Héctor P. García

Héctor Pérez García (January 17, 1914 – July 26, 1996) was a Mexican-American physician, surgeon, World War II veteran, civil rights advocate, and founder of the American GI Forum (AGIF).Southern states had established a binary system, classifying all people as mainly either black or white and segregating public facilities by race.Later, AGIF's patriotism would exempt them from FBI infiltration at a time when the agency accused many Mexican-American organizations of having Marxist sympathies.When New York Times reported on the case, it gained national attention, and AGIF was propelled to the forefront of the movement for civil rights.Besides providing veterans with a social and political network, AGIF took pragmatic actions: it raised funds to pay for poll taxes for the indigent, so they did not have a barrier to voting."[citation needed] This work brought him into contact with such national political figures as Hubert Humphrey, Arthur Goldberg, and George McGovern.In 1950, he wrote a request to the Texas Department of Health, expressing concerns about sanitation and mandating inspection to prevent disease or epidemics.LULAC and AGIF mounted litigation challenges in Texas to ensure that the ruling was applied to gain integrated education for Mexican-American citizens.They took cases to the Texas Supreme Court challenging the practices of independent school districts in Driscoll, Carrizo Springs, and Kingsville.Starting in 1968, Dr. García and other members of AGIF began accompanying families of fallen soldiers to the airport to collect their sons' bodies when they were returned from Vietnam.In 1987, he became involved in the struggle against the campaign to designated English as the only official language of the US; the rate of Hispanic and Latino immigration to the country had increased, bringing many new Spanish speakers.They include: As one of the early leaders of the Hispanic civil rights, García's activities foreshadowed much of the struggle of the Chicano Movement.As a figure of national and international prominence, the effects of his life have been felt at all levels of society, from the poor barrios that he fought to improve, to the highest echelons of government.In the realm of popular culture, in 1950, Pulitzer Prize winner Edna Ferber interviewed García to get a sense of the Mexican American experience in Texas.[12] In 2002, public television station KEDT in Corpus Christi, Texas, produced a documentary on him entitled "Justice for my People: The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Story".In April 2010, the US House of Representatives passed H.CON.RES.222, recognizing the leadership and historical contributions of Dr. Héctor García to the Hispanic community and his remarkable efforts to combat racial and ethnic discrimination in the US.
TamaulipasMexicoCorpus ChristiUnited StatesUniversity of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas Medical BranchCreighton UniversityPhysiciansurgeonactivistAmerican GI ForumClotilde Pérez GarcíaMexican-AmericanWorld War IIveterancivil rightsHispanicVicente T. XimenesEqual Employment Opportunity CommissionrepresentativeUnited NationsUS Commission on Civil RightsPresidential Medal of FreedomOrder of St. Gregory the GreatPope John Paul IIOrder of the Aztec Eagleschool teachersMexican RevolutionMercedes, TexasCitizens' Military Training CorpsUS ArmyinfantryEdinburg Junior Collegehitchhikezoologydoctorate in medicineresidencySt. Joseph's HospitalOmaha, NebraskaBronze Star MedalWorld War II Victory MedalNaplesSouthern TexasLeague of United Latin American CitizensnephritisVeteran's AdministrationMathis, TexasMarxistsniperFelix Z. Longoria Jr.PhilippinesThree RiversLyndon B. JohnsonArlington National CemeteryNew York TimesNew MexicoColoradopoll taxesBracero ProgramHubert HumphreyArthur GoldbergGeorge McGoverndiphtheriadiarrheatuberculosisTexas Department of HealthepidemicsdiscriminationJoseph StalinHernandez v. TexasSupreme CourtWarrenBrown v. Board of EducationTexas Supreme CourtDriscollCarrizo SpringsKingsvilleViva Kennedy CampaignJohn F. KennedyDemocratic partyWest Indies Federationwas assassinatedRaúl LeoniVenezuelaLatin AmericanEnglishVietnamsit-inde factoCartercoloniasRio Grande ValleyUS–Mexico borderBill ClintonHubert H. HumphreyPanamaUS Marine CorpsNational Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleHispanic Heritage FoundationNational Association of Hispanic JournalistsTexas A&M University–Corpus ChristiGrand Prairie, TexasTemple, TexasPueblo, ColoradoDallas, TexasChicago, IllinoisTexas State Highway 286San Antonio, TexasChicano MovementPulitzer PrizeEdna FerberJames DeanElizabeth TaylorRock HudsonDennis HopperYale UniversityUS Treasurypublic televisionChicanoMexican AmericanLa RazaPachucoBlaxicanXicanx1917 Bath riotsBisbee DeportationKorean WarLa MatanzaMexican RepatriationOperation WetbackPlan de San DiegoPorvenir MassacreSleepy Lagoon trialZoot Suit RiotsAztlánCatólicos por La RazaCentro de Arte PúblicoChicanismoChicana feminismChicano BlowoutsChicano MoratoriumMission Cultural Center for Latino ArtsPlan Espiritual de AztlánPlan de Santa BárbaraFarm workers' rights campaignLand grant struggleColegio César ChávezLos Siete de la RazaLos Seis de BoulderOccupation of Catalina Island1985–1987 Watsonville Cannery strike1992 Drywall Strike2019 El Paso shootingAbolish ICEArizona SB 1070Castro 2020Great American BoycottJustice for JanitorsKilling of Adam ToledoMurder of SelenaParty crewsProposition 187Anti-Mexican sentimentChicano artChicano cinemaChicano literatureChicano namesChicano poetryChicano ParkChicano rockChicano rapCinco de MayoEstrada Courts muralsLowriderMexican-American cuisineMexican-American folkloreMexican-American women's fashionMexican muralismNew Mexican cuisineNew Mexico musicRegional MexicanSkull artTeatro CampesinoTejano musicTex-Mex cuisineTortilla artZoot suitBarrioizationCoyolxauhqui imperativeGringo justiceNepantlaNew tribalismRasquachismoSpiritual activismVergüenzaYouth control complexBotiller v. DominguezSan Antonio I.S.D. v. RodriguezEspinoza v. Farah Manufacturing Co.U.S. v. Brignoni-PoncePlyler v. DoeMedellín v. TexasFlores-Figueroa v. U.S.Leal Garcia v. TexasMendez v. WestminsterBernal v. FainterDHS v. Regents of the Univ. of Cal.TucsonCaliforniaLos AngelesSan FranciscoSan DiegoCaliforniosDenverChicagoKansasBaltimoreDetroitNuevomexicanosOklahomaPhiladelphiaDallas–Fort WorthHoustonTejanosSalt Lake ValleyChicano filmsChicano poetsU.S. communities with Hispanic majorityMexican AmericansWritersList of Hispanic and Latino AmericansBibliographyList of Mexican-American communitiesList of Mexican-American political organizations