By Cindy Rivas Alfaro
As a US Latino Digital Humanities (USLDH)– League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 60 intern at Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage, I had such an enlightening experience looking through 1930s newspaper clippings from the San Antonio Spanish-language newspaper, La Prensa. A majority of the newspaper clippings mentioned LULAC baseball teams that were created for unique reasons.
The baseball teams were important to the organization as they were one of the efforts created to support a Texas Supreme Court trial that would end the segregation of Mexican-American children in schools (“Un triunfo”).
There were several teams, including Robstown LULAC, San Antonio LULAC, and the Del Rio LULAC. The Robstown LULAC team was undefeated for most of their career as they won game after game, and the other teams were just as talented (“Nuevo triunfo”).
To offer some background, in the 1930s, children of Mexican descent were separated from Black and white children and segregated into “Mexican schools,” such as those found in Robstown. LULAC sought to fight against this segregation as the State continued to discriminate against Mexicans (“La Liga de Ciudadanos Latino Americanos vigilará”). Examples of this would include discriminatory language plastered on school buildings to amplify the divide between Black and white children. Hence, the creation of their baseball teams and other clubs, festivals, and conventions to raise funds and social awareness, as well as plan legal action.
The very first article I found that mentions segregation appears in La Prensa on February 8, 1931; it asks the public for donations to bring the case of segregation to the Texas Supreme Court (“Se necesitan fondos”). The last article appears in La Prensa on April 15, 1933, and reports that LULAC President José T. Canales announces a convention to make it known that they are against the segregation of children of Mexican descent (“Convención de la LULAC en Del Río Tex.”).
As someone who isn’t really into sports, I found it surprising to see it intertwined with activism and politics. It seemed like the combination wouldn’t work but it did as it helped to raise funds for civil rights activities. To add on, I was unaware of LULAC’s nonstop efforts to make sure that Latino children had access to a fair and just education. Usually, Brown v. Board of Education is the first case that comes to mind when it comes to segregation but I was never able to find information on the discrimination children of Mexican descent faced in schools. After some research, I learned that LULAC played an engaging role in supporting the efforts to end the discrimination against Mexican-American children.
LULAC played a prominent role in the Del Rio ISD v. Salvatierra case, which aimed to end the segregation of children of Mexican descent in the Del Rio district, however, the judge ruled in favor of the district, as district representatives claimed they were separating children by their academic needs and not their race or color. This case was the law for several years until it was overturned by Delgado v. Bastrop in 1948.
LULAC has contributed a lot to the advancements of Latinos in Texas but the credit is not always given when it is due. I had never heard of the Del Rio ISD v. Salvatierra case, but it was one of the first instances of Latinos fighting for their rights. Even though the judge didn’t rule in their favor, it is important to acknowledge the hard work it took to raise money, acquire lawyers, and bring such a troubling issue to light.
LULAC created baseball teams, clubs, festivals, and other events to raise money to end the segregation of Mexican American children. They constantly held conventions to spread the word about their goals. Although it was difficult as the Texas government refused to grant them rights, their creations like the baseball teams were some of the few ways they engaged with their community to uplift and support them.
Learning about LULAC and how hard they worked for our community through this experience was incredible. I feel like what I have learned here is incomparable and being able to contribute to making sure their hard work is accessible to the public has strengthened my passion. The best part of all of this would have to be the amazing people I have met at Arte Público Press. The community here is strong and I felt that every day when I walked into the office. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity.
These articles will be made public in a forthcoming digital collection that showcases historic newspaper clippings about LULAC in Texas. They will be available on the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Digital Collections site.
Sources
“Convención de la LULAC en Del Río Tex.” La Prensa, 15 April 1933, p. 1.
“Del Rio ISD V. Salvatierra.” TSHA, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/del-rio-isd-v-salvatierra.
“Delgado v. Bastrop (1948) Case Summary.” Oyez Oyez Oh Yay!, https://oyezoyezohyay.org/delgado-v-bastrop-1948-case-summary/.
“La Liga de Ciudadanos Latino Americanos vigilará por los Intereses de los estudiantes hará gestiones.” La Prensa, 1 June 1932, p. 1.
“Nuevo triunfo de la Lulac de Robstown.” La Prensa, 9 July 1931, p. 9.
“Se necesitan fondos para impedir la segregación de los escolares mexicanos.” La Prensa, 8 February 1931 p. 1.
“Un triunfo del club ‘Lulac’ de San Antonio.” La Prensa, 27 August 1931, p. 9.
Cindy Rivas Alfaro was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Houston, Texas. She is currently studying Journalism at the University of Houston with a minor in Women’s Studies and plans to graduate in 2025. She is the Opinion Editor at UH’s newspaper, The Cougar, and the eldest child of two Salvadoran immigrants. Her goal in life is to represent the unspoken troubles and legacies of the Latinx and Hispanic communities through media. She is a recipient of the USLDH LULAC Council 60 Research and Scholarship Award.
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