Henry G. Cisneros was born on July 11, 1947 in San Antonio. He graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelors of arts and a masters of arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning. He also earned a Masters degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from George Washington University.
After serving two years in the United States army in 1968, he began his career in public service by working as an administrative assistant in the San Antonio City Manager’s office, working as an assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Beginning in 1974, he taught public policy at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In 1975, Henry was elected to the San Antonio City Council. As a council member, he emphasized the economic development and cooperation between the city’s Hispanic and White residents.
He served on the City council until 1981, when he was elected to be the Mayor of San Antonio, which is the nations 10th largest city, thus, becoming the first Hispanic mayor of a major U.S. city. During the time Cisneros was Mayor from 1981 until 1989, he rebuilt the city’s economic stability by increasing tourism and creating jobs in downtown San Antonio, recruiting convention business, attracting high tech industries, and expanding housing opportunities. In 1985, he was elected president of the National League of Cities. And, in 1989, he became chairman of his newly organized “Cisneros Asset Management Company,” which was a financial management firm for tax-exempt institutions. During this time, he received two awards: the first was in 1982, when he was selected as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Men of America.” The second was four years later in 1986, when City and State Magazine named him Outstanding Mayor. In addition to these two awards, he was awarded with Vista Magazine’s Hispanic Man of the Year Honor in 1991.
For three years after leaving his job as Mayor, Henry hosted “Texans,” which is a one hour television show that is produced quarterly in Texas, and “Adelante,” which is a national daily Spanish-language radio commentary.
Before coming to the United States illegally with his family, Francisco lived in a small village north of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. His family left Mexico in hopes of leaving their life of poverty behind them. Francisco and his family moved from place to place throughout California, following the crops and living in migrant labor camps. Unfortunately, Francisco’s father started to have back problems from picking crops for so many years. Francisco’s family lived in Bonetti Ranch in army barracks for a few years ...
Juan Seguin was born into a politically prominent family in 1806 to Juan Jose Maria Erasmo de Jesus and Maria Josefa Becerra. From an early age Seguin was entrusted by his father to handle certain business and political affairs. “During the time his father served as Texas deputy of the Constituent Congress, Juan handled the postmaster’s duties, helped his mother tend to the fields, and to some degree acted as intermediary between Erasmo and Austin.” Seguin’s father, Erasmo, worked with St...
One can draw many parallels from Garcia’s book; at the end of Reconstruction in the United States, many African-Americans, left the South, as home rule, and Jim Crow became part of it many, left for the north, especially Chicago. Thus, making El Paso somewhat of a Chicago for the Mexicans –as many Mexicans were fleeing the many deplorable conditions of a México under the rule of Dictator Porfirio Díaz, an era that came to be known as ...
The nineteenth century introduced several great leaders into this world, many recognized by historians today. These men, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and others, have all been honored and commemorated for their contributions. One such leader, José Martí, continues to remain anonymous outside the Hispanic community, and hidden in the shadows cast by these men. His name does not appear in the history books or on the tongues of many proud Americans, for he was neither a citizen of America nor an American hero.
It is crucial to have an awareness of the early beginnings of his life in order to understand Cesar Chavez’s development into becoming the celebrated leader he is known as today. One of the noteworthy aspects of his life is that he was not what some would consider a “natural-born” leader, meaning that he was not born into a family of great wealth or power. Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 near the town of Yuma, Arizona to a humble, hardworking Mexican immigrant family. His grandfather, Cesario Chavez, for whom he was named after, had worked hard to save enough money to be able to buy land in Arizona and raise his thirteen children, which included Cesar’s father. His father, Librado Chavez, grew up, got married, and opened up a couple of small businesses to help provide for his family and build a better life for his own children. According to biographical accounts about Cesar, this is when and where he began to learn and...
Willie Velasquez was a very well-known activist during his life. He was born in San Antonio, Texas and became interested in politics at a very young age. His first concern was San Antonio’s community. Velazquez studied at St. Mary’s University, while also being involved in political activities such as the re-election campaign for congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, who also became his mentor. In just his second year of education,
Juan Gris, a Spanish-born painter, made important contributions to the modern style of painting called Cubism. GrisÕs paintings were always depicting his immediate surroundings. He painted still lives composed of simple, everyday objects, portraits of friends, and occasionally landscapes or cityscapes. The objects in his paintings and collages are more clearly defined and richly colored than those in the works of the earlier cubists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
Martinez, Miriam. "A Latina of many colors, Sandra Cisneros." Latino Leaders Apr.-May 2004: 42+. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
When we have dreams we do everything possible to achieve them. We are sometimes faced with barriers that prevent, or make it harder for us to accomplish our goals. Latinos in the United States work hard to give their families a better life. Latinos all have faced many challenging circumstances in order to accomplish their dreams. Latinos look up to other Latinos and when they see other Latinos that have succeeded then they feel that they too can succeed in whatever they put their mind to. George Lopez is a Mexican American comedian and actor. He serves as a great role model for every Latino. He went through a lot of tough situations that made his life hard. George Lopez has not only served as a great example of a Latino accomplishing his goals through hard circumstances, but he has never forgotten where he comes from, he has always given back to the community and has also represented the Latino community in the United States in a positive way.
Novas, Himilce. "Dolores Huerta." The Hispanic 100: A Ranking of the Latino Men and Women
Cardenas, V., Kerby, S. (2012). The state of Latinos in the United States. Retrieved from www.americanprogress.org
Delgado, Richard and Stefancic Jean. “The Shape of the Latino Group: Who Are We and What
Sam Houston was as legend reports a big man about six foot and six inches tall. He was an exciting historical figure and war hero who was involved with much of the early development of our country and Texas. He was a soldier, lawyer, politician, businessman, and family man, whose name will be synonymous with nation heroes who played a vital part in the shaping of a young and prosperous country. He admired and supported the Native Americans who took him in and adopted him into their culture to help bridge the gap between the government and a noble forgotten race. Sam Houston succeeded in many roles he donned as a man, but the one most remembered is the one of a true American hero.
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo had an important status in the Americas. That gave the Spanish a good reputation and allowed them to gain territories a lot quicker and easier. Cabrillo was a leading official in Guatemala’s large town of Santiago, according to the National Park Services article about him. He lived there with his wife, Beatriz Sanchez de Ortega...
Robinson, Admiral Samuel M. A Brief History of the Texas Navies. Houston: Sons of the Republic of Texas, 1961.