The Cristal Experiment: A Chicano Struggle for Community Control

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments First and foremost, I am indebted to the people of Cristal for their support in conducting the research for this study. Without their cooperation and willingness to participate in the numerous interviews and "platicas" that I conducted on various aspects of the Cristal Experiment , there would have been no book. My appreciation and thanks go to the numerous Raza Unida Party leaders and supporters, city, county, and school officials for their cooperation and inspiration. Their sincerity and commitment to the Raza Unida Party's struggle for social change, empowerment, and community control were exemplary. I salute them, for they inspired the building of a stronger Chicano Movement . Through their actions they demonstrated that Mexicanos in the United States have the capacity, courage, and will to control their political destiny. I would like to specifically thank Jose Angel Gutierrez and his former wife, Luz, for the hospitality and support they exhibited to my family during our four-month stay in Cristal in 1973. Moreover, I want to acknowledge their cooperation, along with that of Viviana Santiago, in allowing me to interview and have access to them in subsequently answering innumerable questions on various aspects of the CristaI Experiment . Jose Angel alone was interviewed several times during the course of my research. My gratitude goes to the various city, county, and school officials who cooperated during my subsequent visits to Cristal in 1974, 1976, and 1994. I would be remiss if I did not also thank the publisher and editor of the Zavala County Sentinel, Dale Barker, as well as those who opposed the Raza Unida Party for their assistance. Beyond the people of CristaI, there are numerous other people to whom I am indebted. My appreciation goes to my family, grandchildren , brother and sisters, and nieces and nephews, who have always been a source of support and inspiration. Moreover, I would like to recognize those who through their scholarly input assisted me in this intellectual endeavor. I want to express my gratitude to scholars Rodolfo Acuna and Ignacio Garcia, who reviewed the initial manuscript xvii Copyrighted Material xviii Acknowledgments and advised me on how to improve it. I am appreciative of the superb final editing done by Polly Kummel. At the University of California, Riverside, I want to recognize the intellectual and moral support given to me by Carlos Velez-Ibaii.ez, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and political scientist Max Neiman for his suggestions on developing the study's conceptual framework on community control. I especially want to thank and recognize Maria Anna Gonzales for her incisive suggestions, which greatly improved the quality of the manuscript, and for her invaluable editing. My appreciation also goes to Marcella Ruiz for having transcribed the numerous interviews, Pamela Norman for having typed and assisted in the editing of the manuscript, and Felix Martel for his assistance in conducting the research during our two week stay in Cristal in 1994. I would also like to acknowledge the support of my colleagues, particularly that of Professor Cliff Trafzer, in the Department of Ethnic Studies. This acknowledgment would not be complete if I did not recognize the generosity of UC Mexus, under the leadership of Director Juan-Vicente Palerm, for giving me the grant that allowed me to complete my research. Lastly, I want to extend my appreciation to all those whom I have met and worked with in the struggle for the betterment and empowerment of our people. I cannot forget to thank my friends and fellow activists who have also been a source of encouragement and motivation . To them, I want to say muchismas gracias por todo el apoyo que me han dado atravez de los anos. Que siga la lucha por nuestro pueblo. Copyrighted Material The Cristal Experiment Copyrighted Material Copyrighted Material ...