In collaboration with UH Digital Services, Special Collections has published a new digital collection featuring photographs from the Alonso S. Perales Papers. The photographs highlight aspects of the life and career of Perales, who was a one of the founders of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Perales, a civil rights lawyer, diplomat, political leader, and soldier, was one of the most influential Mexican Americans of his time.
Perales, second from left, being awarded the Medal of Civil Merit from the Spanish government, granted by Generalissimo Francisco Franco, on March 20, 1952.
Some of these photographs will be featured in an upcoming exhibit at M.D. Anderson Library, along with manuscripts, letters and documents, broadsides, books, and memorabilia from the Perales Papers. Among the topics to be covered in the exhibit are Perales’ early life and family, his political life and diplomatic service, and his lifelong crusade against discrimination against Mexican Americans. The exhibit, In Defense of My People: Alonso S. Perales and the Development of Mexican-American Public Intellectuals, will be on view from December 8, 2011 through February 29, 2012.
On January 13, a conference sharing the name of the exhibit will feature scholarly presentations covering a variety of topics related to Perales and his work, including research on his activism and defense of Latinos, the impact of religion on Latinos, and the concept of race.
Watch this blog for more information on the exhibit and the conference!