The Bob Bullock Museum and Diversity

There were multitudinous exhibits regarding diversity in the Bob Bullock Museum. The first of which struck me was on the topic of woman in Texas gaining the right to vote in elections. On the plaque entitled "Woman Win the Vote", it states that "The Constitution of 1876 banned "idiots, imbeciles, paupers, and felons" were prohibited from woman, and that "Woman. . . were not even mentioned." This struck me as incredible, that woman in the state of Texas at this time weren't even considered on the level of "idiots and imbeciles". However, the woman in Texas did not take this issue lying down, and campaigned for decades for woman's suffrage, to eventual success.

Another exhibit which struck me as interesting was one "All for One and One for All" which talked about LULAC, or "the League of United Latin American Citizens." According to this exhibit, LULAC was "the first nationwide Mexican American civil rights organization." In a state that historically had been extremely racist and conservative, I was inspired by the fact that this organization developed in Corpus Christi. It spoke volumes about the nature of diversity in Texas at the time, who has always been and ever shall be heavily influenced in culture and in population by Mexican and Mexican-Americans. The question remains, however, whether or not we heed the needs of these peoples.

an image of the first held LULAC meeting

A third exhibit which explained most expressly the origins of the sheer volume of diversity in Texas was entitled "A Hundred Origins, One New Hope". The plaque for this small part of the all but labeled "Diversity Area" explained that "'To live well in Texas' was the hope of thousands of immigrants who flocked to Texas . . . seeking economic opportunity and political freedom." Texas at this time was a beacon for the American dream. As such, countless men and woman of all manner of race and religion rushed to the newly prosperous land. Their descendants help to make up the vast numbers of diverse peoples Texas holds within itself.


One exhibit which astounded me was called "Fly Girls in Texas". The plaque accompanying stated that, "Because of a shortage of male pilots, the Woman Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) was formed in 1943 to ferry military planes, deliver cargo and passengers, and test aircraft." Why do more people not know of this? It happened in Texas for God's sake! I had never known that there were female pilots in the military during WWII, much less that they were trained here. It seems to me that more should know of these unsung heroes, whom in service defended their country with valor to equal their male counterparts. Why is such diversity not talked more of at this time? It is commonly known that woman took up vacant industry, but not that they flew! A still predominantly male profession in the hands of woman at the outset! What a happy thought indeed.