Olympic athlete and scientist James Ellis Lu Valle was born in San Antonio, Texas on November 10, 1912 but grew up in Los Angeles where he made use of a library card even before entering elementary school. Academics was always uppermost in his mind despite … Read MoreJames E. Lu Valle (1912-1993)
Vivian Osborne Marsh was a community activist and government official, becoming one of the most influential African Americans in the San Francisco area. She was born in Houston, Texas, on September 5, 1897. When she applied to the University of California Berkeley, because of her … Read MoreVivian Osborne Marsh (1897-1986)
Thomas J. “Tom” Bradley, five-term Mayor of Los Angeles and the first major black candidate for Governor of California, was born in Calvert, Texas, on December 29, 1917, the son of Lee Thomas Bradley, a railroad porter, and Crenner Bradley, a maid. He was the … Read MoreTom Bradley (1917-1998)
Thelma Dewitty was the first black teacher to be hired by the Seattle Public Schools. She had been a teacher in Corpus Christi, Texas for 14 years and began her Seattle teaching career in September 1947, after intervention on her behalf by the Seattle Urban … Read MoreThelma Dewitty (1912-1977)
In early 1915, a Spanish document appeared in the south Texas town of San Diego calling for Chicanos in the U.S. Southwest to start a race war at 2 a.m. on February 20. The document called for the recapture of all lands stolen from Mexico … Read MorePlan of San Diego, 1915
El Paso’s salt mines, located about a hundred miles east of the city, had long been used by local Indians and Chicanos. In 1877, two local political factions struggled for control of the deposits; these were the so-called “Salt Ring” led by District Judge Charles … Read MoreEl Paso Salt War, 1877
In July 1906, the U.S. Army stationed three companies of the all-black 25th Infantry at Fort Brown, Texas, adjacent to Brownsville. In recent years, southern Texas and the border region had seen periodic disturbances between American soldiers and local Chicanos who resented the military’s presence. … Read MoreBrownsville Affray, 1906
The Texas Seminole Scouts were descendants of runaway slaves who fled into Florida before the Civil War. The offer of freedom by the Spanish greatly encouraged South Carolina and Georgia slaves to vote for freedom with their feet. The blacks cooperated and joined the Seminoles … Read MoreTexas Seminole Scouts
Robert Lloyd Smith, politician and businessman, was born on January 8, 1861, to free black parents in South Carolina, one of whom was a schoolteacher. Smith attended the public elementary schools in Charleston and in 1875 he entered the University of South Carolina and remained … Read MoreRobert Lloyd Smith (1861-1942)
Richard Allen, politician and civic leader, was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, on June 10, 1830. He was brought to Texas in 1837 and ultimately to Harris County, where he was owned by J.J. Cain until emancipation in 1865. While a slave he earned … Read MoreRichard Allen [Texas] (1830-1909)
