Final Project Presentation Handout

Presentation Notes

Goals of this presentation:

1. Illuminate a couple key concepts about Vicente Ximenes' life.
   
2. Share some of my rhetorical and research based discoveries in my attempt to aid in the cultivation of an online presence for Vicente Ximenes.
   

1. Ximenes' Legacy
   

• Ximenes' legacy seems to be a difficult to understand concept. Ximenes doesn't fit into a simple archetype and doesn't contain many flashy elements that would make it an engrossing topic. Ximenes' legacy is, however, foundational to the progress that was achieved for Mexican Americans throughout the civil rights era.
  
  • One aspect of Ximenes' legacy that is easily overlooked, is the context of the time he lived in. Ximenes wasn't a Mexican American that held public office amidst a sea of his own peers. Ximenes was something of a trail blazer as a Mexican American navigating the political world from within. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and Ximenes was heading up the EEOC in 1966, and organizing the El Paso hearings in 1967.
    
  • Ximenes was not “fighting the power,” but instead made strides to change things within the power structure that was slowly evolving in the right direction with civil rights. Ximenes' rhetoric was generally not revolutionary or delivered in the presence of a large crowd with the intention of mass mobilization. Ximenes was an organizer and a navigator of political environments, which through it may seem like a less exciting role, it was a much needed role.
    

2. Discoveries
   

• Initially it seemed like there were not very many resources that a person could access to make connections about Ximenes' legacy, and there are certainly still fewer than there should be, but there were a lot more than I initially knew.
  
  • *Bring up old Wikipedia page in one tab and the new one in another.
    
    • Old page lacked “Legacy,” “Civil Rights Accomplishments,” and sources.
      
    • New page includes these aspects and cross links from categories and linked inclusions in other Wikipedia pages.
      
    • Unseen connections include:
      

• Hispanics in the United States Air Force
  
• American GI Forum
  
• Notable Mexican Americans
  
• People from Albuquerque
  
• The History of Mexican Americans
  
• Listed on the Hector Garcia Wikipedia page*
  
• If you Google "El Paso Hearings 1967" Ximenes' page is the first or second result that appears, and makes connections to more information.