Congratulating the Voces Oral History Center at The University of Texas at Austin on its 25th anniversary.
WHEREAS, The Voces Oral History Center at The University of
Texas at Austin celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1999, the Voces Oral History Center has
documented, preserved, and disseminated the stories of more than
1,800 Latinos across the United States; its original mission was to
capture the untold stories of Latinos who served during World War
II, and its vision has since expanded to include stories
surrounding the Korean and Vietnam Wars as well as political and
civic engagement with a focus on the continuing movement for
Latinos’ civil rights; and
WHEREAS, The leading Latino oral history archive in the
nation, Voces holds a vast collection of photographs, interviews,
and information, serving as a resource for many journalists,
textbook publishers, and academics; the center has assisted the
National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the StoryCorps Historias
initiative, and numerous PBS documentarians; and
WHEREAS, The founder and director of Voces,
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, is a former journalist who remains active
in the field as a professor at the UT Moody College of
Communication’s School of Journalism and Media; under her
leadership, writers, photographers, and audio/video specialists,
many of whom are UT communication students, produce the archives,
and they collaborate with the Voces Resource and Scholars Councils
to further the project’s impact through support, networking, and
fundraising; and
WHEREAS, The Voces Oral History Center has excelled in its
efforts to document the experiences and contributions of Latinos in
the United States, and all those associated with the archive may
take justifiable pride in its achievements over the past quarter
century; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the Voces Oral History Center at
The University of Texas at Austin on its 25th anniversary and
commend its staff on their exemplary work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the center as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
