Timeline of Latino civil rights in the United States

The following is a timeline of Latino civil rights in the United States.

Important organizations in the fight for Latino civil rights

1890–1900

Alianza Hispano-Americana 1894: The AHA was founded in Arizona in 1894 to defend Mexicanos' rights and improve their life quality. The Alianza was one of the first regional Mexican American organizations. By 1930 the Alianza had almost 300 lodges scattered throughout the Southwest and mainly in Arizona. These lodges were a safe haven for members providing various social services and helping Mexicanos who faced discrimination and denial of their civil liberties.Matt Meier, Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000), 7.

1900–1920

Japanese-Mexican Labor Association 1903: On February 11, 1903, 500 Japanese and 200 Mexican laborers joined and formed the first labor union called, the Japanese-Mexican Labor Association. The JMLA opposed the Western Agricultural Contracting Company with three major concerns, the artificial suppression of wages, the subcontracting system that forced workers to pay double commissions, and the inflated prices of the company store. In order to address their concerns, the JMLA declared a strike against the WACC during a pivotal moment in the sugar beet season. Several of WACC's contracted workers joined the JMLA, which caused a standstill in the sugar industry. Eventually the WACC conceded to most of the JMLA's demands.Cletus Daniel, Bitter harvest, a history of California farmworkers, 1870–1941 (Los Angeles, CA: Univ of California Press, 1982), 72.

El Primer Congreso Mexicanista 1911: El Primer Congreso Mexicanista met in Laredo, Texas from September 14 to 22, 1911. It was the first large convention of Mexican Americans to organize against social injustice.Teresa Acosta, "Congreso Mexicanista" The Texas State Historical Association, June 12, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vecyk.

1920–1930

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 1920: The ACLU was founded in 1920 by a group of social and political activists who were dedicated to protecting the civil rights guaranteed to all citizens by the constitution. When it was first founded, the ACLU was very active in pro-labor protests; however, more recently it has mainly focused on legal matters such as, due process, the right of freedom of opinion and expression and equality before the law.Matt Meier, Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000), 9. Often, the ACLU has supported Mexican American organizations in lawsuits regarding segregation and voting discrimination.

The Confederacion de Uniones Obreras Mexicanas 1928: The federation of Mexican workers Union was the first ever union for Mexican workers, founded in Los Angeles in 1928. The focus of the organization was to deal with the issues of increasing unemployment among Mexican immigrants as the U.S. economy began to weaken. The CUOM served as an umbrella group for the agricultural unions in Southern California, which were made up of Mexican Americans. In 1928 the organization had over 3,000 members and represented 8 different unions. After the Great Depression hit the US the CUOM also began advocating for restrictions on repatriation and immigration.Arturo Rosales, Dictionary of Latino Civil Rights History (Houston, TX: Arte Publico Press, 2006), 109.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 1929: On February 17 the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was founded by Mexican American men in Corpus Christi, Texas. LULAC is the largest and longest-lasting Latino civil rights group in the country. The LULAC addressed the needs of Mexican American middle-class men who wanted to combat racism, which stood in the way of community empowerment.Cynthia E. Orozco, No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2010), 5. The LULAC was the first organization of Mexican-Descent to emphasize U.S. citizenship. The LULAC emerged within the historical context of South Texas between 1920 and 1930. Texas transformed from ranching and farming to an urban society, which provided a foundation for the emergence of the Mexico Texano male middle class.Cynthia E. Orozco, No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2010), 9.

1930–1940

El Congreso Del Pueblo de Habla Espanola 1935: EL Congreso grew in Southern California between 1935 and 1950. Its goal was to promote civil rights specifically in terms of working conditions for Latinos and other minorities. The first national convention of El Congreso was held in Los Angeles on April 28, 1939, and attracted over 1,000 delegates who represented more than 120 organizations. Moreno along with other members of El Congreso drafted plans at hotel Alexandria for the protection of the foreign born, focusing on deportation and discriminatory legislation, which targeted aliens.Carlos Larralde, "El Congreso in San Diego: An endeavor for civil rights", The Journal of San Diego History, (2014): 17. Josefina Fierro de Bright later joined Moreno as one of the leaders of the organization and helped rejuvenate El Congreso. Fierro de Bright and Moreno delivered moving speeches and encouraged involvement in voter registration drives to try to end the oppression of agricultural workers at the hands of labor bosses and farm growers.Carlos Larralde, "El Congreso in San Diego: An endeavor for civil rights", The Journal of San Diego History, (2014): 18.

1950–1960

American Council of Spanish-Speaking People 1950: the council was established at the beginning of the 1950s during a convention of Chicano civil rights groups in El Paso, Texas. George I. Sanchez was the first executive director of the council. Sanches and the council were dedicated to desegregating schools. In 1952 the council joined the Alianza Hispano-Americana and filed several lawsuits against Arizona school districts, which continued to practice school segregation.Matt Meier, Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing, 2000), 10.

1960–1970

Alianza Federal de Pueblos Libres 1963: The Federal Alliance of Free Towns was founded by Reies Lopez Tijerina in 1963. Its ultimate goal was to regain lands awarded by the Spanish and Mexican governments to early settlers and to their townships and later lost for various reasons after the official U.S. takeover of the Southwest in 1848.Matt Meier, Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000), 6. The Alianza switched between legal action and confrontational tactics, which raised considerable public concern. In 1976 members of the Alianza raided the Tierra Amarilla courthouse following the lead of Tijerina. The decline of the Alianza began in 1970 when Tijerina was sentenced to jail.Matt Meier, Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000), 6.

United Farm Workers 1966: The NFWA merged with the Filipino American union called AWOC to form the United Farm Workers. The UFW was led by Chavez and Huerta and its goal was to improve conditions and wages for farmworkers and to increase the political power of Latinos. In order to garner national attention the UFW initiated boycotts, fasting, grassroots community organizing, voter registration drives and appeals to spiritual values.Garcia, J. (2012). Review. Journal of American Ethnic History, 31(4), 100–102. Doi: 10.54604/jamerethnhist.31.4.0100. The union affiliates with the AFL-CIO, the national labor federation.

The Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) 1967: The Mexican American Youth Organization was founded in San Antonio, Texas, and was the major political organization of Mexican-American youth for over a decade. The organization was founded by José Ángel Gutiérrez and four other young chicanos who were all known as "Los Cincos".Teresa Acosta, "Mexican American Youth Organization," The Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vecyk. MAYO became one of the anchors of the Chicano movement as it fought for social justice while emphasizing the idea of Chicano cultural nationalism. Gutierrez and the other founders staged MAYO's first demonstration in front of the Alamo on July 4, 1967.Teresa Acosta, "Mexican American Youth Organization," The Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vecyk. Group membership consisted of Mexican-American teenagers and university students who were committed to the concept of la Raza. MAYO identified and addressed 3 needs of Mexican Americans: economic independence, local control of education, and political strength and unity through the formation of a 3rd party. Throughout the rest of the 60's and early 70's MAYO's membership rose as chapters popped up at schools and universities throughout the nation. By 1970, there were over 1,000 MAYO chapters.Teresa Acosta, "Mexican American Youth Organization," The Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vecyk.

1970–1980

The Raza Unida Party 1970: The Raza Unida Party was established on January 17, 1970, at a meeting of 300 Mexican Americans in Crystal City, Texas. The Raza Unida Party was founded in opposition to the two party system and offered a third political party to people in Texas. After it filed for party status in 1970, the RUP sought to bring greater economic, social and political self-determination to Mexican Americans in Texas. Membership in the party was open to anyone who was committed to RUP's goals. In April 1971 the party won a total of fifteen seats in the city council and school board election.Teresa Acosta, "Raza Unida Party," The Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/war01. In 1971, held its first state convention in San Antonio and voted to organize at the state level. That year the RUP ran 11 candidates for state offices in Texas.Teresa Acosta, "Raza Unida Party," The Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/war01. In 1972, the RUP held its first national conference in El Paso where about half of the estimated participants were women. At the national conference the delegates from the Congreso de Aztlan to run the national party and elected Gutierrez as the national chairman of the RUP.Teresa Acosta, "Raza Unida Party," The Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2012, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/war01.

Important political figures in the fight for Latino civil rights

1920–1930

Octaviano Larrazolo Octaviano Larrazolo was from New Mexico and became the first Mexican-American U.S. Senator. Larrazolo was appointed clerk of the district court at el paso before being appointed clerk of the United States district and circuit courts for the Western District of Texas at El Paso. In 1895 Larrazolo moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where he practiced law and became involved with the Democratic party and focused on civil rights for Mexican Americans. Larrazolo had difficulty gaining popularity in the Democratic party because Latino rights were better represented in the Republican party. In 1911 Larrazolo attended the constitutional convention held in reparation for the New Mexico territory to enter the Union. Larrazolo and other Latino delegates were successful in implementing pro-Latino measures and language into the New Mexico State constitution. In 1923 he was elected to the US House of Representatives and in 1928 he was elected as a Democratic Senator of New Mexico.

Benjamin Nathan Cardozo