Racism. Much is discussed in school about the relationship between blacks and whites in America. But what about Hispanics? Were they considered light enough to be White? Dark enough to be Black? There's history there, sure. Almost lost it seems. I've never heard about this issue and some of my Hispanic students asked me as we studied history in class. "What about Mexicans?" Ignorance is never an excuse, so I did some research...
(1953-4, Jackson County, Texas) Pete Hernandez, a farm worker in Texas, was convicted of murder by an all-white jury. His attorneys appealed his conviction because Mexican Americans had been systematically excluded for decades from Texas juries. But, since Mexican Americans were classified as white, the state court said a white jury constituted a "jury of peers" for Hernandez.
His defense attorneys took the case to the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming the first Mexican-American attorneys to appear there. They argued that Texas discriminated against Mexican Americans as a class and Hernandez's rights were violated by Texas' exclusion of Mexican Americans from all juries.
In its unanimous decision, Hernandez v. Texas (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that Mexican Americans were a class in this case, as discrimination against them was proven, and that they and all other racial or national groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
His defense attorneys took the case to the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming the first Mexican-American attorneys to appear there. They argued that Texas discriminated against Mexican Americans as a class and Hernandez's rights were violated by Texas' exclusion of Mexican Americans from all juries.
In its unanimous decision, Hernandez v. Texas (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that Mexican Americans were a class in this case, as discrimination against them was proven, and that they and all other racial or national groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
Hard to argue that Whites were a jury of his peers when Mexicans were specifically excluded from the jury pool.
And from the Supreme Court ruling: The distinction between whites and Mexican ancestry individuals was made clear at the Jackson County Courthouse itself where "there were two men's toilets, one unmarked, and the other marked 'Colored Men and 'Hombres Aqui' ('Men Here'),..."
And from the Supreme Court ruling: The distinction between whites and Mexican ancestry individuals was made clear at the Jackson County Courthouse itself where "there were two men's toilets, one unmarked, and the other marked 'Colored Men and 'Hombres Aqui' ('Men Here'),..."
Post script: A link to a book with essays and additional information:
Colored Men and Hombres Aqui Hernandez V. Texas and the Emergence of Mexican American Lawyering (Hispanic Civil Rights Series)
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