Mario Marcel Salas
Encyclopedia
Mario Marcel Salas. is a civil rights leader, author and politician. His parents were an Afro-Mexican
father and a mixed race mother.
He graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School, an African American
segregated school, and like many black schools across the country remained segregated long after the 1954 Brown Vs. Board decision. It was soon after high school that he joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and became a civil rights
worker for over 30 years. He entered San Antonio College and graduated with two Associates degrees, in Applied Science-Engineering Technology and Liberal Arts. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio
(UTSA) in 1987. He married Edwina Lacy, of Chicago, Illinois, on July 9, 1988, to whom were born Elena Patrice and Angela Christine.
Salas organized most of the Black Student Unions on San Antonio college campuses in 1969, and was co-founder of the Barbara Jordan
Community Center in San Antonio. He was also active in the liberation of Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean, and helped to free the people of Grenada from the dictator Eric Gairy
. Along with former SNCC member Rick Greene and former Speaker of the Texas House Gib Lewis, he negotiated the Martin Luther King, Jr.
state holiday. Salas writes for several African American newspapers, and was the chief negotiator for the first cable television franchise in San Antonio.
Salas became an educator for the San Antonio Independent School District, and received his Master of Education degree from Our Lady of the Lake University
in 1999. It was during 1997 that he was elected to the City Council District 2, of the City of San Antonio and served two full terms. He was one of only two known city council members that filibustered during a council meeting. His filibuster was aimed at the unequal distribution of city services across the city. Former Congressman Henry B Gonzalez as a coucilman was the other councilman who led a filibuster in San Antonio's history. He wrote a novel in 2000, titled Frankenstein: The Dawning and the Passing, which contains dozens of hidden political points and references. In the book the "Alam Tomb" refers to the Alamo. In June of 2001 Salas entered UTSA to work on his second Masters in Political Science, which he acquired after completing his thesis on "Patterns of Persistence: Paternal Colonialist Structures and the Radical Opposition in the African American Community of San Antonio, Texas, 1937-2001." Since then he has taught English
for the Alamo Community College District, and is a full-time tenure track professor in Government. He was elected the vice-president of the Judson Independent School District Board of Trustees in 2004, serving a three-year term. Salas has provided extensive research on the African American Cemetery in San Antonio Texas and is currently writing a history of the San Antonio Register, the oldest surviving African American Newspaper in San Antonio. Salas writes for the San Antonio Register and the African American News and Issues paper in Houston, Texas. Mr. Salas has a website at the University of Texas at San Antonio in which he has provided historical items to the archives collection. The site may be accessed at: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utsa/00096/utsa-00096.html. He is currently working as vice chairman of TIRZ Board 11 for the City of San Antonio, chair of the San Antonio Coalition on Human and Civil Rights, and San Antonio Community Radio.
Salas has been critical of the Iraq War and has formulated a concept he calls the colonial matrix. Under this theory, Salas claims that the racist colonial structures that were in place when America was settled are still operating in a "morphed form." His theory is similar to Frantz Fanon
's understanding of colonialism, but Salas maintains that colonialism's unwritten rules are constantly working in the background even when a society has been liberated. This makes racial colonial structures a feature that only morphs to maintain systems that evolved from colonist designs.
Salas has taught International Conflicts, the Politics of Mexico, Topics in Civil Rights, Introduction to African American Studies, and Texas and Federal Government. Salas is a full time professor at Northwest Vista College
and adjunct professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio
.
Afro-Mexican
People of African descent in Mexico is a term mainly used outside of Mexico to identify Mexicans of predominantly African ancestry. Now largely assimilated into the general population, Afro Mexicans historically have been located in certain communities, most notably in two coastal areas of Guerrero...
father and a mixed race mother.
He graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
segregated school, and like many black schools across the country remained segregated long after the 1954 Brown Vs. Board decision. It was soon after high school that he joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and became a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
worker for over 30 years. He entered San Antonio College and graduated with two Associates degrees, in Applied Science-Engineering Technology and Liberal Arts. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
(UTSA) in 1987. He married Edwina Lacy, of Chicago, Illinois, on July 9, 1988, to whom were born Elena Patrice and Angela Christine.
Salas organized most of the Black Student Unions on San Antonio college campuses in 1969, and was co-founder of the Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan was an American politician who was both a product and a leader, of the Civil Rights movement. She was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives...
Community Center in San Antonio. He was also active in the liberation of Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean, and helped to free the people of Grenada from the dictator Eric Gairy
. Along with former SNCC member Rick Greene and former Speaker of the Texas House Gib Lewis, he negotiated the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
state holiday. Salas writes for several African American newspapers, and was the chief negotiator for the first cable television franchise in San Antonio.
Salas became an educator for the San Antonio Independent School District, and received his Master of Education degree from Our Lady of the Lake University
Our Lady of the Lake University
Our Lady of the Lake University is an independent Catholic, co-ed university located in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, a religious order originating in Lorraine, France, during the 18th century...
in 1999. It was during 1997 that he was elected to the City Council District 2, of the City of San Antonio and served two full terms. He was one of only two known city council members that filibustered during a council meeting. His filibuster was aimed at the unequal distribution of city services across the city. Former Congressman Henry B Gonzalez as a coucilman was the other councilman who led a filibuster in San Antonio's history. He wrote a novel in 2000, titled Frankenstein: The Dawning and the Passing, which contains dozens of hidden political points and references. In the book the "Alam Tomb" refers to the Alamo. In June of 2001 Salas entered UTSA to work on his second Masters in Political Science, which he acquired after completing his thesis on "Patterns of Persistence: Paternal Colonialist Structures and the Radical Opposition in the African American Community of San Antonio, Texas, 1937-2001." Since then he has taught English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
for the Alamo Community College District, and is a full-time tenure track professor in Government. He was elected the vice-president of the Judson Independent School District Board of Trustees in 2004, serving a three-year term. Salas has provided extensive research on the African American Cemetery in San Antonio Texas and is currently writing a history of the San Antonio Register, the oldest surviving African American Newspaper in San Antonio. Salas writes for the San Antonio Register and the African American News and Issues paper in Houston, Texas. Mr. Salas has a website at the University of Texas at San Antonio in which he has provided historical items to the archives collection. The site may be accessed at: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utsa/00096/utsa-00096.html. He is currently working as vice chairman of TIRZ Board 11 for the City of San Antonio, chair of the San Antonio Coalition on Human and Civil Rights, and San Antonio Community Radio.
Salas has been critical of the Iraq War and has formulated a concept he calls the colonial matrix. Under this theory, Salas claims that the racist colonial structures that were in place when America was settled are still operating in a "morphed form." His theory is similar to Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon was a Martiniquo-Algerian psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary and writer whose work is influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory and Marxism...
's understanding of colonialism, but Salas maintains that colonialism's unwritten rules are constantly working in the background even when a society has been liberated. This makes racial colonial structures a feature that only morphs to maintain systems that evolved from colonist designs.
Salas has taught International Conflicts, the Politics of Mexico, Topics in Civil Rights, Introduction to African American Studies, and Texas and Federal Government. Salas is a full time professor at Northwest Vista College
Northwest Vista College
Northwest Vista College is a public community college within the Alamo Community College District in San Antonio, Texas. It is one of the top community colleges in the United States. Northwest Vista College offers open admission.- History :...
and adjunct professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
.
External links
- Civil Rights Leader Speaks at MLK activities
- The University of Texas at San Antonio houses a Collection of papers spanning the years 1968 through 2009 and consisting of personal and subject files spanning a wide range of Salas's interests. The collection includes biographical information, personal correspondence and writings, campaign materials and documents from Salas's City Council career.