Mimi, I thought Id share the following information with you and Somos Primos.

Sadly, Mr. Bob Richter, Editor of the San Antonio Express News, has announced his retirement. His decision will leave a void in local media coverage as regards the sometimes provocative coverage of early Texas history.

It was after my formal retirement in 2000 that I decided to follow up on the many oral early Texas history stories I heard from my mother and elders. I then decided to write about it and spend time reflecting on the many stories of faith and courage. Although I was all too familiar with the Hollywood-influenced version of Texas history favored by mainstream historians, it became readily obvious to me that the level of ignorance right here in San Antonio was more serious than I had imagined.

I noticed that too much misinformation and distortion was commonly accepted by reporters without question, including coverage in our only newspaper, the San Antonio Express News. So, about four years ago, I began to notice historical articles in the newspaper that were inaccurate. It was then that I began my communication with Mr. Richter. I picked my fights carefully. Whenever I wrote to him, I took a point-counterpoint position and offered backup for my positions. It didnt take long for him to ask me for permission to reformat my comments and include them in the Letters to the Editor column. After reading my many analyses in a particular issue, he would often asked me to expand my comments into full-blown articles that the newspaper would then publish as part of their editorial page. As such, he was one of the first to encourage me to write formal articles.

I am glad to report that he has always been ready and willing to listen to a point of view that was new to him. That is, that there was a Texas before 1836! I dont think that he would mind if I share with you part of his note he sent me after his retirement announcement. Paraphrasing his message,

 Joe, it was fun publishing your good words. You taught me a lot. I came to Texas thinking it was all just like Fess Parker did it in the '50s. Keep writing and keep working on the rest of us.

Mimi, a simple, clear and positive message from the editor of a major newspaper is proof we are finally making progress in escaping the Crockett mentality as we attempt to tell our story. I still believe that sometime soon (during our lifetime), Texas and Southwest history will be recorded in a seamless manner from its discovery in 1519 to the present. The Tejano Monument will go far to help us do that. The bottom line is that we must all keep working on educating the public. I can tell you from experience during recent presentations that there is much non-Hispanic support to recognize our Tejano share of Texas history. But, there are many others that are still in denial and tend to continue to dismiss it as if it never happened. So, there is still a lot of educating to do. Lets hope that Mr. Richters replacement will continue to be supportive. Dr. Lino and I have our work cut out for us to do our part to ensure she or he is. Thanks. Saludos, Joe Lpez
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