DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says, standing right here in Nueces County where it all began. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories where you realize you're standin' on ground that changed the whole country. Corpus Christi, 1929.
Three separate organizations had been workin' toward the same horizon — the Order of Sons of America out of Corpus Christi, the Knights of America over in San Antonio, and the Latin American Citizens League of the Rio Grande Valley. Three groups, one vision, and somebody finally said it was time to stop workin' parallel and start workin' together. The result of that merger was the League of United Latin American Citizens — LULAC — and the marker calls it one of the most influential American political groups of the twentieth century.
That is not small praise. On February 17th, 1929, twenty-five delegates and a hundred and twenty-five observers walked into Obreros Hall — right here at this very site — for the organizational meeting. Local businessman Ben Garza was the chairman, and if you're wonderin' whether he had a feel for the weight of the moment, consider this: three months later, at the first general convention in Corpus Christi in May 1929, that same man was elected president.
Andres de Luna served as secretary. Louis Wilmot, treasurer. The structure was in place.
Now here's what makes LULAC's story something more than a founding date on a bronze marker. The organization went to work. Pioneer work, the marker calls it — assistance for the elderly and the needy, adult basic education classes, prisoner rehabilitation, job training, preschool programs, housing projects, youth organizations.
Decade after decade, program after program, building something that grew from a hall in Corpus Christi into a nationwide organization still leadin' the way for the Hispanic-American community. Twenty-five delegates walked into Obreros Hall one February morning. What walked out was a movement.
What the marker says
One of the most influential American political groups of the twentieth century, the League of United Latin American Citizens was founded in Corpus Christi. The formation of LULAC resulted from the merger of three groups: the Order of Sons of America (Corpus Christi); the Knights of America (San Antonio); and the Latin American Citizens League of the Rio Grande Valley. The organizational meeting was held in Obreros Hall, at this site, on Feb. 17, 1929, with 25 delegates and 125 observers. Local businessman Ben Garza was the chairman. At the first general convention in Corpus Christi in May 1929, he was elected president. Andres de Luna was secretary and Louis Wilmot, treasurer. The LULAC organization has been a pioneer in the development of social and educational programs for Hispanic-Americans. Special projects have included assistance for the elderly and needy, adult basic education classes, prisoner rehabilitation, job training, preschool programs, and sponsorship of housing projects and youth organizations. Now a nationwide organization, LULAC continues to be a leader in the development of programs for the betterment of the Hispanic-American community.