Life and Times of Willie Velasquez
Juan Sepulveda Jr.
Belletristik / Romanhafte Biographien
Beschreibung
William C. "e;Willie"e; Velasquez Jr. founded the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project (SVREP) and was an influential participant in other leading Latino rights and justice groups, including the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) and the Mexican American Unity Council (MAUC). From the late 1960s until his untimely death in 1988, Velasquez helped Mexican Americans and other Hispanics become active participants in American political life. Though still insufficiently appreciated, Velasquez holds a unique status in the pantheon of modern American civil rights figures. This critical biography features an introduction by Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Former Rhodes Scholar and Velasquez protege Juan A. Sepulveda Jr.'s biography of the man provides a first, definitive glimpse into his life and times. Based on Sepulveda's close personal relationship and exchanges with Velasquez during the SVREP founder's final years, and over a dozen years of research and writing, the book chronicles Velasquez's influences, his landmark contributions to American civic culture, and his enduring legacy. This is the story of both parts of the man: the public and the private. Velasquez's biography sheds light on the nature and price of public leadership in American politics.