latinos at the voting box and sought to pass state and federal legislation banning racial discrimination. He fought for school desegregation in Texas and initiated a movement for more and better public schools for Mexican-descent people in San Antonio. A complex and controversial figure, Alonso S. Perales is now largely forgotten, and this first-ever comprehensive biography will fill a gap in civil rights history and provide insight on the struggles of Latinos in the United States. Perales' life and work will inspire a new generation of activists and scholars. -- Back cover
Print Book, English, 2020
Arte Público Press, Houston, Texas, 2020