Oral History Interview with Willie Serna, July 25, 2016

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Guillermo "Willie" Serna was born in Seguin, Texas in 1927 where he attended “Mexican schools.” He served in the Pacific during World War II after volunteering in 1944 (he was in the service until 1947). Upon his return to Seguin, Serna was part of creating the fourth chapter of the American GI Forum in his home town in 1948 with over 100 members. He worked as a migrant farm worker, traveling to West Texas, Ohio and Indiana. In Indiana he, Serna organized a strike for higher wages that were equal to Anglo workers. Serna moved to La Mesa, Texas where … continued below

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6 video recordings (1 hr., 2 min., 58 sec.) : sd., col. ; digital

Creation Information

Wisely, Karen; Zapata, Joel & Serna, Willie July 25, 2016.

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This video is part of the collection entitled: Civil Rights in Black and Brown and was provided by the TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 86 times. More information about this video can be viewed below.

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Description

Guillermo "Willie" Serna was born in Seguin, Texas in 1927 where he attended “Mexican schools.” He served in the Pacific during World War II after volunteering in 1944 (he was in the service until 1947). Upon his return to Seguin, Serna was part of creating the fourth chapter of the American GI Forum in his home town in 1948 with over 100 members. He worked as a migrant farm worker, traveling to West Texas, Ohio and Indiana. In Indiana he, Serna organized a strike for higher wages that were equal to Anglo workers. Serna moved to La Mesa, Texas where he eventually gained a job in the local employment office (Texas Workforce Commission), where he helped other Mexican Americans gain government jobs. He eventually began directing the office and moved to San Angelo to also managed the local office in the 1970s. During the 1970s, San Angelo’s LULAC chapter was founded, for which Serna became president. Within this office, Serna helped launch various suits or threats of suits at the county and city level as well as against the local school district and Angelo State University. Serna also worked in Austin for the William P. Clements administration and served as Justice of the Peace in Tom Green County from 1995-2007.

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6 video recordings (1 hr., 2 min., 58 sec.) : sd., col. ; digital

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University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

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  • https://crbb.tcu.edu/interviews/interview-with-willie-serna

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Civil Rights in Black and Brown

Based at TCU, the Civil Rights in Black and Brown (CRBB) Oral History Project collects, interprets, and disseminates oral history interviews of the brown and black freedom struggles in Texas.

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  • July 25, 2016

Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • March 10, 2018, 6:55 a.m.

Description Last Updated

  • June 12, 2018, 11:42 a.m.

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Primary view of object titled 'Oral History Interview with Willie Serna, July 25, 2016'.

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Wisely, Karen; Zapata, Joel & Serna, Willie. Oral History Interview with Willie Serna, July 25, 2016, video, July 25, 2016; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth982483/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library.

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