Center for History and Culture

Center for History and Culture
of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast

Founded in 2016 by Dr. Mary Scheer as one �鶹ӳ��Ӱ��’s “Visionary Initiatives,” the Center serves the many constituencies of �鶹ӳ��Ӱ�� students and faculty, the communities of Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf Coast, and the scholars and creatives who explore the region’s past and present. The Center promotes the study of these regions with a commitment to multicultural, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and community-focused projects.

The Center hosts programs that highlight the work of artists, authors, scholars, community leaders, and others who represent varied specializations and backgrounds. It also awards two annual book prizes and funds original research, creativity, and community outreach through its fellowship program.

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November 6, 2025

For a “Free World”: Mexican Americans in Texas State Prisons during WWII with George Díaz

4:30-6:00 pm. CICE 113.

Dr. George Díaz will talk about his research on the Mexican experience in Texas state prisons. In previewing his talk, Díaz explains that his research "examines the incarceration of segregated Mexican inmates in the Texas Prison System during World War II. Throughout the early 20^th century, Texas segregated prisoners by Color and forced unfree men to labor on cotton plantations for the state. Already stigmatized due to their conviction for state crimes, ethnic Mexican prisoners faced additional prejudice while incarcerated. Rather than accept attacks or be likened to Axis forces, Mexican American prisoners asserted their American identity and commitment to the war effort in order to overcome the double stigma they faced as prisoners and segregated others. Through singing patriotic songs on prison radio programs, competing in “Victory” prison rodeo events, and buying war bonds, Mexican American inmates fought for inclusion against a common enemy. Although Mexican American prisoners’ struggles for acceptance did not free them from incarceration, their labors altered the way the state viewed them as well as the way they viewed themselves." Díaz received a 2024 research fellowship from the Center for History and Culture to support his project. He is an associate professor of history at the University of Texas-Rio Grand Valley and the author of Border Contraband: A History of Smuggling across the Rio Grande (2015). Refreshments provided. Free and open to the public.

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