Raza Rising

Based on articles written for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, author Richard J. Gonzales draws onhis educational, inner-city, and professional lifeexperiences to weave eyewitness testimony intoissues facing Chicanos, including economic, health,education, criminal justice, politics, immigration,and cultural issues. Raza Rising presents a personalrecounting of a Chicano’s struggle with andunderstanding of the socio-economic policies andhistorical actions that impact their ascendancy. RazaRising offers first-hand observations, supported bywell-documented scholarly research, of Chicanos’growth and subsequent struggles to participate fullyin North Texas’ political and economic life.Raza Rising takes the reader to the organization ofan immigration reform march, to the actual marchwith 20,000 people, to a protest demonstration ofthe City of Farmers Branch’s attempt to prohibitrenting to the undocumented immigrant, to theauthor’s awakening in Chicago on the importance oflearning, and to his poignant experience as a guestspeaker in a Fort Worth public school classroom.

"Blending memoir, historical analysis, and journalism, [Gonzales] catalogs failures of the educational, health care, and criminal justice systems to deal equitably with a growing Mexican American population. . . . Gonzales has produced a convincing case for broadening our national identity."--Panhandle Plains Historical Review "Raza Rising is a quick and easy read for the general public and introductory college students. It is a good starting point to learn about the present condition of Mexican Americans and Mexicans in North Texas."--Pacific Historical Review, "Raza Rising could serve as a supplemental text in any Mexican American, Chicano/a, or Ethnic Studies course that covers history, race and ethnicity, culture, and politics to promote an informed dialogue about the changing nature of race relations in the nation--a conversation that must include the Mexican American/Chicano experience and perspective."--New Mexico Historical Review, "Gonzales's account as a history is of great significance because he documents important events and views in the recent history of Mexicans in Dallas and Texas, and he does it with the authority of a first-hand observer. His keen understanding of the Mexican American history that he has lived gives the narrative a high level of originality."--Emilio Zamora, author of The World of the Mexican Worker in Texas "Raza Rising is clearly a passionate discussion of the many complex issues affecting the wellbeing of Chicanos in North Texas. It does not treat Chicanos in North Texas as isolated from the broader historical and political dynamics of the nation, but rather as directly affected by national movements and attitudes. Gonzales does an excellent job of connecting North Texas to the national scene."--David Maldonado, Jr., author of Crossing Guadalupe Street: Growing Up Hispanic and Protestant "Richard skillfully chronicles who we are, where we have been, and our continued struggles." --Dr. Robert M Munoz, President of the Hispanic Wellness Coalition. "In Raza Rising, Richard J. Gonzales beautifully weaves together years of research and writing from his years as a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The result is a panoramic portrait of a forgotten but hugely significant community, the Chicanos and Latinos of North Texas. Gonzales meticulously details the many challenges facing young Chicanos and Chicano families in the schools and in the larger region, moving beyond a deficit-based approach (of what Chicanos themselves lack) to also explore the role of white privilege and the dangerous consequences of many Texans' lack of cultural competency. Raza Rising also stays true to its title, examining the forgotten roots of the Chicano community in Texas, a story that spans from indigenous Mexico to recent Chicano heroes in the US. Finally, it demonstrates the significance of the Chicano movement and the post-2006 immigrant rights struggle as key sites in which Mexican-origin residents of North Texas are remaking the region in their image. Raza Rising reminds us gringos that it is past time to get to know and embrace this fast-growing community, because their future will also be our own."--Dr. Max Krochmal, Director, Civil Rights in Black and Brown Oral History Project, Texas Christian University, "Raza Rising represents a significant contribution to the scholarship and public discussions of the subject. . . . It should be required reading for any Texan interested in the state's past and future."--Southwestern Historical Quarterly, "[An] excellent and welcome contribution to American History and Hispanic Studies shelves."--Midwest Book Review

Gonzales, Richard J. wrote for six years aboutChicanos as a Fort Worth Star-Telegram weekly guestcolumnist. He has published short stories in TheAmericas Review, a Hispanic literary journal of theUniversity of Houston, and has worked in, observed, andresearched the Chicano community from the 1970s tothe present. He lives in Arlington, Texas, USA.