Corpus Christi is the birthplace of Hispanic civil rights and soon there will be a museum honoring that heritage. A recent five-year lease agreement between the city and LULAC Council #1 for the Grande-Grossman House in Heritage Park will make the Tejano Civil Rights Museum a reality.
"There should be a museum dedicated to the struggles that our forefathers went through so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today," said Dr. Nick Adame, president of LULAC Council No. 1. LULAC is the League of United Latin American Citizens. It was founded in 1929 to combat the discrimination faced by Hispanics in the United States.
"The Tejano House will provide one of the avenues to explore and learn about Tejano culture and its roots," Adame said.
An agreement with A&M-Kingsville will include the expertise of multiple academic departments in providing content for the museum, including art exhibits, historical displays and lectures. Other partners include Del Mar College and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“The Tejano Civil Rights Museum will showcase an important — and too often overlooked — aspect of South Texas history," said Dr. Abbey Zink, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at A&M-Kingsville. "We look forward to sharing Tejano and Mexican-American culture and heritage with as broad an audience as possible.”
Today the term Tejano refers to a Texan of Spanish or Mexican heritage. Tejano means Texan in Spanish. As Texas became colonized in the 18th century, Tejano was used to describe Spanish settlers in the region.
Although Tejanos fought for independence from Mexico, which was won in 1836, they were treated as second-class citizens. The newly inked constitution denied citizenship and property rights to anyone who did not support the revolution. Anyone of Hispanic descent was lumped into that category. Despite being a majority of the population in South Texas, only two Tejanos owned property in Nueces County in 1860.
As a group they were discouraged from participating in the political process, including voting. Their struggle for gain their civil rights will be documented in the new Tejano Civil Rights Museum.
