I write these essays for my grandchildren and for students I will never meet. It is easy to take today’s freedoms for granted when you did not have to fight for them. It is easy to forget that speaking Spanish in a Texas classroom once warranted corporal punishment. I want the next generation to know that their rights were not given to them freely. They were fought for by teenagers who walked out of class in 1968 and by families who stood together against incredible pressure.
When I look back at my time at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, or the days I spent organizing with the Mexican American Youth Organization, I see how much has changed. But I also see how easily those gains can be lost if we stop paying attention. History is not just a subject you study to pass a test. It is the only map we have to navigate the future.
You come from a legacy of resilience. Your ancestors survived the fields and the discrimination of a dual education system. They built a vibrant culture along the Rio Grande despite every effort to erase it. When you read Shattering the Stereotypical Mold, do not just see it as a story about the past. See it as a reminder of what you are capable of today.
The challenges you face will be different from the ones we faced in the 1960s. The tactics of exclusion have changed, but the need for vigilance remains the same. My advice to you is simple. Read everything you can get your hands on. Learn to write and speak with precision. Question the official narratives. And never forget that you have a right to be here, to speak your truth, and to shape the history of this state.
