Browse Exhibits (33 total)

In 1966 for about 90 days hundreds of men, women and children from Starr County began a strike that change workers’ rights in Texas. This march began from our side of the world (RGV) to the state capitol (Austin, TX) where over 15,000 people, including Cesar Chavez, voiced their opinions.

The strike for fair wages began the summer of 1966, when The National Farm Workers Association in Texas called attention to harsh working conditions and low pay. The strike began against the Starr County melon growers who were paying workers between 40 - 85 cents an hour. The strikers demanded a minimum wage of $1.25, workers shut down every packing shed in the county in the middle of the melon harvest season. The melon strike sparked the Chicano movement in Texas which led to Texas civil rights movement.

NOTE: The students have provided a description of the United Farm Worker's Melon Strike of 1966. However, the primary sources provided relate to the Texas Farm Worker's Melon Strike of 1976.

A series of events brought the end to slavery in Texas, beginning when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Emancipation on January 1, 1863. Then came the the last battle of the Civil War on May 12-13, 1865 and the General Order No. 3 delivered on June 19, 1865 in Galveston to the enslaved people of Texas. Yet, the discrimination and subjugation of Black Texans and African-Americans continued in the former Confederate state. In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, people of African descent endured the lasting effects of racism. Nowadays it is against the law to discriminate against people on the basis of color, race or religion and public schools are integrated.

Between 1904 and 1906, the completion of the railroad in Brownsville brought myriad changes to the Rio Grande Valley. The railroad ran from Brownsville to Corpus Christi and many people from all over the United States arrived to settle in the Valley. As a result, many towns began growing along the railroad, leading to the growth of the agriculture and other supporting businesses. Prosperous families recruited African-American domestic workers to “take care of things”, such as cooking, cleaning, even taking care of their children (West, (n.d.)).

An important African-American family and one of the first Black families to settle in Edinburg, Texas, was the West Family. In 1930, Vernon and Maggie West moved to the valley with their five children. Upon arriving they helped establish the E. W. Norman School behind the Lily on the Valley church on 19^th and Van Week in Edinburg. Reverend Norman was the pastor of the church and with two other black families the school was named after them. The school served for African-Americans who were not allowed to serve in public schools due to segregation. In 1936, the school became part of the Edinburg district and was renamed the George Washington Carver School, which served 1st through 8th grade students. In September of 1942, a Black high school was opened in McAllen (West, (n.d.)).

Historically, the African-American and Black American communities of Edinburg consisted of hundreds of people as well as their businesses, including cafes, taxi stands, beauty and barber shops, laundries, and more. Today only a few families remain along with Rising Baptist Church, Lily of the Valley Baptist Church and the Restlawn Cemetery. A Texas Historical Commission plaque is displayed in the Restlawn Cemetery the property is believed to be the only graveyard in the Hidalgo County dedicated for African-American Burials.

Every Juneteenth in the valley since 1998, the day is used to commemorate the day with songs, prayer and words remembering the struggle and the contributions of black around the world while honoring the legacy of those Africans who contributed to the valley (Villalon, 1999). For instance, acknowledging important services rendered by the members of the African-American Community, Restlawn Cemetery, and the educational contributions of The George Washington Carver and E. W Norman Schools. Overall, the purpose of this day is to ensure people of all colors are equally recognized.

The Raymondville Onion Strike took place in 1979 on account of their wages being cut because of onion prices. Being known as the “Onion Capital of the World” the strike started off as a wage problem then other problems arose with working conditions and class confrontation. Tony Andrea, who organized the strike, caught the attention of the Civil Rights movement. The strikewas did catch attention but not national. The strike lasted seven days and it was successful enough to where the onion harvest was shut down. The strike was crushed by anglo business men who purchased the field from the original owner and then  recruited other workers and fired those who participated in the strike.

On November 14, 1968 in Edcouch-Elsa, about 150 to 200 Mexican and Mexican-American Edcouch-Elsa high-school students walked out of their high-school at 10 a.m. to boycott the high school, teachers, administration, and the Edcouch-Elsa school board officials. The reason for the walkout was due to the principal and school board staff not hearing and implementing the list of demands and recommendations the Mexican and Mexican-American students had the day before. Another reason the students walked out and boycotted their school was due to the segregation, racism, discrimination, and the unfair treatment they endured every day from their teachers, counselors, and school administration.

For three days, following the walkout, these students protested for better education, end segregation, racism and discrimination against them, and to receive better treatment from the teachers, counselors, and school administration. After the walkout and protest ended, there were many students who were expelled or suspended that had participated in the walkout and protest. This walkout was the first walkout/protest to ever happen in South Texas. (Deiner, 2008) & (Martinez, 2017)