This is a telephone conversation with José Angel Gutiérrez, one of the best known figures of the Chicano movement in the 1960s from his office in Dallas, TX. As the founding leader of La Raza Unida Party, Gutiérrez led a third-party movement to elect a number of Mexican American candidates to public office. In this live interview in the call-in program Línea Abierta, the civil-rights pioneer discusses memories of the early battles for voting rights and political representation in Texas, contained in his testimonial book “The Making of a Chicano Militant.” He talks about the historic Chicano take over of Crystal City and its outcomes, the leading work of student groups, the persecution of activists by the Texas Rangers, and the role of influential Mexican American politicians like Henry B. Gonzalez. He also comments on current challenges for the participation and political representation of Mexican Americans in Texas. The conversation is hosted by Samuel Orozco. The following is an audio copy of the program.

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