The National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights has found a home at Our Lady of the Lake University on San Antonio’s West Side.
Started with $500,000 in city funding, the nonprofit will archive news articles, photos and videos related to San Antonio’s Mexican American civil rights struggle.
Among the events it will highlight are the pecan shellers strike of 1938 led by civil rights icon Emma Tenayuca; the school boycotts of the late 1960s; and the formation of organizations such as the Mexican American Unity Council and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund.
Details about the nonprofit were unveiled Tuesday morning at the campus by OLLU President Diane Melby, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and other city and county officials.
OLLU, founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence, has long been oriented around social justice. It serves a predominantly Latinx student body.
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This article appears in Jan 15-28, 2020.
