He was a lawyer, a diplomat - and an activist for civil rights for Mexican-Americans.
Alonso S. Perales was born in San Antonio - and his life and work spanned the first half of the last century.
A few years ago, Dr. Cynthia Orozco wrote a book about him: “Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales.”
Dr. Orozco - known for her work in establishing the field of Chicana studies - is professor emeritus in history and humanities at Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso.
Today - Tuesday - starting at 5 PM, she speaks here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, as part of UTC’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month - in the University Center Auditorium.
I spoke with her; Dr. Edwin Murillo, associate professor of Spanish in the UTC Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures - and Marta Perales Carrizales, adopted daughter of Alonso S. Perales.
