2025 MACRI Symposium Program by Mexican American Civil Rights

SOMOS MACRI

Rooted in and inspired by San Antonio’s legacy, the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute is the premier national organization dedicated to chronicling and advancing the Mexican American community’s civil rights efforts in the U S The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute envisions communities where all Americans are inspired by the Mexican American civil rights legacy and see themselves as participants and transformational leaders in the ongoing struggle for social justice, inclusion, and equity.

WELCOME A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Welcome to MACRI’s SixthAnnual Symposium, a two-day gathering dedicated to contemporary civil rights issues that aims to elevate Latino civic power and resilience. We are honored to welcome you to SanAntonio,Texas—home to generations of civil rights leadership.

At a time when Latino communities are atthe center of America’s most urgent democratic challenges, this symposium offers a powerful space for reflection, dialogue, and action.Together, we’ll explore pressing issues like freedom ofthe press, voting access, health equity, and the enduring power of representation in public life.

As the nation’s only institution solelyfocused on Mexican American civil rights history, MACRI proudly serves as a bridge between past and future preserving memory and activating civic power. In partnership withTexas Public Radio, a trusted voice fortruth, this year’s gathering uplifts the role of journalism and storytelling in defending democracy.

We’re grateful you’ve joined us to learn from ourthought leaders, honor our history, and imagine newfutures rooted in justice, equality, and the rich diversitythat is one of our nation’s greatest strengths.Thank you for believing in the power of history, community, and civic courage.

Adelante, Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Robert Garza, PhD, Chair

Gilberto S Ocañas, Vice Chair

Olga Garza Kauffman, Secretary

Ezequiel Peña, PhD, Treasurer

Bill Avila

Marisa Bono, JD

Rosie Castro

Celina Peña

Stephen Pitti, PhD

Gloria G. Rodriguez, PhD

Lilliana Patricia Saldaña, PhD

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Gilberto S Ocañas, Chair

Erika Prosper Nirenberg, Vice Chair

Eduardo Berain

Nora Dempsey

Cecilia Elizondo Herrera

Victor Miramontes

SCHOLARS COUNCIL

Dr. Stephen Pitti, Chair - Yale University

Dr Mike Amezcua - Georgetown University

STAFF

Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD Executive Director

Barbara Aguirre Volunteer Coordinator

Matt Clemens Archivist

Karla Camacho Program Manager

LEARN MORE ABOUT MACRI

Kathryn Blackmer Reyes - San Jose State University

Dr. Gilberto Cardenas - University of Notre Dame (retired)

Dr. Maria Cotera - University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Tey Mariana Nunn - Smithsonian Institution

Dr Mark Ocegueda - Brown University

Dr Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez - University of Texas at Austin

Dr. George Sanchez - University of Southern California

Dr. Carolina Villarroel - University of Houston

FRIDAY, MAY 30TH

OPENING NIGHT

DOORSOPEN&ATTENDEECHECKIN

6:00PM-6:30PM

WELCOME

6:30PM-7:00PM

Dr.SarahZenaidaGould,ExecutiveDirector,MACRI

JustinRodriguez,BexarCountyCommissionerPct.2

RebecaClay-Flores,BexarCountyCommissionerPct.1

AshleyAlvarado,CEO,TexasPublicRadio

KEYNOTEADDRESS

7:00PM-8:00PM

LaloAlcaraz

Editorialcartoonist,writer,producer,&two-timePulitzer Prizefinalist

ARTISTMEET&GREETAFTERPARTYATLAZONA

8:00PM-9:30PM

DJRamboSalinas

10xtheFlavorCatering

SATURDAY, MAY 31ST

SÁBADO GIGANTE

DOORSOPEN&ATTENDEECHECKIN

9:00AM-10:00AM

WELCOME

10:00AM-10:30AM

Dr.SarahZenaidaGould,MACRIExecutiveDirector

RonNirenberg,MayorofSanAntonio

Dr.SukhKaur,District1

Dr.AdrianaRocha-Garcia,District4

MelissaCabelloHavrda,District6Council

OPENINGADDRESS

10:30AM-10:55AM

TheHonorableRobertSantos

FormerDirectoroftheUSCensus

FIRESIDECHAT

11:00AM-NOON

VilmaMartinez&ThomasSaenz

Former&currentPresidents&GeneralCounselsofMALDEF

Moderator:CelinaMoreno

Whydoes MACRI mattertoyou?

Help MACRI on the journeyto build the nation's first museum & archive dedicated to MexicanAmerican civil rights history! On Saturday, we are recording testimonials aboutwhat a MACRI Museum would mean to you, yourfamily, and our nation.Visitthe Santikos Studio to record your message. ¡Gracias por su apoyo!

SATURDAY, MAY 31ST

SÁBADO GIGANTE

Lalo Alcaraz is an award-winning American cartoonist, writer, producer, and activist known for blending art with social justice He created “La Cucaracha,” the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, Alcaraz received the prestigious Herblock Prize in 2022 for his fearless focus on civil rights through editorial cartooning. He has won six Southern California Press Awards and served as editorial cartoonist for LA Weekly (1992–2010) His work now appears in Andrews McMeel Syndication, Daily Kos, Pocho.com, and newspapers like Al Dia News His books include A Most Imperfect Union and Migra Mouse: Political Cartoons on Immigration. Alcaraz has contributed to major film and TV projects as a writer, producer, and cultural consultant, including Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes and Pixar’s Oscarwinning COCO. A former faculty member at Otis College of Art & Design, he currently serves as Virtual Artist in Residence at Arizona State University’s School of Transborder Studies. Born to Mexican immigrant parents in San Diego, Alcaraz holds degrees from San Diego State (B.A. Art) and UC Berkeley (Master of Architecture), and lives in Los Angeles with his family

Ashley Alvarado is president and CEO of Texas Public Radio She previously led LAist’s community engagement efforts for more than a decade as vice president of community engagement and strategic initiatives. In that time she also took on strategic initiatives, managing multiple budgets and grant portfolios. During her tenure, she managed the design and implementation of the company’s diversity, equality, and inclusion strategies, and supported the organization’s comprehensive digital transformation. An award-winning journalist, Alvarado was previously an editor for the Center for Investigative Reporting and has served as a newsroom coach for Blue Engine, Poynter, and the American Press Institute, as well as for the leadership programs for National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Associations A former president of Journalism That Matters, she also serves on the executive committee of the Online News Association board, on the board of Greater Public, and on Poynter’s National Advisory board.

Melissa Cabello Havrda has represented District 6 on the San Antonio City Council since 2019. She chairs the Public Safety Committee and Municipal Courts Advisory Committee and serves on several other key city committees. A practicing attorney and small-business owner, she holds a B.A. and J.D. from St. Mary’s University and an MBA from UTSA. A lifelong resident of District 6, she’s served under two former mayors and taught at Northwest Vista College. Her board service includes the San Antonio Education Partnership, MOVE Texas, and more She and her husband Jason have three children and remain deeply committed to their community.

Rebeca Clay-Flores is the Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 1 Previously, Commissioner Clay-Flores spent 15 years serving in education and nonprofits, from teaching fifth grade and GED/ESL in San Antonio to starting a small educational nonprofit She has also taught English in Tampico, Mexico at the state university, and worked at a small private university in Tennessee where she recruited college students to take a year off as community service volunteers. She previously worked for the City of San Antonio for six years.

Sarah Zenaida Gould, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute, a national project to collect and disseminate Mexican American civil rights history based in San Antonio, Texas. A longtime museum worker and public historian, she has curated over a dozen exhibits on history, art, and culture She was formerly founding director of the Museo del Westside, a community participatory museum based at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, and lead curatorial researcher at the Institute of Texan Cultures, both in San Antonio Gould serves on the boards of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, and Texans for the Arts, and as an Advisor for the National Trust of Historic Preservation. She received a BA in American Studies from Smith College and an MA and PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan. She is a former fellow at the National Museum of American History, the Winterthur Museum, and the American Antiquarian Society, and is an alumna of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute

Sukh Kaur, Ed. D., represents District 1 in the San Antonio City Council. She was elected to serve District 1 on June 10, 2023 As the first South Asian to serve on the San Antonio City Council, she is committed to championing a local government that prioritizes those who need it most and improving the quality of life for all residents. She holds a Doctorate in K-12 Educational Leadership from Vanderbilt University, an MBA from the Rice Educational Entrepreneurship Program, and a BA in Policy Studies from Rice University

Vilma S Martinez is a trailblazing attorney, diplomat, and corporate leader whose distinguished career spans law, public service, and corporate governance. She was the first female President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), where she led the organization for a decade and transformed it from a fledgling group into a national civil rights force with a nearly $5 million annual budget. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Martinez served as the first woman U.S. Ambassador to Argentina from 2009 to 2013, earning the country’s highest honor for a foreign national the Order of May, Grand Cross. A longtime partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, she began her legal career at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and later specialized in employment discrimination at Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP. She has held board positions with major corporations including Fluor, Anheuser-Busch, Shell Oil, and Bank of the West Deeply committed to boardroom diversity, she co-founded the Directors’ Council to promote inclusion of women and minorities in corporate leadership. Martinez also chaired the University of California Board of Regents and has served on numerous civic and nonprofit boards. She holds degrees from the University of Texas and Columbia Law School

Celina Moreno, J.D., is the president and CEO of IDRA, a national non-profit organization dedicated to equity and excellence in education Moreno previously directed policy and litigation for the Southwest Regional Office for MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Moreno chaired the Texas Latino Education Coalition (TLEEC) and the joint Education Task Force of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus and Mexican American Legislative Caucus. She also served as co-chair of the statewide TRUST Coalition – a group of business, faith, civil rights and law enforcement leaders focused on immigrants’ rights – and the Texas Election Reform Coalition, a statewide voting rights coalition. Before joining MALDEF, Moreno directed Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s School-to-Prison Pipeline Project She is a 2018 German Marshall Fellow. Moreno is also the recipient of the Center for Public Policy Priorities’ 2017 Future of Texas Award, which is given to a visionary young leader who has made a demonstrable and valuable impact on Texas. She also received one of twelve 2017 Women of Distinction awards from the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce Moreno received a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and a law degree from the University of Houston.

Ron Nirenberg is the mayor of San Antonio He was raised in Austin, Texas, and attended college in San Antonio. Nirenberg is the son of an immigrant from Southeast Asia and the grandson of immigrants from Eastern Europe who passed through Ellis Island He was first elected to represent District 8 on the San Antonio City Council in 2013. During his two terms, he championed smart city and regional planning, inclusive economic development, environmental stewardship, fiscal responsibility and governmental accountability. Mayor Nirenberg is the Chairman of Sister Cities International, a nonpartisan organization that connects cities across the globe through civic, educational and cultural exchanges. In 2018, the United States Conference of Mayors recognized Mayor Nirenberg with the Small Business Advocate award for his efforts to encourage entrepreneurism. Prior to his public service, Nirenberg was the founder of two small-businesses, worked as the general manager of KRTU-FM San Antonio, and as a program director for the Annenberg Public Policy Center where he developed and directed award-winning civic engagement programs Mayor Nirenberg graduated summa cum laude from Trinity University and received a Master’s Degree in Communication magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Lyssa Ochoa is a board-certified vascular surgeon and founder of the San Antonio Vascular and Endovascular Clinic (The SAVE Clinic) in South San Antonio. She was born and raised along the Texas-Mexico border and attended medical school, general surgery residency, and vascular surgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. She has been practicing vascular surgery in San Antonio since 2011, when she quickly recognized that the number of diabetes-related amputations in San Antonio occur in rates up to 3 times the statewide rate in some of the city’s most underserved and socioeconomically challenged zip codes Understanding that collaboration is key to change health outcomes, Dr. Ochoa has partnered with hospitals, managed care organizations, universities, nonprofit organizations, local school districts, city council districts, and clinicians of all kinds to develop amputation prevention programs, awareness platforms, and additional resources Dr Ochoa regularly speaks at community engagement seminars, lectures to medical residents at the UIW School of Medicine, and raises awareness in media such as Texas Public Radio, various news outlets, and newspapers, as well as champions for equitable access to healthcare through engagement with city and state elected officials.

Erika Prosper Nirenberg is senior director of customer insights at H-E-B and is the first lady of San Antonio, Texas. She co-founded and was the 2016 Chair of the Latina Leadership Institute and has led the creation of multiple education programming, youth entrepreneurship programming, and women’s economic development white papers with Rai$ing Texas, the SABER Institute, and VentureLab In 2019, Prosper Nirenberg was named the San Antonio Business Journal’s Woman of the Year and a Governor’s Yellow Rose of Texas honoree. Since 2022, she has been a yearly regional panelist for the prestigious White House Fellows Program Prosper Nirenberg became a Dame De Escoffier in 2023, the same year she received the Ohtli Award from the Mexican government, the highest honor given to a non-citizen for impact in promoting Mexican culture. She was the 2018 Chairwoman of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and serves or volunteers on several community and advisory boards aimed at empowering Hispanic women, nonprofits, and voting.

Dr Elena Rios is President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), representing 50,000 Hispanic physicians nationwide, and President of the National Hispanic Health Foundation A Los Angeles native, she earned degrees from Stanford University (BA), UCLA (MSPH, MD), and completed her internal medicine residency in California, followed by a research fellowship at UCLA Early in her career, Dr Rios co-founded the National Network of Latin American Medical Students to support minority students in medicine She has since held key roles advancing health policy and equity, including serving on President Clinton’s National Health Care Reform Task Force and as Advisor for Minority Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dr Rios has received numerous honors, including being named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business and earning leadership awards from federal agencies and national organizations. She serves on several boards and advisory committees focused on health equity and policy. Her career reflects a lifelong dedication to improving healthcare access and professional opportunities for underserved communities. In 2022 and 2023, she was recognized among Washingtonian’s Top 500 policy influencers She also holds honorary degrees from Lehman College and Wayne State University.

Adriana Rocha-Garcia, Ph D , represents District 4 in the San Antonio City Council. Throughout her career, Councilwoman Rocha-Garcia has held various administrative and consulting positions in communications and marketing at organizations like SAMMinistries Furniture for A Cause, the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the City of San Antonio, Southwest ISD, and Project QUEST Dr Garcia is an Associate Marketing Professor at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she is tenured and teaches in the School of Business and Leadership. She has a B.A. and M.A. from the University of the Incarnate Word and a Ph D in Advertising from UT’s Moody College of Communication.

Justin Rodriguez is the Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 2. Rodriguez began his career in public service as a juvenile prosecutor for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office Throughout his career, Rodriguez has served on the Board of Trustees of the San Antonio Independent School District, on the San Antonio City Council representing District 7, and on the Texas House of Representatives Justin is an advocate for increased access to and affordability of higher education, voting rights, and accessible and affordable healthcare for all Texans He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Thomas A. Saenz is President and General Counsel of MALDEF, leading national efforts to advance the civil rights of Latinos in the U S Since rejoining MALDEF in 2009, he has guided the organization in key areas including education, voting rights, employment, and immigrant rights. Earlier in his career, Saenz practiced civil rights litigation at MALDEF for 12 years, serving as Vice President of Litigation and lead counsel in highprofile cases, including the successful challenge to California’s antiimmigrant Proposition 187 and a $50 million employment discrimination settlement with Abercrombie and Fitch. He also served as counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, helping lead education reform and labor negotiations. Saenz has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, including in United States v Texas, defending deferred action immigration initiatives, and contributed to Grutter v. Bollinger in support of affirmative action. Saenz recently concluded 20 years on the Los Angeles County Board of Education and serves on multiple nonprofit boards He has taught civil rights litigation at USC Law School and published extensively. A Yale College and Yale Law School graduate, Saenz has received numerous honors, including the Ohtli Award, the ABA Spirit of Excellence Award, and recognition as one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Hispanics.”

Maria Elena Salinas is an award-winning journalist and author whose career spans nearly four decades. Known as one of the most respected voices in American journalism, she served as co-anchor of Univision’s evening news for over 30 years, covering elections, natural disasters, and international conflicts. Salinas has interviewed U.S. Presidents, Latin American leaders, and global entertainers including Jennifer Lopez and Shakira Her work has earned multiple Emmys, including a lifetime achievement Emmy, as well as a Peabody, Edward R. Murrow, Gracie, and Walter Cronkite Award. In 2022, she joined ABC News as a contributor to the Race and Culture Unit, focusing on Latino issues and election coverage. Previously, she contributed to CBS News and anchored the award-winning documentary Pandemia: Latinos in Crisis. She also hosted the true crime series The Real Story with Maria Elena Salinas for Investigation Discovery. A founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Salinas has supported students through scholarships and serves on the board of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. She is a member of multiple broadcasting halls of fame and holds honorary doctorates from American University and Cal State Fullerton Salinas began her career in 1981 at KMEX-TV in Los Angeles.

Robert L. Santos served as the 26th director of the U.S. Census Bureau, bringing over 40 years of experience in survey research, statistical methodology, and executive leadership Before joining the Census Bureau, he was vice president and chief methodologist at the Urban Institute and held leadership roles at top research institutions including NORC at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, and Temple University’s Institute for Survey Research. Santos is a recognized expert in research design, program evaluation, survey methodology, and equity in research. A past president of both the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), he has received several prestigious honors, including the ASA Founder’s Award, AAPOR’s Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement, the Mexican government’s Ohtli Award, and MALDEF’s Excellence in Community Service Award. He is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute and has served on the CDC’s Board of Scientific Counselors. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Santos holds degrees in mathematics and statistics and has been awarded honorary degrees from North Carolina State University and San Antonio College.