2. Exhibit 22: Birth Certificates
One of the goals of Cisneros case was to demonstrate clearly that Mexican Americans were officially categorized as different than their Anglo/white counterparts.
Below are two of seventeen birth certificates submitted in the Cisneros v CCISD case as plaintiff’s Exhibit 22.
They indicate a “color or race” of “Mexican” or “Latin American” – that is, not “white.”
Birth Certificate of Alma Espinosa, born in 1948, listing the race of both parents, born in Texas, as “Mexican.”
Birth certificate of Roberto Sipriano, born in 1942, listing the race of both parents as “Lat-Am” (Latin American)
SOURCE:
Jose Cisneros Collection Regarding a Court Case against C.C.I.S.D and Segregation of Mexican American Children, Collection 36, Box 12, Folder 9, Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.