Jose Cisneros Collection Regarding a Court Case against C.C.I.S.D and Segregation of Mexican American Children

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: Coll-36

Staff Only

The Jose Cisneros collection consists of twelve cubic feet of public documents from the court case including the court reporter's transcripts of the proceedings, records of appeals, numerous exhibits, and other items from the case of Cisneros vs. Corpus Christi Independent School District concerning segregation of Mexican American students. The Jose Cisneros collection represents a voluminous record of an important legal event in post World War II Mexican American history.

Dates

1968 - 1970

Language of Materials

Materials appear to be in English, but there may also be some in Spanish.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

12 Linear Feet

Biographical / Historical

In 1968, Corpus Christi resident Jose Cisneros and twenty-five other parents filed a federal suit against the Corpus Christi Independent School District arguing that Mexican Americans were a minority group that was receiving discriminatory treatment and being illegally segregated in the school district. The case was so named because Jose Cisneros appeared first in alphabetical order on the list of plaintiffs. In 1970, presiding Judge Woodrow Seal found that the school district indeed had a dual segregated system. Coming in the period of history known as the Chicano Movement, Cisneros et al v. Corpus Christi et al was a landmark case as the decision recognized Mexican Americans as an identifiable minority group that was subjected to discrimination and segregation. As such, the case added a new group into the process of national desegregation. The court ruling resulted in new policies being implemented in the local school district in 1975. It also had repercussions on desegregation efforts by Mexican Americans in other locales.