{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/jq0sq8rz8z/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Mario Salas Interview"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/571/original/full-color_2x.png?1735841768","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Publisher"]},"value":{"en":["The African American Network TV (TAAN TV)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eLong-time San Antonian, former city councilman, and civil rights activist Mario Salas shares knowledge on the Black history of San Antonio and how his childhood inspired a life of fighting for civil rights. He discusses his role as an educator, his family, and how he worked for the community  as a San Antonio City Council member for District 2.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAll materials are for noncommercial educational or research uses only. Please contact SAAACAM for any questions regarding usage rights.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["created"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Interview"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["MP4"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keyword"]},"value":{"en":["San Antonio History, Canary Islanders, City Council, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Local Government, District Two, Flood of 1998, 300 Voices in 300 Days"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject"]},"value":{"en":["Local Government (topical term)","Activism (topical term)","San Antonio History (topical term)","Black History (topical term)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English (primary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Ss"]},"value":{"en":["access_public"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eLong-time San Antonian, former city councilman, and civil rights activist Mario Salas shares knowledge on the Black history of San Antonio and how his childhood inspired a life of fighting for civil rights. He discusses his role as an educator, his family, and how he worked for the community  as a San Antonio City Council member for District 2.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAll materials are for noncommercial educational or research uses only. Please contact SAAACAM for any questions regarding usage rights.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/571/original/full-color_2x.png?1735841768","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/239/697/small/300VoicesLTCollectionMarioSalasInterview.mp4_1713995227.jpg?1713995231","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - 300_Voices_LT_Collection_Mario_Salas_Interview.mp4"]},"duration":1926.75817,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/239/697/small/300VoicesLTCollectionMarioSalasInterview.mp4_1713995227.jpg?1713995231","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-saaacam.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/239/697/original/300_Voices_LT_Collection_Mario_Salas_Interview.mp4?1713995207","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1926.75817,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697/transcript/66604","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Mario Salas Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697/transcript/66604/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Transcript\r\nFor\r\nMario Salas\r\n07/18/2017\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  0:10  \r\nGood afternoon. I'm Saundra Nichols, and we're celebrating San Antonio's Tricentennial: 300 Voices in 300 Days, on TAAN TV. I have with me today, Mr. Mario Salas, who we're going to talk to, and he's going to share a lot of information with us. He is a retired city councilman for District 2, he's a professor–and he's going to share that with you–civil rights activist, father, husband, grandfather, and much more. So–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  0:27\r\nWell, thank you.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  0:28\r\n–tell me a little bit. Where were you born?\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  0:43  \r\nThank you for having me here. I was born in 1949, that makes me sixty-seven. So I'm not very old, but I’m not too young either. And I've been here most of my life, although my parents were not born here. But, been here most of my life, went to high school here, went to Wheatley High School–which was a segregated high school at the time–and then, you know, graduated. And from there, of course, went on to college at the University of Texas, and also got two graduate degrees: one from Our Lady of the Lake University and the other one from University of Texas.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  1:18  \r\nWow. And being a professor. So you were up in Austin, then, at the–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  1:22\r\nNo, the one here.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  1:22\r\n–University of Texas. The one here, UTSA. And that's where you are a professor. \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  1:28  \r\nYes. I- I’m a professor at- there. I've been there a while. I retired and came back to work, and of course that pays for the sodas and so forth.\r\n\r\n\r\n[mutual laughter]\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  1:38\r\nBut, um, no- and I'm very proud to be working here. I teach African American Studies there, as well as Texas Politics, American Politics. And I have taught International Conflicts and topics in civil rights and some of the other subjects, as well.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  1:53  \r\nRight. So lots of history, I'm sure, you can share with us about San Antonio. And I want you- before we go too far, I want you to tell us a little bit about the San Antonio 300.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  2:06  \r\nWell, way back in the 1700s, Spaniards came to San Antonio, and whe- and when they did, they came in- actually, two different groups. They came as Canary Islanders–and the Canary Islands are- are right off of the western coast of Africa, and the Canary Islands were under Spanish control at one time. A lot of Africans live there in the Canary Islands, so that when these immigrants came here to San Antonio, they came in two different ethnic- two different groups: Black, Christianized Moors who were Canary Islanders–and they don't get much play. There's not a lot of discussion about that, and that was one of my fortes. I- I deal in a lot of hidden history. But Black Moors, Christianized Moors, who came from the Canary Islands settled here as well. They came with what we might call Hispanicized Spaniards, or lighter-skinned Spaniards, as well. And the interesting thing about that is, these Black Moors–because the Spanish had a- what they call a casta system, where if you were of darker skin, you had to go to the different side of the San Antonio River. So darker skin Moors, Canary Islander Moors, were told they had to live on the eastern side of the San Antonio River. And that is the origin of the eastern side of San Antonio being the historic black community. Goes all the way back to 17- roughly 1731, 1720s, in there.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  3:36  \r\nThat is very interesting. And I've never heard that story before–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  3:40\r\nWell, it–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  3:40\r\n–I guess I need to study up on my history.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  3:41  \r\nIt's- it’s unknown for a lot of people and as a commissioner with the 300 Commission–I was appointed by Bexar County, by the way, Bexar County Commissioners Court. As a commissioner, I'm going to be bringing these issues before the full commission. And a lot of people don’t know about it. And so I was fortunate enough to, as a- sitting on one of the city of San Antonio committees, to be able to write historical plaques. So I actually put the information I just told you about the Black Canary Islanders on a plaque, a memorial kind of plaque, historical plaque over where they actually were on the eastern side of the San Antonio River. So- and I do write historical plaques for the city of San Antonio. I've done about three or four now, in the process of doing many more.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  4:36  \r\nWow. Very interesting, very interesting facts. And so when you're teaching out at UTSA, you get to go into all of this, then, with your students there, or–? \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  4:45  \r\nYeah. Well, you can’t do much in sixteen weeks. I mean, we could [laughs]- I don’t got- I always tell my students that. I- I teach ‘em the gen- the generals of the s- and some specifics. You can never do too much specifics with undergrads. You gotta give them your general information and hope they go on to, you know, get ma- masters and PhDs. But I do teach more than you would ordinarily expect in un- with undergrads. So they get a lot of stuff that they never would probably get anywhere else. So I always warn them in advance, “Welcome to the NFL.” That whatever you learned in high school, you're probably gonna have to unlearn it, because I'm gonna- yeah, I’m gonna to deconstruct everything you've learned, so.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  5:31  \r\nVery interesting. Well, tell me now, so is all of your family here in the San Antonio area?\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  5:38  \r\nWell my- my parents passed away a long time ago. But my immediate family, I got.. [pauses] actually three grandchildren, and they’re all the way from two years old, all the way up to sixteen. And, of course, I've got two children, two girls, and I've been married–our anniversary is very soon–and it’ll be twenty-nine years that I've been married, which–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  6:01\r\nWow. Congratulations.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  6:02\r\nWhich means I can brag about that, considering most people never make five.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  6:07  \r\nSo tell me now, you attended college here, and so you've stayed in the San Antonio area and you work there at UTSA. Tell me some other things. What do you spend most of your time doing?\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  6:22  \r\nWell, I- I've written about four or five books now, they’re aca- academic. I wrote one fiction book, but the only other books are very academic, um,  and a lot of them deal with the history of San Antonio. I love to deal with the African American aspect of San Antonio and the role they played, all the way from going back to the 1700s. Well, and even before that, but at least from the 1700s, up until today. And I was able to do that because I was… [pauses] in part because I actually participated in some of the history. I was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, famously known as [phonetically] snick, SNCC. So I was a civil rights activist all the way from, oh my god, from the twelfth grade in high school. And even then I- before that, I was involved in civil rights as a kid. But from the twelfth grade in high school, I was involved in doing civil rights work, from then all the way ‘til now. So we're talking, I guess, over fifty, fifty-five years, fifty years of- of activity involving civil rights, social justice, and all kinds of issues. So I did all that, and then I was able to become a professor. I was able to put some of that in book form and- and teach it as well. I'm working on an autobiography right now… um, which at this point, it’s about 280 pages, so- and I'm not- it’s not even halfway done. But- so that's- be pretty big, but, um… so tha- that's kind of what keeps me going, I do a lot of work as far as doing research. Somebody sent me something the other day about how I was mentioning the fact that the third verse of the Star Spangled Banner is- no one knows it. And it's been kind of squashed. And basically, the verse says that there's not going to be a refuge for the hireling or the slave. And what that means is that when they wrote the Star Spangled Banner, they were very mad at the British, because the British guaranteed freedom for any African American that would go fight for them. And as a result of that, about 5,000 African Americans fought for the British and not for the Americans. As a matter of fact, the British actually organized an all-Black regiment called Royal Marines, and their ancestors are still alive. Their ancestors live in Toronto and Montreal and other places, Nova Scotia, because once the British lost the war, they kept their promise about “we're going to reshuffle you outside of the United States so you won't wind up being a slave.” And that’s another example of history that’s never told.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  9:07  \r\nRight. Very interesting facts. Because with the civil rights, how did you start with that? Was that just a personal interest of yours? You started so young.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  9:16  \r\nYou know, that’s a good- that’s a good question. I'll tell you, it really wasn't. It was kind of accidental. But when- when I was a kid, my mom was- she was always reading everything. And so she kind of put that spirit into me to read everything. And so we’d read all the time together. She’d read to me, or–after I learned how to read–I’d read to her. And as a result, I read many of- of what people refer to as the ‘classics’ at a very young age, at least in a- in a more elementary form. And then later, the full text. Did a lot of that. And then- and then by accident, one day–and this is- I'd always thought it was a fantastic story to me–I was on my way to the movies downtown, I had to be around ten years old. And in those days, you had to go to the back of the Majestic Theater if you were Black, if you were dark-skinned Mexican. And sometimes they even ask you your last name, and if it sounded Hispanic, you'd have to go to the back. And even then, it might depend on your skin color and everything else. But anyway, I was going to the movies, ten- and I was around ten years old. I was with a friend, and we passed by a department store called Joske’s–it’s now Dillard’s–and there was a protest outside. And they were carrying signs and, you know, I had no idea what this was. And this older lady, she gave me a leaflet, and she said, “Here, well this is what we’re–” because I asked, I said, “Wh- what are y’all doing?” She gave me this leaflet and said they were protesting segregation. There was a lunch counter there that would not serve African Americans, or not serve Black people. And so that was the first time I had some–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  11:06\r\nAn encounter with–\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  11:07\r\n–contact with people that were opposed to Jim Crow legislation. So- and just the most interesting thing about that is, I met this lady, I was ten, I met this lady when I was nineteen or twenty, and that- a lot of years later, and it was- her name was Lillian Sutton-Taylor. She was the sister of G.J. Sutton, the first black state representative in the city of San Antonio. That was his sist- and that- and- and she actually remembered me when I was–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  11:37\r\nFrom all those years later. Wow.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  11:38\r\nYeah. I couldn’t believe that. She said, “I remember you, you were walki–” You know, she told me- and I remembered the whole story. I said, “That’s right, that was you.” You know, so that- that did something for me. But- and then when after I got to high school, every Wednesday we would have- in- in San Antonio it was a very famous day, Wednesday, lunch day is Enchilada Day. So there’s everybody eating enchiladas. So at the school, we- there was a problem in the- in the cafeteria. And the problem was there- we kept finding flies in the food. And because I worked in the kitchen, I di-, you know, I did some work in the kitchen, cleaning up and everything–there was a couple other guys–we noticed there was this small hole in the window at the school–this was at Wheatley High School–and flies were coming through that hole. So we went to the principal, myself and a couple other guys. We said, “The reason why, you know, students are upset is because of- can you fix the hole in the window?” You know, that simple. And the principal was not very- he didn't like hearing what we had to say. So at that point, we decided to take the matter into our own hands. We called for a boycott of the school lunch. Anybody who's familiar with public schools knows that's going to cost them a lot of money. So we actually shut the- down the cafeteria for a day or two, and that was one of my first excursions into fighting for social justice. And- and just ironically, it had to do with stopping flies.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  13:07  \r\nRight. And there you have it. Wow, what an interesting story, and you just kind of had it in you to take that on.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  13:15  \r\nYeah, I think I’ve always had a spirit of being upset with people that- or situations in which people are being treated unjustly–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  13:24\r\nInjustices, yes.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  13:25\r\nAnd I'm pretty sure I got that from my mom because she was- she always liked to [inaudible] things like that. And to some degree, my dad as well. Now the interesting thing about- the interesting thing about San Antonio is… because of racism, and I don't care how light you were, if you had a Hispanic– or dark you were, especially dark. I don't care how dark you were, if your last name was- sounded Hispanic–like Rodriguez, Gonzales–they wrote on your birth certificate, “White.” And I don’t care how dark you were, if it was Rodriguez, Gonzales, Salas, whatever it was, they wrote on your birth certificate, “White.” And there's a lot of reasons for that, depends on which county. And they- that- the reason for that is it varies from one county to the next. But in South Texas, the reason for that was there were some areas of South Texas in which the majority of population was Mexican. And if you could only claim they were white, and you happened to be a political boss, then you could get those voters to go and vote for whoever you said to go vote for. So there are actually some Texas counties that were split off from each other because racialized whites didn't want these other whites using Mexican voters, so they created another county in South Texas. [transition] … Zapata County created another county in Texas to keep the Mexicans from voting. So one county, on the birth certificates it says they’re white. You go right across the border to another county, it says they’re Mexican. [laughs]\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  15:02  \r\nVery interesting. \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  15:03\r\nIt is.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  15:04\r\nI'd love to be a student in your history class, we need to set that up. And I think it's important to tell those stories and keep tho- the history alive.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  15:15  \r\nYeah. Well, and then they never- they never even mention people who are Afro Mexican. Then- that's a category that people don't even know exists. Afro Mexicans exist in San Antonio, they exist in Mexico, especially on the West Coast, near Acapulco. Mexico actually had its first black president way before Obama. Um, 1820s, Vicente Guerrero was Afri- Mexico's only Black president. His birth certificate says he was a mulatto. But- and he's the one who abolished slavery in Mexico– so of course, he was executed. But he abolished slavery and he’s also the one noted for causing the war with Texas settlers. All the Texas settlers who were coming into Texas were slave owners. So when he issued the decree–which is the way it was done in those days–to abolish slavery, it made Stephen F. Austin–you know, the name Austin, Texas–made him and Moses- well Moses Austin, he had already died– but had made him and those colonists very upset because they came to Texas to create a slave state. So when Guerrero abolished slavery, that's the war that we now recognize as the Alamo. That story is not being told either, and it needs to be told because the story we hear is just not the way it happened.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  16:42  \r\nRight. And that happens a lot with history. You know, there's the story that's told and then there are all of the untold stories that people either happen upon, and I just think they- those stories need to come to light and so–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  16:56  \r\nWell, and then, not just that, but the stories that have been embellished quite a bit. For example, the “Yellow Rose of Texas”. People really morbid - was never a slave-  her last name wasn’t Morgan, her name was Emily West. And she never had a rendezvous with Santa Ana, that’s a myth. And it’s all created, I mean- matter of fact I mentioned that in a call to the Emily Morgan hotel one day and let them know that.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  17:22\r\n[laughs]\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  17:23\r\nAnd- and the- and the- one of the guys who answered the phone, this was some time ago, he said, “Yeah, we know that, but it's a tourist thing.” He already knew it wasn't true.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  17:31  \r\nOkay. So they were aware, then. \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  17:36  \r\nSo, Emily West was a free black woman from up north, Massachusetts. She came here to work for a guy named Morgan. And the reason why some historians suggest–and they’re probably correct–that she changed her name to Morgan because you couldn't come here as a free Black person. So if she gave some kind of indication that she was connected to the owner of this hotel, whose last name was Morgan, then she wouldn't have to be worried about being harassed. But she was paid, regular pay on a regular pay schedule. They're actually receipts of her payments that were made to her, so she was not a slave. So that whole story is just totally false. \r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  18:22  \r\nWow. There are probably many, many, many more stories like that, that we are just not aware of. So tell me a little bit about your parents. I hear you get a lot of who you are from your mother, I'm sure from your father as well, but tell me a little bit about your parents.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  18:41  \r\nWell, my- my dad, he would be considered Afro Mexican. My- my grandmother on my father's side, very dark-complected. And she came from Mexico, and they were Black Indians, or Black Mexicans–however you want to use the term. Some people say Black Mestizo, some people say Afro-Indio, whatever the case may be. And the part of Mexico she came from–it was only about 150 miles outside of the border, or less– the part that she came from was actually fifty percent African at one time. Not anymore because people intermarry and blended, but during that particular time, a lot of Africo- Afro-Mexicans, or Afro-Indians, or whatever term you want to use, they lived in that part of Mexico, all the way from parts of northern Mexico all the way down to the Yucatan. And there was a- was a strong African presence there. Now, the inter- the interesting part is when I teach this at the university, I often look for people with curly hair, whose last name is Rodriguez or whatever, and I always tell them that if you do a little genealogy study, if you look at the last two letters of your name, if it's E-Z as in Gonzalez or E-Z as in Rodriguez, I guarantee you, you have an Arab-African relative. Because those ending sounds at the end are the result of the Moorish conquest of Spain that lasted for 4- 700 years. So a lot of people whose last name was Rodriguez, Gonzalez, whatever, they have Arab relatives and don't know it. And so that’s a- and if your last name is Moreno–very common Hispanic name–it’s not actually a Hispanic, it's a casta name and it means that you’re dark-complected. So, it was a name that was attached to slaves. So if your- your last name was Moreno, I guarantee you you have a Black relative because the name means you're Black, you know. So- but that's the way the Spanish- unfortunately, that's the way the Spanish organized their system with their racial system. So- so, um… and it isn't always fun teaching that. And I teach it so even- even the Anglo or white students get a kick out of their part. Because I tell them is, “What's your last name?” I ask ‘em all the time, “Anybody here named Connor? Anybody here named Donald?” We need to go ask your grandma, if she's still alive, “Was it ever O'Connor, or was it ever MacDonald?” Because when they came through Ellis Island, they made them, or they voluntarily changed their own names so they would sound more white. So- especially the Irish, they hated the Irish, the British hated the Irish. So if your last name was O'Connor, you’d better change it to Connor or they may not let you in through Ellis Island. So even- even Europeans had that problem, depending on what kind of European you were. You know, if you were from England, you- you got very little discrimination. If you were from Irish, you were treated like you were Black. If you were from Ireland.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  22:04  \r\nWow. So many facts here. This is so interesting. We could sit all day and do a history lesson here–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  22:12\r\nWell, just on that one– \r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  22:13\r\n–and I bet your students love–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  22:13  \r\nJust on that- I tell my students all the- all the time, just on that- just on the one subject, just on the one subject of how the Irish became white, we could- we could do sixteen weeks on just that one subject. Not to even mention the other things I've just mentioned. I could do sixteen weeks on the Black president of Mexico, I could do sixteen weeks on the- on the Moors, I could do sixteen weeks on- on every little tidbit you could do- and you never will cover it all in sixteen weeks.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  22:40  \r\nSo tell me, now your daughters, do they- or your children, do they enjoy history just as much as you do?–\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  22:47\r\nYou know–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  22:48\r\n–Do you get to share a lot?\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  22:48  \r\nNot- not as much as I do. But they do ask me questions about things all the time. Different things. And I- you know, I- I have an engineering degree, and I have a- I have a liberal ar- arts- I have other degrees too. I’m an amateur astronomer from time to time, whenever I have time. And so- [laughs] and so they’re always asking me things about, you know, what I do because I'm- I'm very broad- broad minded. So, um… so inevitably, this research comes up, or- or I'll get a copy of a book that I wrote, or a copy of a book that- that- where the authors asked me to do the introduction of the book or a blurb on the dust cover. And I'll show them, “There’s my latest blurb on Dr. Tucker's book.” I've done several for Dr. Philip Tucker, uh… fr- D.C. But I'll show ‘em that and- and again, sometimes they're not as interested in it as I am. And that's okay, they got their own interests. Uh, my youngest daughter is interested in fashion design. And- and that’s cool, you know, she was in a- I’ll never forget this, she was in one of those boardwalk things where they were dressed up like Brazilian, uh… during- during Carnival time. Oh my- I didn't even know- I couldn't find her. Whe- I was like, “Is that my daughter?” You know, so she's really into that. And then the other daughter is wanting to be a physical therapist, so they're- they went down a different track. And that, you know, that’s fine, I’m happy–-\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  24:18  \r\nWell, those are great professions. \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  24:19\r\nI’m happy with that [laughs].\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  24:19\r\nYes. Yes. Well tell me, you do have such a broad background, you've done so many things, what would you say has been your greatest contribution to the city of San Antonio?\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  24:31  \r\nWell, that’s a- hm, that's a good question. I'm also the president of San Antonio Community Radio, which is a local radio station. I helped to develop that station, so I know how to develop a radio station from the ground up, including the- the techniques that's involved. I know how to do that. When I was a city councilman, I actually took parts of District Two out of the floodplain, and- because we had a very bad flood here, the flood of ‘98. People- a lot of people lost their lives.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  25:04\r\nOh, I remember that. Yes, I was here.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  25:06\r\nIt was horrible. And people who lived in the floodplain had nowhere to go, they had nowhere to stay. And I was able to get the city of San Antonio to buy what was left of their house and some cash to- to buy the house at market value. And even throw in some money to help them move to a new house. So I was able to, like, take people out of the floodplain, move them into a new neighborhood, a better house in most cases, and I always thought that was something really great I did. And even more importantly, I pushed for a bond issued by filibu- I actually filibustered the city council. I got the mayor to agree that we needed to take this area out of the floodplain. So it- it's rained fairly hard since that time and not flooded like it did then because of the infrastructure improvements that were done on the Salado Creek, mainly, which is, you know, the biggest flood problem that we had. So they actually dredged out to clean the creek, you know, several million dollars to dredge out the creek and so forth. And people who live in one of the neighborhoods- Willow Wood, right on the creek, they haven't flooded since then. So- and that was in a, what they call, 100 year floodplain. So unless we have a 500 year flood, it's probably not going to happen for hopefully not long– [transition] –public school board. So I was able to help out with curriculum development, able to help out with, um… hearing grievances that parents and students had–well actually, it was a couple of grievance committees–and then help out with their bond election, which- which they had. And that- that way I gave back, and also just giving back with as much history as I possibly can. I write articles for several newspapers, local, African American newspapers, and others- and others over the course of the years. And I’m trying to condense 800 words or less, some of the stuff that I'm talking to you about every weekend in several of the newspapers. So I- and I've tried to break it down to where anybody could read it, so I’m not- I’m not using gigantic words that- that are important to use, but not in that setting. So, um… and I think I have a good talent of how to take something that's maybe more difficult to understand and make it very, very common–\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  27:25\r\nRight, break it down.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  27:25\r\nYeah, quick and understanding. Instead of taking, you know- explaining it by taking the z-score of a- [laughs] of a bell curve, and then calculating the percentages in order to make my point. Now I can do that, but I don’t need to do that when you’re- depends on the setting.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  27:44  \r\nRight, and you don't want to lose anyone’s interest, either. So tell me, you've done some big things. What is something that you'd like to do that you've not done yet here, maybe in the community? \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  27:55\r\nThat's a good question. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  27:56\r\nMaybe a goal of yours.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  27:57  \r\nYeah, that's a good question. I- I uh… [pauses] and- and it's one I haven't given a lot of thought to, because it’s like every day, it's something else. Every day, it's something new. Every day, it’s- it's something we have to work on to try and change, whether it be a street problem–too many potholes–or whether it’s- and I’ve been involved with looking at the removal of Confederate monuments. Yeah, and then actually, the- Bexar County, the County Commissioners actually removed all of the Confederate symbols from Bexar County Courthouse. [Transition] That happened. And- and then there's some other ones that need to be removed, so I've been involved in that. And that's something that I've been very- working on very strongly with community activists, and so forth. So we're still doing that, and I'm happy to do that. And I’m gonna be, at some point, doing some traveling, and- and then sharing some of the experience with the local community, which I've been wanting to do for a while, since- before my civil rights time. And actually, I was involved in the anti-apartheid struggle for a long time. And some of that activity, able to even put that into book form, and then share the importance of what happened here, not just for me, but the importance of what happened with a lot of different people participating in that and then share that with the community–younger people in the community–so they have a background of the- with the richness of San Antonio's history as far as African Americans are concerned, Hispanics are concerned, and even whites, to some degree, are concerned because we have had whites that fought against slavery just like everybody else. And San Antonio was blessed to have a very strong abolitionist backing at the time of the Alamo. His name was Benjamin Lundy, and he opposed the Texas Revolution because he said it was a slave owner revolution. And it's not coming from me, that's coming from a man who lived there, a white person who said, “I'm not supporting,” you know, “the- the people at the Alamo because they’re slave owners.” And we need to let people know these things because they don't- they don't know them. And they're not being taught very well in any high school setting. You have to- that all has to be undone.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  30:25  \r\nYes. Well, it's gonna take some work to do that, then. But I tell you, you do hold a lot of historical knowledge, and you’ve made some very significant impacts in this city, and I'm sure your family must be very proud of you.\r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  30:38  \r\nYeah, you know, one- one thing that I wanted to mention was, I- I started the first economic relationship with an African country. When I was a city councilman, we were- we had sister cities that we- we have a sister city in Japan, a sister city in Mexico, but we had no sister city, or even an economic relationship with an African country. So I was able to get that done, and we wound up doing one with a South African city called Mafeking. I was able to do that. And then the mayor who came after me did another one with Namibia. So we've actually had now two economic relationships with African countries. And hopefully, the new mayor will get that done. So that may be something I’ll be– going back to your original question– there's something I want- still want to work on for the future.\r\n\r\n\r\nSaundra Nichols  31:30  \r\nYeah, lots to do. You've done a lot and there's still plenty to do. And just- I'd like to thank you as we end our interview this afternoon, just thank you for coming in to join us and just sharing your knowledge on San Antonio and the impacts that you've made. We're looking forward to just bringing in many more people in, in a lot of different arenas, to just talk about that impact that they've had on this wonderful city that we live in, so– \r\n\r\n\r\nMario Salas  31:57\r\nWell, thank you very much for having me.\r\n\r\n\r\nTranscribed by https://otter.ai","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/127837/file/239697#t=0.0,1926.75817"}]}]}]}