Champions for Social Advances Honored by STCRP
Dr. Francisco Guajardo, Ph.D., Rick DÃaz, and Rebecca Flores were honored by a major civil rights organization in McAllen for their many contributions to the social and political advances that help South Texans. Featured from left to right are: Jim Harrington, Director of the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin; Guajardo; DÃaz; Flores; State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen; and Rep. Aaron Peña, Jr., D-Edinburg. [Photo by Ismael Garcia
Rebecca Flores, Rick DÃaz, Dr. Francisco Guajardo
honored by South Texas Civil Rights Project
Posted: 19 June 2006 at 1:13am
By DAVID A. DIAZ
Legislativemedia@aol.com
Three leading advocates in journalism, workers’ rights, and public education have been honored by the South Texas Civil Rights Project and Edinburg legislators.
Rebecca Flores, a renowned farm worker labor union organizer, Rick DÃaz, longtime former news director and current anchor of KRGV-TV Channel 5, and Dr. Francisco Guajardo, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Texas-Pan American and a pioneer in education strategies, were recognized for their achievements during a June 14 celebration in McAllen.
Jim Harrington, Director of the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin, was also on hand for the major event, which also doubled as a fundraiser for the South Texas Civil Rights Project, which is based in Pharr.
Joining Harrington and the guests of honor were Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg.
For more than 30 years, the South Texas Civil Rights Project has been a leader for racial, social and economic advances. The organization has pushed for legal and legislative protections for farm workers, victims of domestic violence, consumers, the disabled, and victims of discrimination.
The banquet/fundraiser honoring Flores, DÃaz and Guajardo was dubbed “Noche de Fiesta: Celebrating Commitment to the Community.”
Rebecca Flores
Flores was bestowed the Emma Tenayuca Award, named after a labor organizer for pecan shellers in San Antonio who led Hispanic workers’ movements in Texas in the 1930s and beyond.
Flores worked the majority of her life as a farm worker labor union organizer. She credits this work to her upbringing, as she and her siblings worked with their parents in the fields from an early age. The working conditions were bad: no field sanitation, no breaks, pesticide exposure, and inadequate housing.
When she became aware of the work of César Chávez while earning her Master’s degree at the University of Michigan, she pledged she would join the United Farm Workers. From 1975 to the present, she has devoted her life to the UFW in California and South Texas.
As the Texas State Director of the UFW, Flores organized workers into the union, who then began to exert their influence in the fields, in their communities, and in politics. Due to her work in other states, farm workers gained the right to collective bargaining agreements with their employers. These contracts brought dignity, respect, and empowerment to workers.
Flores was also integral in removing short-handled hoes out of the fields so farm workers no longer had to bend over for hours every day while working. She worked tirelessly, lobbying on behalf of farm workers to accomplish this goal. While doing all this, she also raised three children, who are now activists in their own right in the teaching and legal professions.
Rick DÃaz
DÃaz was honored with the “Commitment to the Community Award.”
The recognition was based in part on his role in blazing trails for Mexican American and Latino journalists in his nearly 40 years on involvement with television news in the Rio Grande Valley. He began as a night photographer for KRGV-TV, Channel 5 in Weslaco while still attending Pan American College. He became KRGV-TV news director in 1976, holding that title until a few years ago, when he retired. However, KRGV-TV asked Diaz, their most visible on-air personality, to remain as an anchor, and he agreed.
As news director, he was invited to the White House on several occasions – three times by President Reagan and once by President Clinton.
In 1998, he announced his retirement, which only lasted a year, as he was called back to the station to resume his anchor position.
Most recently, he has shown his dedication to the community through the news program, “Con Mi Gente,” which he produces and hosts. The program raises awareness of the lives of individuals in the community. This program has brought to fruition his dream of traveling the Valley and doing news stories which profile the people who are the backbone of deep South Texas.
“These are not stories about law breakers, but about people who would normally not make the Six O’Clock News,” he said. “They are the people who make the Valley what it is. I want to tell the stories about their lives and what they do – their struggles, their accomplishments, their fears, and their dreams. Each individual is unique.”
Dr. Francisco Guajardo, Ph.D.
Currently a fulltime professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas-Pan American, Guajardo is co-founder of the Llano Grande Center for Research and Development at Edcouch-Elsa High School, where he has taught.
The Llano Grande Center works to increase educational opportunities and expectations of young people in the Edcouch-Elsa area by developing effective, culturally relevant teaching methods and experiences. In this predominantly Mexican-American and rural community, where poverty and lack of educational opportunities are prevalent, Guajardo’s strategies bring hope and higher expectations to the region.
Guajardo has worked with students and families to help revitalize the educational, cultural, civic, and economic life of the area and expand horizons for students.
He draws on international perspectives as well, having educational experiences in England, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia. He has been published extensively, and has addressed groups throughout the United States.
For championing those causes of social change in the Valley, Guajardo received the Dr. Hector GarcÃa Award, named after the Corpus Christi physician who dedicated 50 years of his life to major civil rights advances for Americans.
Almost 40 other local businesses and organizations served as sponsors for the event, including the International Bank of Commerce, the Monitor, and Time Warner Cable – Rio Grande Valley, which each contributed $1,000.
Daniel’s Lucky Café & Catering, along with John G. Escamilla, Michael M. Guerra, and José “Joey” González of the Watts Law Firm, donated $500 to the event.
AEP Texas, David A. Cantú, Dale and Klein, LLP, the Law Office of Richard Flores, P.C., Proyecto Azteca, Triple City Bingo, and United Trust Insurance/Ignacio Almaguer each donated $250 for the function.
Other sponsors of the event included:
Action Reporting; Carrales & Company, L.L.P.; Judge AÃda Salinas Flores; Glynis Laing; Jim Scheurich; Patricia Spencer; Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid; Law Office of Arturo MartÃnez; Casa Petrides Tobaccos, Inc.; All-Valley Home Health, Inc.; the Rio Grande Guardian; The Paper of South Texas; All Occasions Party Rental; Red Robin Restaurant; Red Lobster; Karla’s Jewelry; Cimmaron Country Club; Tony Roma’s – North; Copy Zone; and IBC Bank.
June 19, 2006 by admin
