HISTORY OF THE BLACKS AND BROWNS IN BROWNTOWN

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Muchachos Latinos and Girls – Need not apply!

About two months before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson the Brownsville Herald took advantage of the opportunity to run a subscription drive/contest for all Valley boys. On January 1913, the year Wilson won the presidency, the daily extended an invitation to all boys to participate in securing 50 subscriptions, and those that did – were rewarded with a trip to Washington D.C.

One major rule though, excluded Hispanics and girls from participating. The Herald published the given article… you can read the rest of the story, “Herald’s Inaugural Trip for Boys.”

Area youngsters that applied at the time of the publication date included the following:

Brownsville: Lambert Cain, Preston Smith, Francis Kowalski, Robert Rutledge, Fernando Leiva (not known if he was Hispanic) and John Stark

San Benito: Fenton Caldwell, Randal Symonds, Roy Smith and Bouldin Mothershead

Harlingen: Roland Ogan, Danna Ford, Stanley Ford Jr.

The Herald was not racist – they were only preserving the tradition that was prevalent during that era. (Notice that the president-elect's name is misspelled on second reference (Willson).

Blacks didn't fare much better in the Brownsville School District. Segregated to poor schools, the "coloreds" were treated "separate but equal," or so the establishment liked to say.

Was it Jim Crow that kept the Brownsville Colored School apart? The photo above was published in the Screaming Eagles (BHS paper) 1952. Despite the discriminatory practices of the times, the music group went on to win several UIL awards. Still yearn for those glory days of our "heritage?"