-: A lot of people
in this area
and it was not for the Mexicanos,
we built
a board of directors made of only Mexicanos
because we wanted power.
And we knew that if we have that,
that would give us power as solid investors,
you know, that we were investing and that
we had a board that was made
out of Mexicanos, Chicanos, you know, that could
support
such a vast
means of communication for the area.
So we really, really, I think we did a lot.
And we also opened
a shopping center
so that it would be like a business incubator
so that people could start with flea market booths
and then go a little bit further, smaller everyday booths
and then up to a regular store.
And again, we had a lot of opposition on that
because you know,
it's power, you're getting power
and there was a lot of opposition there.
So, we closed that,
and things like this,
all the things that we did was
to
to gain some kind of
power
and empower
our
Chicano community. So that our children
would have that opportunity to go on
and be entrepreneurs
to be educated,
to be able to give their children an education.
And I think we did a lot.
There's two stores that exist that came from that project.
We had a warehouse where we brought merchandise
for the people who had flea markets
and that way they could have a local pleasure.
They could go and exchange their merchandise
if it wasn't selling and things like this
and rolling on, we also had that going.
We had an office where we help people translate.
You know, there's a lot of people that need a translation.
We sponsored Centro Gamez for many years
who was the center for justice
that was under the direction of Trina Gomez and her board.
Interviewer: Was that here in Amarillo?
Woman: Here in Amarillo.
And Trini's project was wonderful because
that particular
project
would help people.
The volunteers at Centro Gamez would go to
with people to the schools,
if a child had been mistreated and the parents, you know
needed somebody to go with them,
they were able to help you know, in
any kind of injustice that there would come up.
A lot of times the border patrol were very abusive
and Centro Gamez was there to help.
And we supported Centro Gamez a lot
because it was THE agency that helped,
that was a nonprofit agency
and was able to help the people directly with all that.
So it was a combination, the effort
of helping those who were ready to be entrepreneurs.
Those who were ready to have their business,
those who were ready to go to college.
And at the same time, those who needed the assistance
that were, how can I say
people that didn't have any, any kind of support.
They went through Centro Gomez and we would help
Centro Gamez by doing nonprofit events.
The station was very supportive to do nonprofit events
for Centro Gamez.
So Centro Gamez would have funds to help people.
We helped, Centro Gomez would have the meat
packing company people, to do a lot of
a lot of
a lot of work
for justice because, you know
the unions wouldn't do anything.
And so Centro Gamez was there to help, you know
walk out or do anything like that.
And of course we were joined in, I was right there
you know, too. I was also part of the
Pantex Plant. You know, we have a nuclear plant nearby
and we used to sit at the railroad tracks and
and say for the train not to come through with
the plutonium. So, you know,
all of these things were in combination with people who,
who, and I guess you could say it was a,
how can I say
it wasn't like the situation in Denver,
but
we knew the needs
but we had to approach it differently.
Than, than they approached it
in California
and also New Mexico and,
and Colorado with the
marchas and all of that.
We didn't have that here
but that's how we approached it.
Interviewer: And one thing, even though you
didn't necessarily have the same kind of moment
did you still get the newsletters?
Did you still get people who visited
from the movement to this area, even
if you had to approach it differently than they did?
-: No, we, you know, it's, it's really amazing.
I think one time,
only one time there was
a group of people coming through from Cesar Chavez
and Hacintor the Director let them sleep at the
Wesley Community center, but no
this area
is not an area
that can
work with something like that.
It would have been very, very hard to, to have, like
let's say
Piere not come in and
give a speech and
And, you know, or if there was a school in trouble
bring people from everywhere to
to initiate a walkout or anything like that.
It doesn't lend itself for that.
It is a whole different ball game.
Interviewer: And what other organizations would you have
heard of, whether I read a newspaper article about you
that you were part of a
migrant child school here
that you helped out Rose Bario Mario and other organizations
-: Yes. You know, I worked for Amarillo College
and I used to have
youth programs to help the young people
that were non-English speaking.
And we would have activities because these children
were not able to share what they knew
with others.
All the other children were able to do sports.
They were able to do art projects and all this
and participate in all kinds
of activities where they're self-esteem would be built up
through the Amarillo College program that
I was a director of
I remember we did a lot of things to help the students bring
out their talents and share and show people
that they were worth a lot, that they had a lot to offer.
And that was very successful.
We would, we, you know, the children would, would dance.
They would do.
We did art projects and all of that
so that the children would have some kind of opportunity to
to go in there and say, look, you know
we also can
contribute.
We're not just here to receive
we're here to contribute.
And that was through the Amarillo College Star program.
And, and there was a lot of projects that we did a lot
of work that we did through the Star program.
GED
we did
computer classes
English as second language
And we also help people with enrolling into college
looking at financial aid and all of that.
And it was in the Bario.
The office was in the Bario
Interviewer: Where is the Bario located in Amarillo?
The traditional..
-: Okay, the traditional Bario, you're looking at
at 3rd Street,
ah 3rd Street
to
34th.
And then probably from
Tyler Street
and then all the way to Grand
that's the area.
And the railroad's right there, in the middle of all that.
Interviewer: That's where you grew up correct?
-: I grew up, I grew up right next door to the railroad.
We, we heard the trends all the time. Yeah.
Interviewer: And could you describe the Bario
a little bit so we know how it was when you were growing
up here, the original Bario
-: The original Bario was, you know, we,
we were children of
some of them were second generation and
and we had, you know,
there was Panidas you know.
There was young kids that did, that did all this.
We had a separation of the East side of Amarillo
and then
the South
the, you know we didn't really mix too much.
There was
a lot of
how can I say
very religious in that
they're very the nuclear, the nucleus was
Our Lady of Guadalupe church.
So pretty much, you know
the priest there kinda
advised and governed. And I know my father
as Father Rogriguez for everything. I mean, it was like
Let me talk to the Father. See what he thinks that's
good or not. So we had a lot of that going on.
And
we,
I went to Catholic school all the time with the
Sisters of Mercy.
And so I was raised, but other children, you know
they went to Dwight Morrow and
Sanborn schools there.
And,
I think there was a little bit
of unkindness sometimes from the teachers to the children
because they really didn't understand culture.
I know some of the nuns that taught me
didn't understand culture and
that made it hard
because they expected us to do things that we
didn't know how to do.
They expected us to have things in our homes
that we didn't have
and that was hard on us children.
But that's how we grew up.
We have fiestas batrias, you know
my mother and my father were really into
central Mexicano and they used to make dances, you know
for the 16th of September.
And later on, we started having like Cinco de Mayo.
There's a park there called El Alamo Park.
And, and it used to be Alamo Park only but then,
after a while, we
there was a request to the city to put El Alamo park.
And then later,
because of the director at Wesley Community Center
Hacinto Directe they named the street,
where Wesley Community Center. Hacinto Directe St
And so all of that was,
was something that
that was part of growing up.
The Methodist church was very active in the community.
I remember my mother didn't want me
near the Methodist church and,
but I would go anyway.
I would kinda going with the girls that went
to the Methodist church cause they did a lot of fun stuff.
And besides Mr Chaverte was very handsome
and we all want to see the ministry, you know
so we would all go over there and
but they did a lot for the Community.
They build that wonderful center
and they included people
from the Community to be on their board.
So it wasn't just like it was all members of
the Methodist church. It was not that way.
And so, you know, there was a lot of combination of
and I guess the Methodist church was the only
church that was really that involved
in the Community and the Catholic church, of course,
you know, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
was one of the churches then there was around
Interviewer: And was there any mixing between
the African-American population of Amarillo and
the Mexican American population culturally
or in everyday basis, or even during
the Civil Rights movement or social justice movement?
-: Not in, not in the Bario as far as black families.
I don't remember any
I know that when we went to Cap Rock there was a lot of
black students because of
the airbase.
There were students that were children to, you know
people from the air base, military people.
That's another thing that we found so different
because people that were in the military were so open-minded
you know
The kids were real open-minded.
They would get along with anybody and everything.
Everything was fine.
Something we weren't used to. Because prior to that
they were very narrow-minded, you know, kids
it was like really white.
And, and it wasn't like when we went to high school
and we were able to mingle with the military students
military kids, it made it a lot easier.
We were able to, to have friends that were not
Spanish speaking, they were not just Chicanos.
So that's where I saw more black, but
Amarillo is divided like in four
you've got the Pelladuro people
which initially was black community.
Then you have Capra was initially
all Chicano Mexican families.
They have had an Amarillo High,
which was kind of downtown
but now is way out Southwest of Amarillo
predominantly white families.
And then
you have Discosa who
which is now more integrated but
but it's divided in four, it's just really interesting.
And it's all because of the way people settled, you know
the Mexicans settled over there by the railroad
the blacks settled in the flats over here
because initially they were,
they were
slaves
There were freed. They came with some of the
very wealthy families here to work for them.
And so all the black people
they couldn't have them living in their area
which is over there by Polk and the Old Ridge area.
So they gave him land out there in,
in North Amarillo.
And that's where the black community is concentrated.
And my dad used to talk to me a lot about that
a lot about how the black community came about,
but we my father was real,
how can I say,
real in touch with the black community because he worked
in the railroad, he was a coach cleaner.
And a lot of his, his fellow workers
were black.
And so they would tell him, you know what all went on
in the black community. So he would always share with us
and tell us what was going on in the black community
and, and how we needed to
unite with them.
You know, my father was always saying, you know
the black people have some things that happened to them too.
And, and y'all should try to
support them too
in their efforts, like when they were running
for office and things like that.
Interviewer: So touching off on that, has Amarillo had
Mexican American office holders. I know Amarillo's had it.