UTA collection promotes Mexicans
by Diana De Leon, Feature Editor

   Politics, power and leadership of a Texas Mexican American color is explored in a UTA special collection project called Tejano Voices.
   Available online are interviews with political leaders from across the state, all of Mexican descent and many the first Mexican Americans to be elected in their jurisdiction.
   "There are other oral histories out there, but not many with Mexican Americans," Ann Hodges, project manager and assistant coordinator of special collections, said.
    The contributions of the Tejano community to the history and politics of Texas have generally been ignored in textbooks and in general studies.
    Texas has the most Tejano elected officials at every level of local government, according to Jose Angel Gutierrez, professor of political science, who conducted all the interviews.
    The Tejano Voices project is unique in that it focuses on the personal struggles of Tejano leaders.
    The current collection includes 77 interviews on the Web site, but Guiterrez has 163 interviews in all.
    "We offer the full transcript and full audio," Hodges said about Tejano Voices.
   Oral history interviews are becoming a major source of information for researchers and historians.
    Gutierrez donated the interviews to the library. He originally conducted the interviews for Chicano Leadership: Local Elected Officials in Texas, 1950-2000, one of the many books he has written.
    "It is the largest collection of its kind," he said. "I am into power and leadership," he said.
    Gutierrez explained that Tejanos have been an underrepresented and excluded ethnic group in politics and few projects have explored the struggle of the community to attain power. "We were represented by white leaders, and I resent that," he said.
    Gutierrez believes that to not be subjective is to limit his research and his interests. Because of his trying to be subjective, Gutierrez was often unhappy with answers given to him by the interviewees.
    He would encourage them to speak out by asking more questions on the same subject.
    Family history and personal struggle to gain political power are two subjects Gutierrez explored in every interview.
    The personal reflections on racism, discrimination and exclusion reflect the history of the Tejano community in Texas.
    The interviews also cover what the Tejano leaders think of current social issues, leadership and ways to help the community.
    Gutierrez said he personally knows many of the interviewees because of his job, but he used gender and geographic location in the selection of the interviewees.
    The project focuses on basic governmental units: city council, county government, school district and community college. Plans for Tejano Voices include additional interviews when funds become available.
    Gutierrez believes that more such projects would help people understand the great contributions the Tejano community has made to the state of Texas.
    "I write books so that I can kick ass with them," he said about the original intention of the interviews. The Web site includes background information on the project, and visitors can view images of the interviewees.
    Tejano Voices is best viewed with Internet Explorer at http://libraries.uta.edu/tejanovoices.