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Medrano / The First Truly Elected Hispanic

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Interviewer-"Who would you say [?] who's the most effective leader in Dallas?" Mr. Medrano-At that time? Interviewer-"Yea, or whatever, yea, what was the most effective community leader?' Mr. Medrano-Mmm, I can't answer that one. Interviewer-"OK" Mr. Medrano-And the reason I can't answer that is how they selected our leaders and projected him to be our leaders. So, I can't identify you, screened you, and do my research on you, and your not a hispanic leader. The system placed you there to be a "tio taco" and you will answer to us and you will vote as we're taking the vote. I can put in harsh words, but when it came down to seeing issues, you should be addressing that issue, sir. No, and then I turn around and identify him. I don't wanna, I can name a few of them. first ones, you know, [?] Anita Martinez, Trini Garza, we confront each other to this day. I was the first hispanic elected to the school board. Yes, he was, at large and who placed you there? I was the first one [?] and my people elected me, you're people did not elect you, the city elected you and you didn't get elected by the numbers, cause I already told you, I already took in 15% twice. So, if you were really at large, you know by yourself without the community, you got set numbers out here, but the system puts you in there. They placed them in there to say "You see, we do have diversity." Interviewer-"And the system has a name right? Dallas Citizens Council?" Mr. Medrano, Right, and those are the ones that are scream, reneunon, and they become, quote on quote, "The Token" Hispanic and then when it comes down to articulate an issue, "Lets name a change after Cesar Chavez, We cannot run that issue, can we?, No, don't you put that under that under the table. No, well, I think we will do name a park after Nelson, boy quit that, [?] Well, what can I do, Can't do nothing, ok. Lets go, [?] well, what am I here for? Well, I don't know, you are here to vote and to let the community, so when the camera goes on, I see two hispanics sitting there. You know, and the rest [?] same thing happened with George Allen, Lucy Patterson, (She's black) and they come on, the same thing, the black community church people, respectfull, they saw they got elected, but they really think, they know that they didn't like them, the system liked them to bring [?] to concerns, yea [?] big, big contracters, no, no, they don't even talk about fair share, archetectual designs, no, no, no, we should bring that issue, we should have somebody design something, no, no, no thats irrelavant, they just move on with [?] another little concern was taken, you want a stop sign [?] red light, I'll get you a red light[?] Interviewer-"Like really surface type kind of. Mr. Medrano-And, oh my issues have been addressed, but thats the first one is right here [?] and the first black is when my parents took me to one aircraft....

Interview Interview with Robert Medrano
Subjects Race Relations › "Tio Tacos"
White Resistance to Civil Rights › White Resistance and Tokenism
Education › Education and Integration › Tokenism in School Integration
Electoral Politics
Electoral Politics › Electoral Districts
Class and Status › Intra-racial/ethnic Economic Stratification
Class and Status › Intra-racial/ethnic Classism
Electoral Politics › Local Elections
Quantitative Questions › Most Effective Leader
Quantitative Questions › Most Effective Organization
Electoral Politics › Electoral Districts › Single-Member Districts
Tags Aguirre, Pedro
Garza, Trinidad
Dallas Citizens Council
Martinez, Anita
Allen, George
Patterson, Lucy
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Interview date 2015-06-10
Interview source CRBB Summer 2015
Interviewees Medrano, Robert
Interviewers Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés
Duration 00:04:09
Citation "The First Truly Elected Hispanic," from Robert Medrano oral history interview with Moisés Acuña-Gurrola,  June 10, 2015, Dallas, TX, Civil Rights in Black and Brown Interview Database, https://crbb.tcu.edu/clips/880/the-first-truly-elected-hispanic, accessed November 12, 2025