foreword by Arnoldo De León
—Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Leaders of the Mexican American Generation explores the lives of a wide range of influential members of the US Mexican American community between 1920 and 1965 who paved the way for major changes in their social, political, and economic status within the United States.
Including feminist Alice Dickerson Montemayor, San Antonio attorney Gus García, labor activist and scholar Ernesto Galarza, and others, the subjects of these biographies include some of the most prominent idealists and actors of the time. Whether debating in a court of law, writing for a major newspaper, producing reports for governmental agencies, organizing workers, holding public office, or otherwise shaping space for the Mexican American identity in the United States, these subjects embody the core values and diversity of their generation.
More than a chronicle of personalities who left their mark on Mexican American history, Leaders of the Mexican American Generation cements these individuals as major players in the history of activism and civil rights in the United States. It is a rich collection of historical biographies that enlightens and enlivens our understanding of Mexican American history.
Contributors: Carl Allsup, Kenneth C. Burt, Patrick J. Carroll, Maria Eugenia Cotera, Richard A. García, Michelle Hall Kells, Thomas H. Kreneck, Laura Muñoz, Cynthia E. Orozco, Julie Leininger Pycior, Anthony Quiroz, Vicki Ruiz, Emilio Zamora