Huelga schools (Houston)

Huelga schools were staffed by teachers who volunteered their time.^[7] The schools served all ages of students and were located in churches and community centers.^[8] Members of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) also volunteered to teach history and culture.^[9] Sister Gloria Gallardo coordinated the schools.^[7] Tina Reyes ensured that the schools had enough resources to function.^[9] Curriculum was planned by a committee headed by Edward Gonzáles, a professor at the University of Houston.^[10]

In September 1970, there were around 14 huelga schools available to Chicano students.^[7] Around 2,000 students were registered to attend the schools.^[11] The number of schools rose to sixteen by September 10.^[12] The huelga schools were disbanded in October 1970 when HISD agreed to a busing plan to integrate the schools.^[4] This lasted until early in 1971.^[4]

The huelga schools opened again early in 1971 when segregation once again became an issue.^[4] The schools were poorly funded until April 1971 when the Department of Health, Education and Welfare provided a $65,000 grant to fund them through the summer.^[13] Attendance waned at the huelga schools between 1971 and 1972.^[14]

The boycott continued on and off until the end of the 1972 school year.^[15]

• Behnken, Brian D. (2011). Fighting Their Own Battles: Mexican Americans, African Americans and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Texas. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807834787.
• San Miguel, Guadalupe (2001). Brown, Not White: School Integration and the Chicano Movement in Houston. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 9781603446051.
• Valenzuela, Angela (1999). Subtractive Schooling: U.S. - Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring. SUNY Press. ISBN 9781438422626.

• El Mesias Methodist Church Huelga School flier
• Bilingual Education and the Huelga School Movement (2016 video)
• Students studying in a huelga school