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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Bullock Texas State History Museum is hosting |
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Reverberations of Memory, Violence, and History: A Conference for |
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the Centennial of the 1919 Canales Investigation; and |
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WHEREAS, Between 1910 and 1920, there was a period of racial |
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conflict along the U.S.-Mexico border; in an effort to restore |
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order, the Texas Rangers were dispatched to the region, but that |
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resulted in increased bloodshed; the Rangers engaged in violence |
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and heavy-handed discrimination against the Tejano civilian |
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population, and it is estimated that as many as 5,000 ethnic |
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Mexicans were killed by the Rangers between 1914 and 1919; and |
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WHEREAS, In January 1919, Texas State Representative José |
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T. Canales of Brownsville, the only state legislator of Hispanic |
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descent at the time, filed 19 charges of misconduct against the |
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Texas Rangers and demanded a legislative investigation into the |
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force's actions; after hearing two weeks of testimony, a joint |
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committee of the Texas house and senate issued a report |
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recommending a reorganization of the Rangers; legislation was |
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subsequently passed carrying out these reforms and also |
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establishing specific procedures for citizen complaints against |
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Ranger wrongdoing; and |
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WHEREAS, The centennial conference taking place in Austin on |
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January 31 and February 1, 2019, will offer an in-depth study of the |
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Canales Investigation and its broader impact and legacy; the |
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gathering will feature internationally recognized scholars and |
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researchers who will deliver different perspectives on the history |
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of extralegal violence in the United States and who will explore the |
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connections between the events of the 1910s and contemporary |
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developments related to border policing; and |
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WHEREAS, The 1919 Canales Investigation stands as a pivotal |
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episode that helped document racial injustice in the United States, |
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and all those associated with the Reverberations of Memory, |
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Violence, and History conference are to be commended for raising |
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awareness of the investigation and its many lasting implications |
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for our state and nation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate Reverberations of Memory, Violence, |
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and History: A Conference for the Centennial of the 1919 Canales |
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Investigation and extend to the participants sincere best wishes |
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for a productive event. |