Red, Blue, and Brown: Tejano History, Politics, and the 2022 Election

Election seasons have always been filled with political and partisan appeals to various groups of people: special interest groups, religious organizations, ethnic voting blocs, and more. One group which has received a dramatic increase in political and journalistic attention over the last few years are Tejanos: Texans of Mexican or Hispanic descent. Much digital ink has been spilled over Tejano voting history and practice: will they vote Democratic blue? Are Republican red numbers increasing since the Trump presidency? But while it can be tempting to presume that so-called interest groups like Tejanos will vote one way or the other—red or blue—it is not so simple. And it never has been.

Join us as we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month by learning about the complex and critical role of Tejano politics, in history and today. To help us, we welcome two incredible guests:

Max Krochmal is Professor of History and the Czech Republic Endowed Professor and Director of Justice Studies at the University of New Orleans. He is the author of Blue Texas: the Making of a Multiracial Democratic Coalition in the Civil Rights Era and co-editor (with Todd Moye) of Civil Rights in Black and Brown: Histories of Resistance and Struggle in Texas.

Jack Herrera is a senior editor at Texas Monthly, covering primarily Latino issues, immigration, and elections. He has written extensively on these topics for an array of journalistic outlets, including Texas Monthly, Politico Magazine, The Guardian, Pacific Standard, and Salon.

This event is cosponsored by the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute and its Scott-Hawkins Lecture Fund.

Further Reading

Here, you’ll find more resources to feed your interest in the topics covered at this event.

More by Dr. Krochmal

Krochmal, Max. Blue Texas: The Making of a Multiracial Democratic Coalition in the Civil Rights Era. University of North Carolina Press, 2016.

Krochmal, Max and J. Todd Moye, editors. Civil Rights in Black and Brown: Histories of Resistance and Struggle in Texas**.** University of Texas Press, 2021.

More by Mr. Herrera

Herrera, Jack. “Trump Didn’t Win the Latino Vote in Texas. He Won the Tejano Vote.” Politico Magazine, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/11/17/trump-latinos-south-texas-tejanos-437027

Herrera, Jack. “Why Democrats Are Losing Texas Latinos.” Texas Monthly, 2021. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/democrats-losing-texas-latinos-trump/

Primary Sources

https://crbb.tcu.edu/

Secondary Sources

Cabrera, Jocelyn. “To Be From Texas: The Unique Culture and Challenges Which Come With Being Tejano.” State Press, 2022. https://www.statepress.com/article/2022/04/spm-to-be-from-texas#

Mercer, Mia. “Understanding and Celebrating Tejano History.” Texas A&M Today, 2021. https://today.tamu.edu/2021/10/07/understanding-tejano-history/

Reston, Maeve, and Chavez, Nicole. “Democrats look to win back Latino voters after Trump’s inroads in South Texas.” CNN, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/politics/latino-voters-texas-democrats-trump/index.html

Rodriguez, Marc. The Tejano Diaspora. University of North Carolina Press, 2011.

Weigel, David. “The seven political states of Texas.” Washington Post, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/texas-political-geography/