A Guide to the Mexican American Democrats of Texas Records, 1962-1987


Descriptive Summary
	Creator:	Mexican American Democrats of Texas.
	Title:	Mexican American Democrats of Texas Records
	Dates:	1962-1987

	Creator Abstract:	In December 1975 Mexican American Democrats of Texas was formed to provide a formal structure to make gains for Mexican Americans in the Democratic Party.
	Content Abstract:	The records of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas (MAD) contain correspondence, minutes, clippings and other materials relating to the political and social activism of Eugene and Sylvia Rodriguez, charter members of MAD.
	Identification:	MS 29
	Extent:	9.6 linear feet
	Language:	Materials are in English.
	Repository:	University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections

Historical Note

Eugene (Gene) and Sylvia Rodriguez were both charter members of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas (MAD) and prominent political and social activists from San Antonio, Texas. They both served on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hispanic Caucus of the DNC. Mrs. Rodriguez first served on the DNC in 1978 and Mr. Rodriguez was elected in 1984. They also held a variety of positions in local and regional political groups. Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez were active in support of Democratic candidates including Henry B. Gonzalez, Henry Cisneros and Jimmy Carter. Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez worked tirelessly to advance the interests of Hispanics, both within the Democratic Party and the community, . Their interests included immigration, housing, employment and education. They also helped to found the TEJANOS Political Action Committee.

In December 1975 MAD was formed to provide a formal structure to make gains for Mexican Americans in the Democratic Party. The group grew out of a conflict over the selection of state delegates to the 1974 Democratic Mini-Convention in Kansas City. Only four of the ninety-six Texas delegates were Hispanic. DNC member Joe Bernal and other Mexican-Americans described this as an act of discrimination and asked for five anglo (caucasian) delegates to be replaced with Mexican-Americans. Starting in 1976, MAD held annual conventions and lobbied for pro-Mexican-American positions to be adopted by the larger Democratic Party.

In addition to their political activities, Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez had connections to a variety of civic and community development groups. Mr. Rodriguez was Executive Director of the Economic Opportunities Development Corporation of Bexar County and the Director of the Department of Economic and Employment Development. In these capacities, he worked to improve the position of Hispanics and other minority groups particularly in the areas of employment and housing. He also worked with United Way and other charity efforts to help the poor of Bexar County. Mrs. Rodriguez was an officer in the YWCA and Parent Child, Inc., a non-profit organization that administered daycare programs in San Antonio.

Mr. Rodriguez received a Bachelors and a Masters degree in political science from St. Mary's University. He also earned another Masters degree in Environmental Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He held several positions at UTSA, including the head of the Center for Studies in Business, Economics and Human Resources.

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Scope and Content Note

The Mexican American Democrats of Texas (MAD) collection contains material dating from 1962 to 1987. It contains correspondence, minutes, clippings and other materials relating to the political and social activism of Eugene and Sylvia Rodriguez, charter members of MAD. The collection is divided into seven series documenting the varied areas of this activism.

The official activities of Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez in the Democratic party are found in the Campaigns series, Elections series, and the Democratic National Committee series. These records document the efforts to create the policies of the Democratic Party and the actions of the party in support of candidates. The work of Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez with the Mexican-American Democrats of Texas and other political interest groups is located in the Local Political Groups series. Most of the groups in this series concern the rights of Hispanics, women and other minority groups.

Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez were also involved with a number of civic and development groups that worked with minorities such as National Urban Coalition and the Alamo Area Council of Governments. The Community and Development Groups series contain reports and other material from these types of groups. Some are based locally and others are national groups. The Equal Opportunity Development Corporation (EODC) series documents Mr. Rodriguez's work as Executive Director of the EODC and this group's work to increase the employment of minorities in the San Antonio area. The status of Hispanics and other minority groups is further documented in Employment Publications. These publications also provide background information on the type of concerns that the EODC and the Community and Development groups dealt with.

A small amount of personal information relating to Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez is located in the Rodriguez series. It contains some correspondence as well notes from Mr. Rodriguez's academic career.

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Arrangement
	The collection is arranged as follows:

		Campaigns and Elections, 1971-1986
		Democratic National Committee, 1973-1986
		Local Political Groups, 1968-1985
		Equal Opportunity Development Corporation, 1962-1981
		Community and Development Groups, 1968-1986
		Employment Publications, 1965-1985
		Rodriguez, 1963-1987

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Index Terms

	Persons
		Rodriguez, Eugene, 1941-
		Rodriguez, Sylvia.
	Organizations
		Mexican American Democrats of Texas.
		Democratic National Committee (U.S.)
		Democratic Party (Tex.)
	Topics
		Mexican Americans--Texas--Political activity.
		Mexican Americans--Texas--San Antonio--Political activity.
	Locations
		Texas--Politics and government.
		United States--Politics and government.
	Genres/formats
		Clippings.
		Correspondence.
		Minutes.
	Local Subjects
		Activism/Activists
		Clubs and Organizations
		Mexican Americans
		Politics/Politicians

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Campaigns and Elections
	This series contains information about Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez's support for Democratic candidates. The majority of this material concerns the 1980 presidential election. Unless otherwise noted, the material is dated the same year as the election.
	Organized by year of election and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
1	1	1971
		1972
	2		Briscoe, Dolph
	3		Citizens for McGovern
	4		Clippings
			Conventions
	5			State
	6			National
	7		State Senatorial District 26
	8	1974
		1975
	9-10		Clippings, 1975-1976
			Convention, state
	11			1974
	12			1976
Box	Folder
2			Precincts
	1			100-150
	2			151-300
	3			301-400
	4			401-450
	5			451-500
		1978
	6		Briscoe, Dolph
	7		Clements, Bill
	8		Clippings, 1977-1978
	9		Convention, state
	10		Democratic Mid Year Conference
Box	Folder
3	1		Precincts
		1980
			Clippings
	2			Undated
	3			1979-June 1980
	4			July-August 1980
	5			September 1980
	6			October-November 1980
			Texas
	7			Convention
	8			House Statistics
				Precincts
	9				General
	10				19th Senate District
	11				21st Senate District
	12				26th Senate District
	13		Supreme Court
			National
	14			Administrative
Box	Folder
4	1			Anderson, John
	2			Bexar County Democratic Executive Committee
	3			Carter, Rosaline
	4			Convention
	5			Correspondence
	6			Hispanic Campaign Committee
	7			Invitations
	8			Kennedy, Edward
	9			Key Contacts
	10			Larouche, Lyndon
Box	Folder
5				Media
	1				Campaign Literature
					Press Releases
	2					General
	3					Local
	4				Radio
	5				Television
	6			Phone Bank
	7			Platform
	8			Reagan, Ronald
	9			Re-election Committee
	10			Staff
	11			State Headquarters
	12			Voter Registration
	13			Voting History
	14			White House on Women
Box	Folder
6		1982
	1		Clippings, 1981-1982
	2		White, Mark
		1984
	3		Cisneros, Henry, 1982-1984
			Clippings
	4			Undated
	5			January-October 1984
	6			November 1984
	7		Convention, State
	8		Ferraro, Gearldine
	9		Glenn, John, 1982-1984
	10		Hart, Gary, 1982-1984
	11		Miscellaneous Candidates, 1982-1984
	12		Mondale, Walter 1982-1984
Box	Folder
7	1		Platform
	2		US Senate
	3	1985/1986
	4	Paraphernalia, 1972-1984

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Democratic National Committee
	This series contains correspondence and other material regarding the operation of the Democratic National Committee during the tenures of Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez.
	Organized by topic and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
7		Conferences
	5		1982
	6		1982
		Correspondence
	7		1973-1980
	8		1985
	9	Fairness Commission, 1985
	10	Hispanic Caucus, 1985
	11	Meetings, 1984-1986
Box	Folder
8	1	Miscellaneous, 1985
	2	Rodriguez, Eugene, undated
	3	Rodriguez, Sylvia 1978-1985
	4	Tape of Gonzalez, undated

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Local Political Groups
	This series contains material about political groups such as the Mexican American Democrats of Texas and Democratic Women of Bexar County in which Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez were active.
	Organized by name of group and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
8	5	Alliance for Women's Appointments, 1982-1985
	6	Amistad Civic Organization, 1979
	7	Coalition of National Hispanic Women, 1980
	8	Democratic Women of Bexar County, 1968-1980
	9	Democratic Party of Bexar County, 1972
	10	Hispanic American Democrats, 1976-1981
	11	Democratic Women of Bexar County, clippings, 1972-1975
Box	Folder
9		Mexican American Democrats
	1		Carter, Jimmy, 1980
	2		Challenge Delegates, 1974
			Clippings
	3			1974-1982
	4			1984
	5		Conventions, 1977-1984
	6		Executive Committee, 1980-1985
	7		Hispanic Issues, 1983-1984
	8		Photographs, undated
	9	Miscellaneous, 1971-1976 and undated
	10	One City, Many Cultures, 1981-1982
	11	Rosters, undated
	12	San Antonio Independent School District, 1973-1975
	13	Southwest Voter Registration Project, 1980-1985
Box	Folder
10	1	Tejano, 1975-1976
	2	Tejanos for Texas, 1980
	3	Texas Democratic Party, undated
	4	US Commission on Civil Rights, 1974-1977

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Equal Opportunity Development Corporation
	This series contains information concerning the activities of the Equal Opportunity Development Corporation. Minority employment issues such as affirmative action were the main concern of the corporation.
	Organized by topic and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
10		Affirmative Action
	5		Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action of the City of San Antonio, 1974
	6	Preparing for Affirmative Action, 1978
	7	City of San Antonio, 1973-1974
		Clippings
	8		Undated
	9		1973-1974
	10		1975
	11		1976
	12		1977-1980
	13		1981-1985
Box	Folder
11		Concentrated Employment Program
	1		General, 1969-1971
	2		Director's Files, 1970-1971
	3	Conferences, 1974
	4	GED, undated
	5	Grants, undated
	6	Guidelines, 1978-1979
	7	Miscellaneous, 1962-1981
Box	Folder
12		Reports
	1		General, 1972-1977
	2		Mexican Americans and Manpower Training, undated
	3		Poverty in Texas, 1972
	4		Regional Environment for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 1979
Box	Folder
13	1		SMSA, 1977
	2		A Systemized Approach to Using Job Seeker Information as a Means of maintaining A Localized Job Search Database, 1974
	3		Year in Review, 1971
	4	Taft Rehabilitation Assistance Program, 1975
		Legislation
	5		Budget, 1981
			Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
	6			General, 1975
	7			Bomar, Thomas, 1975
			Committee on Small Business
	8			US House, 1975
Box	Folder
14	1			US House, 1978
	2			US Senate, 1979
	3		Labor Law Reports, 1975

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Community and Development Groups
	This series contains information about national and local development groups with which Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez worked. These development groups were largely concerned with issues such as minority education, employment and housing.
	Organized by type of group and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
14		National
	4		Joint Center for Political Studies, 1973-1975
Box	Folder
15			National Urban Coalition
	1			1971-1973
	2			1974-1977
	3		Small Business Administration, 1977
	4		Task Force on Southern Rural Development, 1975
	5		Urban Institute, 1977-1978
	6		Wendell and Reed, undated
	7		Wolfpac Corporation, undated
Box	Folder
16		Local
			Alamo Area Council of Governments
	1			General, 1972-1974
	2			Public Personnel Systems, 1975
				Regional Development Studies
	3				Economic Social and Institutional Factors Affecting the Development of the San Antonio Economic Area, 1972
	4				The Economy of the Redevelopment Area, 1972
	5				Forecasting the Population in thee Alamo Region, 1973
	6				A Handbook on Land Use Classification and Base Mapping in the AACOG Region, 1972
	7				Major Market Centers and Market Areas of Portions of Central, South and West Texas
Box	Folder
17	1		Bexar County Historical Commission, 1976
	2		Community Food and Nutrition Project, 1975
	3		Dewey Master Plan, undated
	4		Fourth of July Celebration, 1981
	5		Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, 1973-1975
	6		HemisFair 1968, 1968
	7		Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner, 1981-1986
	8		Child Abuse Council, 1975
Box	Folder
18	1		Miscellaneous, 1973-1981
	2		North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, 1975
	3		San Antonio Economic Foundation, undated
	4		Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1974
			Texas Observer
	5			1974-1975
	6			1976-1980

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Employment Publications
	This series contains commercial, non-profit and government publications concerning business and employment. Most concern Hispanic or minority employment issues.
	Organized by type of publication and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
18	7	Articles, 1978-1983
Box	Folder
19		Commercial
			General
	1			1971-1975
	2			1976-1981
	3		American Sociological Review, 1976
	4		Business Information Service, 1975
		Non Profit
	5		1971-1975
Box	Folder
20	1		1976-1979
		Government
			Texas Employment Commission
	2			1977-1979
	3			1985
	4			1985
			United States
				Department of Commerce
	5				General, 1972-1976
Box	Folder
21	1				Bureau of the Census, 1972-1978
	2			Department of Commerce, 1977
	3			Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1973-1975
				Department of Labor
	4				General, 1974-1979
	5				Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1974-1977
	6				Manpower Administration, 1965-1973
Box	Folder
22	1			Miscellaneous, 1973-1979 and undated

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Rodriguez
	This series contains notes from Eugene Rodriguez's graduate studies and correspondence of Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez. There is also a selection of clippings concerning Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez.
	Organized by person and arranged alphabetically.
Box	Folder
22	2	Clippings, 1975-1980 and undated
		Eugene Rodriguez
	3		BA Political Science Notes, 1963-1965
			MA Political Science
	4			Notes, 1965-1967
	5			Thesis, Henry B. Gonzalez: A Political Profile, 1965
			MA Environmental Management Notes
	6			1975
Box	Folder
23	1			1975
	2		Miscellaneous, 1966 and undated
		Sylvia Rodriguez
	3		Correspondence, 1979-1987
	4		Miscellaneous, 1983-1984

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