In honor of First-Generation Week, a nationwide celebration recognizing the success and struggles of first-generation college students, faculty and staff, Laredo College is screening a film paying tribute to the life of a prominent Laredoan and civil rights activist who made his mark on our nation’s history.
The 45-minute film chronicles the life of native Laredoan Gustavo “Gus” García, a trailblazing Mexican American civil rights attorney renowned for arguing the landmark case Hernández v. Texas before the Supreme Court in 1954, which paved the way for the end of school segregation in Texas against Mexican Americans and provided civil rights protection under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th amendment.
The screening will take place at the LC Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Although born in Laredo, Garcia’s family moved to San Antonio, where he attended Catholic and public schools and graduated as the first valedictorian from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1932. He received an academic scholarship to the University of Texas, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1936 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1938.
The partnership to bring the film to an audience at Laredo College came about after Chair of the English, Languages & Cultural Studies Department Rene Montemayor met the producers at the LULAC Texas State Convention this year. After talking about the film’s impact and reaching a broader audience, he said they were excited about the idea of screening the film at LC.
“I teach English, Spanish and Speech at LC, and I always include something that is unique to Laredo, the border or nuestra gente in all my classes,” Montemayor said. “This event is an extension of what I do in my classes: educate our community on who we are as human beings and to be proud of our deeply rich heritage as we are not an inferior ethnic community in our goal of empowering those who have not yet developed his or her propia voz.”
As lead advisor of the TACHE-HACU Student Club, Montemayor worked closely alongside the LC family, including Student Life Director Pedro Rivera, Associate Vice President of Student Life & Engagement Carmelino Castillo and Club President Priscilla Hernandez, to bring this great event to the college.
García’s pioneering legacy is also the focus of a new campaign to fund a life-sized bronze statue in his honor. The statue will recognize his groundbreaking legal battles in the 1940s and 1950s.
The campaign seeks to raise $150,000 to commission a life-size bronze statue of García, which will be installed where he passed away, at the Mercado in downtown San Antonio.
The campaign’s goal is to ensure that future generations remember and honor García’s contributions to the struggle for civil rights and justice. He fought tirelessly for the rights of Mexican Americans, Chicanos, Latinos, Hispanics and all people who faced discrimination and inequality.
“We owe it to him and to ourselves to remember his legacy and to inspire future generations to continue the struggle for justice. We are excited to share this documentary with the students and attendees and to start the conversation about why we need to honor Gus García's legacy with a permanent tribute,” Efraín Gutiérrez, the film’s producer, said.
This great event, sponsored by the LC Office of Student Life, celebrates the life of a Laredo-born social justice activist from an era way before the Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Through this event, Laredo College aims to bring culturally enriching and family-oriented events to the community.
“Thanks to Mr. Efraín Gutiérrez and his team, the screening of the documentary video allows Laredo College, and by extension, me, to share a wonderfully historic and powerfully relevant story of one of our own–Mr. Gustavo ‘Gus’ García,” Montemayor added. “If individuals like García and Jovita Idár or Sara Martínez Tucker, who are native Laredoans, experience highly effective success, why not that young 19-year-old from Canta Ranas, Los Amores or el Chacon in Laredo?”
