Texas Civil Rights Review

Category: Uncategorized

  • Time to Remember Texas Professor Oliver C. Cox

    [Quote: Wiley College Professor Oliver C.] Cox did not dismiss racism among working-

    class whites. He argued that “the observed overt competitive antagonism is produced and carefully

    maintained by the exploiters of both the poor whites and the Negroes.” He recognized that elite whites

    defined the matrix within which non-elite whites crafted their political agency, and he emphasized the

    ruling-class foundations of racism as part of his critique of the liberal scholars of race relations

    who theorized race relations without regard to capitalist political economy and class dynamics.[end

    quote, Adolph Reed’s Introduction to the Monthly Review edition of “Race”–part three of Cox’s

    masterwork, “Caste, Class, and Race” see “Web Links” or additional quote below.] Cox’s

    perspective goes right to the heart of how we should try to understand race by encouraging us to move

    beyond categories for defining and sorting supposedly discrete human populations, beyond concepts of

    racial hierarchies, and beyond racist ideologies—all components of a singular, indivisible unholy

    trinity—and instead recognize that race is the product of social relations within history and political

    economy.

  • Blue Devils Will Keep Legacy Admissions

    But whatever the outcome of Texas A&M’s decision, Duke administrators say the children of

    Blue Devils will continue to receive special consideration during the admissions process. [Chronicle of

    Higher Education Onlline, by Cindy Yee, Jan. 22, 2004.]

    A few more paragraphs clipped

    below…
    “As a broader educational or public policy issue, this is a fairly new subject,” [Duke

    director of undergrad admissions Christoph] Guttentag said. “In the Texas A&M case, a tie was made

    between legacy admissions and affirmative action. I’m not sure that they should be so closely tied,

    but I think that the reason some people are paying greater attention to legacy admissions now is that

    it has to do with a renewed interest in issues of affirmative action.”…

    In fact,

    [Provost Peter] Lange said, by establishing alumni loyalty through policies like the legacy admissions

    policy, the University is able to fund other programs that actually increase diversity. “Among private

    universities, the loyalty of alums is very important to a whole range of things we can offer, including

    the kind of funding that makes Duke a great university and offers substantial amounts of money for

    financial aid,” Lange said. “You can’t pull out one thread and ignore other ways of promoting

    diversity. Need-blind financial aid is one of the biggest ways to achieve this

    goal.”…

    Even after Texas A&M announced its decision to abolish legacy admissions

    preferences, some complained that taking this step to diversify the student body was like treating a

    broken bone with a Band-Aid–the concept, they said, was admirable, but the decision will ultimately

    have a negligible effect.

  • California Aggie Questions Texas A&M Leadership

    [Quote:] College admissions need not be based exclusively on merit, unless university

    officials claim that their school’s policy is to reward merit exclusively. Most universities aim to

    create an environment that aids in the development of responsible, capable, and tolerant adults, which

    entails the consideration of a host of factors that generate the requisite diversity to accomplish

    this.[end quote from The California Aggie (UC-Davis), Letter, “The Hypocrisy of Popular Opposition,”

    Adam Barr, Jan. 29, 2004.]

  • Hello world!

    Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

  • LULAC: Return Ramsey Muniz to Texas and Commute His Sentence

    National Ramsey Defense Alliance
    PMB 216 5403 Everhart Rd.
    Corpus Christi, TX 78411

    October 8, 2007

    Dear Senators and Congressmen:

    Enclosed please find a resolution adopted by the League of United Latin American Citizens at the 78th LULAC National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The resolution establishes LULAC’s position on a major issue impacting Hispanic/Latino/Chicano communities, and it pertains to the need for humanitarian assistance for Ramiro “Ramsey” Muñiz.

    We seek your support acting on behalf of Mr. Muñiz. Keep in mind that this is not a partisan or a local/regional issue. We are requesting nation-wide assistance from Democrats and Republicans alike at all levels of government. Mr. Muñiz made great contributions to his fellow man, and you can learn more about his contributions by visiting our website at http://www.freeramsey.com.

    We ask that your forward the enclosed resolution and a personal letter to President George W. Bush and members of the House and Senate who are in positions to request an investigation into this case. Mr. Muñiz has suffered greatly for many years and he merits everyone’s assistance.

    On behalf of the National Ramsey Defense Alliance we thank you in advance for your involvement in this humanitarian issue.

    MUÑIZ RESOLUTION

    Advocating that Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz be transferred back to Texas and be given a commutation of sentence.

    WHEREAS, Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas and

    WHEREAS, Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz contributed greatly to the Chicano Civil Rights Movement during the 1970s as a leader fighting for justice and equality for all Mexican Americans, Hispanics, and Latinos throughout the United States; and

    WHEREAS, Mr. Ramiro R . Muñiz was a Texas gubernatorial candidate for La Raza Unida Party – a political party established and developed for the advancement of Mexican Americans, Hispanics, and Latinos; and

    WHEREAS, Mr. Ramiro R . Muñiz’ efforts and contributions made for Mexican Americans, Latinos and Hispanics are recognized and fully noted as part of American history; and

    WHEREAS, Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz is serving a term of life without parole and is assigned to remain in El Reno, Oklahoma where he is currently held; and

    WHEREAS, Judicial records for Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz were left uncorrected, making him subject to the three strikes sentencing guidelines which are unconstitutional and inhumane; and

    WHEREAS, LULAC resolutions passed in 2006 were successful, as they resulted in the transfer of Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz to Three Rivers Federal Correctional Institution in Texas on December 11, 2006. Six months later, extremely discriminatory actions were taken against his person by having him transferred out of the state of Texas once again; and

    WHEREAS, Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz has been a model prisoner for the past 13 years should have been housed near his family in Three Rivers, Texas as recommended by Federal Judge Paul Brown during his trial in 1994; and

    THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the National League of United Latin American Citizens build support and unity to take administrative, legal, and political action for the immediate transfer of Mr. Ramiro R. Muñiz to a low level institution in Texas, and request a Commutation of Sentence for his immediate release.