Carlos Truan and his educational contributions to South Texas

Introduction

Welcome to my presentation on Senator Carlos Truan and his impact on Education in South Texas. Carlos Truan was born in Kingsville, TX. He attended and graduated from Texas A&I, which is now Texas A&M Kingsville, where he received his degree in Business Administration. Early in his career, he became active in the community and eventually was appointed to the Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. His disappointment with discrimination and unfair treatment of farm workers by the Texas Rangers led him to run for office.

He became a state representative in 1968 and served four terms. Then, he was elected to the Texas Senate in 1976, serving until his retirement in 2003. He also became the first Hispanic to serve as the Dean of the Texas Senate in 1995 during the 74th Legislative session. While in office, Senator Truan devoted a lot of energy to improving higher education in South Texas and protecting the environment. Moreover, while serving as a State Representative, he fought for equity in public education and advocated for bilingual education.

Civil Rights Movement

Senator Truan was the President of LULAC in Corpus Christi, and later on, he became the executive director, then the state executive director, and finally the national executive director. While actively involved with LULAC, he immersed himself in helping the farm workers. His participation and concern for the farm workers led him to conduct a door-to-door campaign to pick up food for the farm workers who were on strike. He later went on to become the state chairman of the farm workers' assistance committees. That is also where he was asked to serve on the Texas Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He served on the committee and was stunned by the abuse the farm workers endured by the county officials and Texas Rangers in the Rio Grande Valley.

Carlos Truan's first visit to the State Capital was with the farm workers marching for a $1.25 minimum wage, a significant milestone in the fight for fair wages and labor rights for farm workers.

Kingsville Walkout

Carlos Truan was a State Representative when the walkout in Kingsville took place. He stated in an interview that he was not invited; he was just there to see how he could help. He tried to assist with negotiation and mediate the issues pertaining to the walkout.

Google Sites

Report abuse