No Mexicans, Women, or Dogs Allowed: The Rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement

SIX. LULAC’s Founding

LULAC’s Founding S I X We shall destroy any attempt to create racial prejudices against our people, and any infamous stigma which may be cast upon them, and we shall demand for them the respect and prerogatives which the Constitution grants to us all. —lulac Constitution, 1929 The Order Sons of America, the Order Sons of Texas, and the Order Knights of America did not unite at Harlingen. After the convention “settled” the citizenship question, yet another organization was founded there—the League of Latin American Citizens (LLAC). Activists were frustrated with further duplication and consequently over the next two years tried to merge these four associations. In February 1929 the four groups would finally unite in an association that would eventually be known as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). In this chapter I chronicle the events that led to the founding of LULAC. While the narrative shows that leadership prevented an earlier México Texano merger, it also shows the proactive role several leaders played in bringing a new vision to the merger. LLAC and LULAC were not like the OSA or OKA. A new cadre of leaders brought new strategies vis-à-vis race, class, gender, and citizenship to empower La Raza. Thus in this chapter I will not only describe the rise of the league, I will also compare and contrast how the OSA and LULAC differed by examining their constitutions. Finally, I address how and why LULAC became a permanent fixture in U.S. history. 1 5 2 Politics EFFORT S TOWARD A MÉ XICO TE X ANO MERGER Discussions about a merger began before the Harlingen convention. All except the OSA in San Antonio and Tafolla Sr. wanted to unite. Unity talks were held by the Corpus Christi OSA, the OKA, and Sáenz and Perales, who especially wanted to form a new organization.1 They discussed “which organization should lead the fight and what name it should have.”2 According to OKA member Eleuterio Escobar Jr., they agreed it was a good idea to consolidate all these organizations into one to give more strength to the cause because their main efforts were to tear up the oppressors’ chains which we had been carrying for over 100 years by segregation in Texas of Mexican Americans in schools, restaurants and park[s and] swimming pools.3 Tafolla Sr. insisted they select the name Order Sons of America, “first, because the name was very adequate, second, because it was formed before the others, and it was the pioneer.”4 Likewise, OKA members offered the name Order Knights of America because “they were the originators of the idea to consolidate all organizations into one.”5 But no merger happened before Harlingen. A possible merger was discussed at Harlingen. Escobar Jr. recalled “the big guns” (Canales, Perales, Clemente Idar, James Tafolla Sr., Eduardo Idar Sr., and M. C. Gonzáles) addressing this issue.6 Tafolla advocated for all the associations to subordinate themselves to the OSA.7 He explained this view to Eduardo Idar Sr.: Who is it that cannot get together, those who remain loyal to their Order, or those who desert and organize another similar organization ? Then again, in all frankness, after the Harlingen Convention , still another organization has arisen called the “LEAGUE OF LATIN-AMERICAN CITIZENS,” and this right in the face of our offer at the Convention that our doors were wide-open for them to come in and join us; yet, the statement has been made repeatedly that they only organized to find out and to show us that they could organize ; in other words, to show that they did not care to get together, unless they could have their own way.8 Tafolla proved to be an obstacle to the merger even after Harlingen. LULAC’s Founding 1 5 3 LE AGUE OF L ATIN A MERIC AN CITIZENS Since leaders could not agree that all groups should subordinate themselves under the OSA, a fourth organization was founded at Harlingen. But there was so much conflict at that convention that members left without selecting a name for the new association.9 Perales headed this group,10 and two weeks later he “provisionally called it the Latin American Citizens.”11 A month later the group was headquartered in McAllen and was known as the Mexican American Citizens League;12 by November Perales was calling it “League of American Citizens...