Mexican American Civil Rights Institute
AbbreviationMACRI
FormationSeptember 2019
Headquarters2123 Buena Vista St, San Antonio, TX 78207
Executive Director
Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD
National Advisory Council Chair
Cecilia Elizondo Herrera
Scholars Council Chair
Stephen Pitti, PhD
Websitehttps://www.somosmacri.org/
Formerly called
National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights

The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI), located in San Antonio, Texas, is “the premier national organization dedicated to chronicling and advancing the Mexican American community’s civil rights efforts in the U.S.”[1]

History

Founded in 2019, MACRI was first located in Our Lady of the Lake University.[2] They are currently in the process of opening a visitor’s center on the west side of San Antonio. There are also plans of eventually opening a museum and archive building in the coming years.[3] The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute is formerly known as the National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights. MACRI was awarded $500,000 in startup money by the San Antonio City Council in September 2019.[2]

Visitors' Center

The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute opened the doors to its visitors' center on October 14, 2023. Located on the West Side of San Antonio on the corner of Buena Vista Street and Navidad, the center resides inside of a 1930’s craftsman-style bungalow. Executive Director Sarah Zenaida Gould said the center will “give the public a taste of what an in-person experience could look like while we continue to put the pieces in place for a permanent museum and archive.”[3] The ribbon cutting ceremony included performances by Guadalupe Dance Company, Mariachi Azteca de America, and Bombasta.[4]

Board and council

The board and council members are made up of a group of civil leaders and scholars, as well as a members with experience in “research and evaluation, organizational design and implementation, marketing, health, and museum curating…, and have led and served on local, state and national boards that advocate for equal rights…”[1] The Executive Director of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute is Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD. Gould is a public historian and museum worker. The Board & Council has twelve members with Robert Garza, PhD and Cecilia Elizondo Herrera sitting as the Board Chair and Board Vice-Chair. The National Advisory Council has six members with Gilberto S. Ocañas and Erika Prosper as the council Chair and Vice-Chair. The Scholars Council has eleven members with Stephen Pitti, PhD as the Chair.

Partners

The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute has partners in and around the San Antonio area. These include:

Exhibits

On the institute’s website, an online exhibit can be found by the name of “CHISPAS: Mexican American Civil Rights Trailblazers in San Antonio.”[1] This virtual exhibit gives biographical information on forty Mexican American civil rights leaders in or from the San Antonio area, such as: Norma V. Cantu, Rosie Castro, José Angel Cárdenas, and others.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "HOME | Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI)". MACRI. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  2. 1 2 "Mexican-American Civil Rights Institute Preserves History". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  3. 1 2 Ayala, Elaine (February 27, 2023). "Mexican American Civil Rights Institute getting 'starter home' on city's West Side". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  4. ↑ Lynch, David (October 17, 2023). "As MACRI opens west-side visitor center, it prepares for bigger goal: a national museum of Mexican American civil rights". kens5.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
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