Rey Rosas
(37 pages)
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Biography:
Born September 11, 1954 in Brownsville, Texas. Mr. Rosas was a city council member for the City of Plainview, Texas.
Interview Summary:
The interview begins with Mr. Rosas' giving his reasons for seeking a second term on the Plainview City Council. He talks about the reforms made to the city charter during his first term in office that made changes to allow single member district elections. He details corrupt practices in the police department, the business community, and the city council and cites the need to eliminate graft and corruption in Plainview city government as one of the principal reasons for seeking reelection. Mr. Rosas discusses the difficulties he experienced trying to push for reforms due to racial discrimination in city politics. He talks about the lack of voter turnout as the most pressing issue facing Mexican Americans today. He also talks about the difficulty of influencing Hispanics to run for public office due to their lack of confidence in the political system and fear of economic reprisals. He briefly touches upon the lack of planning and cooperation among the Mexican American and Black communities as one of the reasons minorities have difficulty changing the political status quo. Mr. Rosas describes police department harassment of Mexican Americans and immigrants from Mexico. He tells about his service in the Marine Corps and how his commanding officer forced him to finish his high school diploma while in the service by earning his GED. Mr. Rosas credits his commanding officer for his decision to pursue higher education after military service through utilizing federal educational funding opportunities for veterans. He relates how he received his law enforcement certification and became an employee with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a feed and grain inspector. Mr. Rosas concludes the interview with stressing the importance of higher education for today's youth and stating his intention to seek office as a county justice of the peace at some point in the future.
Locations of residence or activity:
Plainview
Interview Date:
3/1/1998