The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute has identified notable San Antonian, Robert Garza, to serve as its newly elected board chair. Robert Garza, CTN Board member and president of Palo Alto College, began his new appointments as board chair of MACRI on January 1.

The San Antonio-based nonprofit national institute is dedicated to collecting artifacts from Mexican American civil rights history and sharing stories to educate the public on the Mexican American community’s civil rights efforts in the US.

Garza called his appointment a blessing and said it is an honor to serve. He reflected on his mother, who came to the United States from Mexico, only knowing Spanish. With his own family’s experience, Garza said his story emphasized the importance of sharing struggles from not-so-distant U.S. history.

“Oftentimes as parents, we protect our children and we don’t share our stories or struggles that happened in years past,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because it skips generations, and MACRI gives an opportunity to share those stories so we can build a concrete foundation on how we can build toward the future.”