- Collection:
- Civil Rights in Black and Brown
- Title:
- Oral History Interview with Pete and Jessie Mendez, June 6, 2016
- Creator:
- Wisely, Karen
Zapata, Joel
Mendez, Pete
Mendez, Jessie - Date of Original:
- 2016-06-06
- Subject:
- Persons
Ethnic groups
Civil rights - People:
- Mendez, Pete
Mendez, Jessie - Location:
- United States, New Mexico, Quay County, Tucumcari, 35.17191, -103.72686
United States, Texas, Potter County, Amarillo, 35.222, -101.8313 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
biographies (literary works)
interviews - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Pedro "Pete" Mendez was born in South Texas and arrived in the Texas Panhandle through migrant labor with his parents in the 1930s. His father died in Clarendon, TX and he was raised between Amarillo and Tucumcari, NM. He joined the Marines during WWII and served in Northern China. Upon returning, he began a small construction business and helped start the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He spoke on the opportunities he and other minority business owners had through government grants and contracts. Jessie Mendez grew up in Amarillo. She recounts segregated schools and business in Amarillo during her childhood. She especially recounts her mother helping end segregation for Mexican Americans in one theater. Jessie talked about not being able to gain a job as a secretary because of her Mexican ethnicity, and thus giving up in the prospect of being employed and settling for marriage. She also recounts pushing her husband to work for civil rights, but she herself followed tradition and stayed home to raise her children.
- Metadata URL:
- https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth982479/
- Language:
- eng
- Extent:
- 6 video recordings (45 min., 44 sec.) : sd., col.
- Original Collection:
- https://crbb.tcu.edu/interviews/interview-with-pete-and-jessie-mendez
- Contributing Institution:
- University of North Texas. Libraries
- Rights:
-
