The Mexican American community's relationship with the 
Anglo-dominated public school system has been multifaceted, 
complex, and ambiguous to say the least.


On one level, an organized community has consistently 
struggled for equality in the existing educational 
institutions. Its story, although full of crushed hopes 
and legal frustrations, is imbued with a sense of 
accomplishment. At another level, individual Mexican 
Americans who have attended segregated public schools 
over the years also have a complex and diverse story to 
tell. For some, there are fond memories of school 
activities gone by. For others, the school years have 
been negative in general—children have been victims of 
humiliating and depressing incidents of racial 
discrimination and social ostracism.


Texas' public school system is of particular historical 
interest because of the state's record, according to 
Guadalupe San Miguel, for providing the least amount of 
public education for Mexican Americans while fiercely 
defending its record of inferior and separate schooling. 
Additionally, Texas was the first state in which Mexican 
Americans organized to seek educational equality.


In "Let All of Them Take Heed," first published in 
1987 and one of the earliest books to focus on this plight 
of the Hispanic community, San Miguel traces the Mexican 
American quest for educational equality in Texas over a 
period of fifty years. In describing this struggle over the 
years, he emphasizes the socioeconomic factors affecting it 
and the strategies the Hispanic community used to reach its 
goals.


" . . . the classic on the history of Texas-Mexican efforts
to achieve educational parity. Rare is the bibliography that
does not list it as a standard text in Mexican American history."
—Arnoldo De León, Angelo State University

_________________________________________________________

GUADALUPE SAN MIGUEL, JR., who holds a Ph.D. from 
Stanford University, is an associate professor of history at
the University of Houston.


A Reveille Book