Dr. Julian Samora
was a pioneering scholar of Mexican
American studies, who focused
on immigration, civil rights,
public health, and rural poverty.
Frequent personal encounters with
anti-Chicano prejudice in the
course of his education strengthened
his determination and his vision
of the role of scholarship in
the struggle against racial/ethnic
hostility and ignorance. In 1953
he completed his studies at Washington
University in St. Louis to become
the first Mexican-American to
earn a doctorate in sociology
and anthropology in the United
States.
The purpose of this
website is to make a new generation
of students, scholars and community
leaders aware of Dr. Samora's
many contributions to better the
lives of Latinos in the United
States. He touched the lives of
many people, some directly as
a mentor and teacher, some indirectly
as a researcher and writer. His
ideas were groundbreaking for
their time and he paved the way
for Latinos to understand and
study themselves at university
and policy-making levels, to understand
the complex relationships between
Mexicans and Mexican-Americans,
to begin to study Mexican immigration,
and to ready the United States
for the reality of Latinos as
the fastest growing minority in
the US.
Please send us your
comments and queries. Do you have
a favorite story about Julian?
Were you one of his students?
If so, we are setting up a contact
page so please tell us how to
reach you. Are you learning about
Latino history and want to know
more? We invite discussion about
his books, his research and his
mentorship. Please join in. We
want to hear from you.
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