Leaders of the Mexican American Generation by Anthony Quiroz

Author:Anthony Quiroz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
Published: 2016-02-29T00:00:00+00:00

García organized a public protest on the evening of January 11, at the Lamar Elementary School cafeteria in Corpus Christi. He admonished “all veterans, their families, and the general public to come, NO EXCUSES.”53 Local Spanish-speaking radio stations began reporting developments in the protest movement. Beatrice and Félix’s daughter, Adela, came to the meeting along with the rest of the Morenos. The Longorias attended as well, as did hundreds of both families’ neighbors and friends. García offered everyone three choices: wake Longoria at the funeral chapel (Kennedy had since relented and offered its use), and then bury him in his hometown’s racially divided cemetery; conduct the burial at one of the national cemeteries within the state; or lay Longoria to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, with national and international dignitaries in attendance.

With Beatrice’s permission, they put it to a vote. The choice was near unanimous. Denial of the funeral chapel had affronted the honor of Longoria, his family, and the Tejano community as a whole. Such an offense could only be forgiven by an act or acts honoring those injured. And the most honorific of the three choices was Arlington National Cemetery, the resting place of national heroes.

Soon the entire Mexican American community, from Corpus Christi to Three Rivers and southward to the border, got caught up in the impending burial arrangements. Once the Longoria family decided to lay Félix in the nation’s most hallowed ground, García and the AGIF began soliciting contributions to send Beatrice, Adela, and other members of the Longoria family to this grand ceremony. The response overwhelmed AGIF officials. García had to refuse donations after a few days because too much money poured into his office. Virtually all of the contributions came in small amounts, with short notes written in Spanish attached to them. My translations do them injustice; much of the enthusiasm and poignancy is lost. Here are just a few examples of these letters. “I heard about the discrimination case and the Longoria family’s needs on radio K.W.B.U. I am sending fifty cents for everyone in our family” (signed Juan Moya and his wife, $6.50 total.)54 “I gladly contribute to Mrs. Félix Longoria to cover the costs of attending her son’s funeral” (signed G. C. Flores of Brady, Texas.)55 Roy Navarro and his family sent five dollars. By way of explanation he penciled in, “I was very sorry to hear about this boy funeral’s not being admitted at this funeral home, I cried and kept looking at my brother’s picture who died for the sake of this country to [sic].”56 Some merely signed their names “un amigo” (a friend) and said they contributed to right a wrong.57 Church groups held cakewalks and raffles. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) councils staged money-raising events. Principals of Mexican Ward schools took up collections, as did Mexican American businesses all over the region. Radio stations broadcast information and provided a forum for public comment on the controversy.58

Later, in describing what the incident had meant to

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