The Illusion of Inclusion: The Untold Political Story of San Antonio, Texas

249 Pages·2000·10.63 MB·English

by  Rodolfo Rosales

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The Illusion of Inclusion
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History, Culture, and Society Series
Sponsored by the Center for Mexican
American Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
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The Illusion of Inclusion
The Untold Political Story of San Antonio
by Rodolfo Rosales
University of Texas Press, Austin
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Copyright ' 2000 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2000
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this
work should be sent to Permissions, University of Texas
Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819.
s‘The paper used in this book meets the minimum require-
ments of ANSI/NISOZ39.48—1992 (R1997)
(Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rosales, Rodolfo.
The illusion of inclusion : the untold political story of San
Antonio / by Rodolfo Rosales. (cid:209) 1st ed.
p. cm. (cid:209) (History, culture, and society series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-292-77102-9 (cloth : alk. paper). (cid:209) isbn0-292-77103-7
(pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Mexican Americans(cid:209)Texas(cid:209)San Antonio(cid:209)Politics and
government(cid:209)20th century. 2. Middle class(cid:209)Texas(cid:209)San Antonio(cid:209)
Political activity(cid:209)History(cid:209)20th century. 3. San Antonio (Tex.)(cid:209)
Politics and government(cid:209)20th century. 4. San Antonio (Tex.)(cid:209)
Ethnic relations. 5. San Antonio (Tex.)(cid:209)Social conditions(cid:209)20th
century. I. Title. II. Series.
f394.s29m57 2000
3249.089968720764351(cid:209)dc21 99-42794
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This is for
Those who dared to dream but are not with us anymore
Those who still dream and dare to act on those dreams
Those whom the dreams are for.
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Contents
Acknowledgments
viii
Chapter 1.
Introduction
1
Chapter 2.
Posing the Correct Questions
19
Part One. The Partisan Era
41
Chapter 3.
The Shaping of a Political Agenda and Its Consequences
45
Chapter 4.
Coalition Politics: Trench Political Warfare
62
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Part Two. A Period of Transition
79
Chapter 5.
The Changing of the Guard
83
Chapter 6.
The Transitional Period
104
Part Three. Political Pluralism
and Its Consequences
137
Chapter 7.
Style and Strategy in San Antonio Politics
141
Chapter 8.
The Cultural Is Political; the Political Is Cultural
159
Chapter 9.
The Question of Inclusion: A Final Note
178
Appendix:
San Antonio Mayors and City Council
Members, 1951—1999
191
Notes
197
Bibliography
219
Index
231
Faces of San Antonio through Time:Photographs
123
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Acknowledgments
I would not have (cid:222)nished this project, as important as it is to my life career
goals, if it had not been for the support and understanding of so many people.
It is so easy to forget when someone is there for you. I hope I do not.
Rosa Rosales... I cannot begin to thank you for all your love, for all your
patience, and for all your understanding. Oh, and for the real life political ex-
periencethatyouandAngelaGarciaprovidedmewhileIlabored.Myparents,
Arturo y Otilia, and Rosa(cid:213)s mother, Ramona, whom we have never forgotten
and never will. To Rosa(cid:213)s father, Herminio, who has seen this entire century
and is still crisp-minded and still dreams. Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Miguel Angel
Rosales, and Gabriel Yaotequia Rosales, for the inspiration and motivation
that your very lives and our intellectual and political interaction have pro-
videdme.Mygranddaughter,BiancaYolandaRosales...forwhomthedreams
are for.
I also want to share this with all of Bianca(cid:213)sprimisas (cousins), many of
whom she has yet to meet(cid:209)Stephanie, April, Alex, Alex, Adriana, Alana,
Anja, Lizzy, Teddy, Xavier, Laura, Mariano, Christopher, John, Ernest, Brit-
tany,Nico,Megan,Courtney,Lorenzo,Lanie,Kate,andLara.ForLeticiaMon-
teleone, Bianca(cid:213)s mother.
To all the rest of the family who have patiently waited(cid:209)Roberto, Betty,
Maria, Teresa, Deborah, Arturo Jr., Matzie, John Arthur, Eileen, Melissa, Ma-
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riaGloria,Valerie,Daryl,VirginaAnn,Joe,Georgina,JoeArthur,Rene,JoeDa-
vid, Sylvia, Otilia, Little David, Paul Anthony, Edie, Margarita, John Rudolph,
Mary Ann, Tony, Janie, Gracie, Patsy, Debrah, Minnie, Mona, Ernest, John,
Yolanda, Arturo, Little Arturo, Melanie, Juanio, Alice, Ricky...
Aswithanyproject,theoriginsofthisonewerelostasitdevelopedincom-
plexity and size. What I can say with certainty is I have not lost sight of those
who were there for me when it was simply a wisp of an idea. Those teachers
and friends in Ann Arbor(cid:209)Frances Svensen, Ken Langton, Al Meyer, Sylvia
Pedraza-Bailey, and Lili Kivisto. I must not overlook the soul of my intellec-
tual experience in Ann Arbor, the rowdy intellectuals in the Association for a
CriticalSocialStudies.AmongtheseveryprofoundrowdieswereRosa,Marga-
rita Salazar, David Rosales, Sylvia Mata, Tony Carrasco, Jose Sanchez, Irasema
Garza, Ben Ramirez, Mike Ramirez, John Solis, Ismael Dovalina, Tony Mira-
montes,NeifaNacel,MartaHernandez,TravisTatum,Terri,Booker,Max,Ar-
thur (cid:210)Maceo(cid:211) Powell, Luis Rubalcava, Aida Hurtado, Oscar Morales, Liz Na-
jeraFlores,EldaMendoza,NenitaTorres(cid:209)andIhopeIdidnotforgetanyone.
As it developed into its mature and complete form, it did so with a little
help from my friends.Mi carnalDavid Montejanoy mi otro carnalSid Plotkin
sat there in my kitchen and with their imagination saw a book in the scrib-
blings that I had compiled. They were consistently there pushing me to clar-
ify and make this project comprehensible as well as to keep it on track.Mis
carnalesMario Compean and Steve Casanova at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison, Joe Spielberg and Ricardo Navarro at the Julian Samora Institute at
MichiganStateUniversity,andArturoMadrid,RayGarza,andRicardoRomo
me dieron esquinathrough their personal support and their (cid:222)nancial support,
as well as through their various programs where they extended to me much-
needed resources. Gregory Garza has always been there. Emilio Zamora, Jose
Sanchez, Sid Plotkin,yArturo Vega each provided extensive critiques of one
of my numerous drafts.
At the University of Texas at San Antonio (utsa) I met some very special
people who prodded and pushed me to (cid:222)nish this project. La Raza Faculty,
whose collective courage changed what would have been an otherwise mun-
dane alien world(cid:209)the university(cid:209)into a vibrant extension of the battle for
dignity and justice for our people and all people, giving me the (cid:222)re I needed.
My friend Ricardo Gambitta, whose advocacy for students, and in particular
for Chicana and Chicano students, has endeared him to me. Mansour El-
kikhia, who walks the talk and backs up his friends. The Hispanic Research
Center, Jesse Zapata (now Associate Provost), Lalo Valdez, and Eduardo Co-
dina for their support.
Acknowledgments / ix