Oral History Interview with Chris Reyes Mendeke, July 15, 2016

Primary view of object titled 'Oral History Interview with Chris Reyes Mendeke, July 15, 2016'. captions transcript

Description

Cresencia Reyes Mendeke ("Chris") was born in the late 20s and raised in Uvalde during the Great Depression. In her interview, she talked about the strict segregation in the town during those years. She attended a "Mexican school" for her early education, and recalled the neglect and disinterest in educating the Mexican American children. She also talked about her father's role as a benefactor in their neighborhood, and of his relationship with a prominent family of Anglo business owners. After finishing school and working in a local Penney's store for some time, Mendeke married and moved around, as she and … continued below

Physical Description

19 video recordings (3 hr., 35 min., 43 sec.) : sd., col. ; digital

Creation Information

Sinta, Vinicio; Arionus, Steve & Mendeke, Chris Reyes July 15, 2016.

Context

This video is part of the collection entitled: Civil Rights in Black and Brown and was provided by the TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 387 times. More information about this video can be viewed below.

Who

People and organizations associated with either the creation of this video or its content.

Interviewers

Interviewee

Named Person

Person who is significant in some way to the content of this video. Additional names may appear in Subjects below.

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this video as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this video useful in their work.

Provided By

TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library

The Mary Couts Burnett Library provides intellectual resources, innovative technology tools, and an inspiring physical and virtual environment to serve the diverse community of learners at Texas Christian University.

About | Browse this Partner

Contact Us

Corrections Questions

What

Descriptive information to help identify this video. Follow the links below to find similar items on the Portal.

Description

Cresencia Reyes Mendeke ("Chris") was born in the late 20s and raised in Uvalde during the Great Depression. In her interview, she talked about the strict segregation in the town during those years. She attended a "Mexican school" for her early education, and recalled the neglect and disinterest in educating the Mexican American children. She also talked about her father's role as a benefactor in their neighborhood, and of his relationship with a prominent family of Anglo business owners. After finishing school and working in a local Penney's store for some time, Mendeke married and moved around, as she and her husband looked for opportunities in and out of Uvalde. Eventually, they settled in the Los Angeles area, and found professional work. Later, they became licensed realtors and opened their own office in Buena Park. After several decades, the Mendekes retired and moved back to Uvalde in the eighties, and Chris was determined to get involved in local affairs. She joined the local Democratic party and helped run local campaigns; she was also a ranking member of the Mexican American Democrats (later the Tejano Democrats). In recent years, Mendeke spearheaded the restoration and marking of the Nicolas Street School, the segregated elementary school for African American children before integration.

Physical Description

19 video recordings (3 hr., 35 min., 43 sec.) : sd., col. ; digital

Subjects

Keywords

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

Item Type

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this video in the Portal or other systems.

Collections

This video is part of the following collection of related materials.

Civil Rights in Black and Brown

Based at TCU, the Civil Rights in Black and Brown (CRBB) Oral History Project collects, interprets, and disseminates oral history interviews of the brown and black freedom struggles in Texas.

About | Browse this Collection

What responsibilities do I have when using this video?

Digital Files

When

Dates and time periods associated with this video.

Creation Date

  • July 15, 2016

Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • March 29, 2018, 6:40 p.m.

Description Last Updated

  • Aug. 13, 2022, 9:45 a.m.

Usage Statistics

When was this video last used?

Yesterday: 0
Past 30 days: 0
Total Uses: 387
More Statistics

Where

Geographical information about where this video originated or about its content.

Place Name

Map Information

  • map marker Place Name coordinates. (May be approximate.)
  • Repositioning map may be required for optimal printing.

Help Map this Video

Tell us if you know the precise location of this item. In the lower-left corner of map below, select either the pin () or the box (). Drop a pin or drag to create a new rectangle. Zoom and Pan the map as needed.

Mapped Locations

Interact With This Video

Here are some suggestions for what to do next.

Watch This Video

Primary view of object titled 'Oral History Interview with Chris Reyes Mendeke, July 15, 2016'.

Citations, Rights, Re-Use

Links for Robots

Helpful links in machine-readable formats.

Archival Resource Key (ARK)

International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF)

Metadata Formats

Images

WebVTT

URLs

Stats

Sinta, Vinicio; Arionus, Steve & Mendeke, Chris Reyes. Oral History Interview with Chris Reyes Mendeke, July 15, 2016, video, July 15, 2016; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth987646/: accessed June 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library.

Back to Top of Screen