The Museum of South Texas History will host Aurelio Manuel Montemayor and Thomas Ray García during the Sunday Speaker Series presentation, “How a South Texas educator transformed the Chicano movement,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 14.
Montemayor and García will present on their historical memoir, “El Curso de la Raza: The Education of Aurelio Manuel Montemayor.” The authors will share the historical context behind the South Texas Chicano Movement, including first-hand accounts from Montemayor. Key events include the founding of El Curso de la Raza, the founding and the fall of the Colegio Jacinto Treviño, and the role of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA). The authors will also share insights into the writing process for the book and what they hope 21st century readers will take away from Montemayor’s story as an educator-turned-activist.
Montemayor is an educator and educational trainer based in San Antonio, Texas. During the Chicano Movement, he co-founded the first accredited Chicano college, Colegio Jacinto Treviño. He also co-founded and co-facilitated the Curso de la Raza, a weekend retreat dedicated to cultivating leadership among men from the barrios. With a career in education spanning five decades, he is currently the developer of the Family Leadership in Education Model for the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA).
García is a writer, educator, and entrepreneur from Pharr, Texas. He is the author of the award-winning short story collection “The River Runs: Stories,” which centers the Rio Grande as a site of transformation. He serves as the founder and executive director of the College Scholarship Leadership Access Program (CSLAP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to increasing college enrollment rates in Hidalgo County. In 2022, he ran for the State Board of Education in the Democratic primary.
Sunday Speaker Series is included in the fee for regular museum admission. FRIENDS of MOSTHistory are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship and must present their FRIENDship card at the Admissions Desk.
This program is made possible with generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created at the museum by her family to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education to the community.
The Museum of South Texas History is located downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003, following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like on Facebook and Instagram, follow on Twitter, find on YouTube or call (956) 383-6911.
