Felix Longoria's Wake
Felix Longoria’s Wake
The book Felix Longoria’s Wake is the account of the death of Felix Longoria a soldier that caused controversy and outrage in Mexican-American activism.
This book is put together with documented evidence and interviews with key figures. Carroll explains the reason behind why Longoria’s incident ignited activism. There were more severe acts of discrimination against Mexican Americans that were not brought into the spot light. He clarifies why this particular incident became such a turning point in nationalism and emotion between the Mexican and American cultures. Felix Longoria was a first class private who earned many metals including: a Bronze Service Star, a Purple Heart, a Good Conduct Medal, and a Combat Infantryman badge for his service in the Philippines in World War II. His body brought home to Three Rivers, Texas, after being killed by a sniper. The only funeral home in Three Rivers, Texas refused to hold a wake for the slain soldier, Felix Longoria, because the whites would not approve of it not even in his hometown. Felix Longoria’s wife who was now a widow was contacted about where she wanted the body, which was three years after he was killed. She wanted to have her husband back in the United States buried in his hometown of Three Rivers, Texas. She went to the only funeral chapel in his hometown to make the arrangements for the burial and was denied because of Longoria being Mexican-American. She continued to try and was turned down each time even Dr. Hector Garcia a civil rights activist was refused. “Dr. Garcia then broadened the nature of the dispute into an affair of honor involving notions of race, nationalism, political economy, and patriotism and profected it into a national and even international stage” (Carroll pg 112). The news went from a reporter all the way to high public officials including the President of the United States and the state department continuing as
The book Felix Longoria’s Wake is the account of the death of Felix Longoria a soldier that caused controversy and outrage in Mexican-American activism.
This book is put together with documented evidence and interviews with key figures. Carroll explains the reason behind why Longoria’s incident ignited activism. There were more severe acts of discrimination against Mexican Americans that were not brought into the spot light. He clarifies why this particular incident became such a turning point in nationalism and emotion between the Mexican and American cultures. Felix Longoria was a first class private who earned many metals including: a Bronze Service Star, a Purple Heart, a Good Conduct Medal, and a Combat Infantryman badge for his service in the Philippines in World War II. His body brought home to Three Rivers, Texas, after being killed by a sniper. The only funeral home in Three Rivers, Texas refused to hold a wake for the slain soldier, Felix Longoria, because the whites would not approve of it not even in his hometown. Felix Longoria’s wife who was now a widow was contacted about where she wanted the body, which was three years after he was killed. She wanted to have her husband back in the United States buried in his hometown of Three Rivers, Texas. She went to the only funeral chapel in his hometown to make the arrangements for the burial and was denied because of Longoria being Mexican-American. She continued to try and was turned down each time even Dr. Hector Garcia a civil rights activist was refused. “Dr. Garcia then broadened the nature of the dispute into an affair of honor involving notions of race, nationalism, political economy, and patriotism and profected it into a national and even international stage” (Carroll pg 112). The news went from a reporter all the way to high public officials including the President of the United States and the state department continuing as
Cited: Carroll, Patrick. and Limón, José E. . Felix Longoria 's Wake: Bereavement, Racism, and the Rise of Mexican American Activism. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003. Carroll, Patrick. “Felix Longoria 's Wake.” Justice For My People. South Texas Public Broadcasting System, 2007. http://www.justiceformypeople.org/interview_carroll.html