May 3 marked the 60th anniversary of a little known case of American civil rights: Hernández v. Texas. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the American Civil Rights Act of 1964, I figured I would pay tribute to this case and further promote awareness of it.
When we think of the American Civil Rights Act, we think of President Kennedy, President Johnson, and, certainly, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among others. While it cannot be disputed that this was a significant group, to narrow the focus along a racial binary exacts its own marginalization on another people and their history—after all, theirs too is part of the collective American history. Another class of people made a significant contribution to and were a driving force behind the instrument that celebrates an opulent half century.
As in the past my contribution to this blog has given a voice to subjects of Hispanic legal heritage, today I