The Life and Times of Willie Velasquez (Paperback)

Cultural Writing. Biography. Latino/Latina Studies. William C. "Willie" Velasquez, Jr. founded the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project (SVREP) and was an influential participant in other leading Latino rights and justice groups, including the Mexican American Youth Organization and the Mexican American Unity Council. From teh late 1960s until his untimely death in 1988, Velasquez helped Mexican Americans and other Hispanics become active participants in American political life. Although still insufficiently appreciated, Velasquez holds a unique status in the pantheon of modern American civil rights figures. "Few American leaders have had as much long term impact on a people ot the political system as Willie Velasquez. His efforts at SVREP and elsewhere helped to transform American political democracy and inclusiveness for Hispanic Americans and others in ways that many in American politics are only now beginning to comprehend"--Raul Yzaguirre.