Mexican American Civil Rights Institute

The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI), located in San Antonio, Texas, is a national organization dedicated to documenting and recording Mexican American civil rights history.

Mexican American Civil Rights Institute

Abbreviation	MACRI
Formation	September 2019
Headquarters	2123 Buena Vista St, San Antonio, TX 78207
Executive Director	Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD
National Advisory Council Chair	Cecilia Elizondo Herrera
Scholars Council Chair	Stephen Pitti, PhD
Website	https://www.somosmacri.org/
Formerly called	National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights

History

Founded in 2019,^[1] MACRI was first located in Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.^[2][3] They opened a visitor’s center on the west side of San Antonio.^[4] There are also plans of eventually opening a museum and archive building in the coming years.^[5] The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute is formerly known as the National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights. MACRI was awarded $500,000 in startup money by the San Antonio City Council in September 2019.^[3]

Visitors' center

The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute opened the doors to its visitors' center on October 14, 2023. Located on the West Side of San Antonio on the corner of Buena Vista Street and Navidad, the center resides inside of a 1930’s craftsman-style bungalow. Executive Director Sarah Zenaida Gould said the center will “give the public a taste of what an in-person experience could look like while we continue to put the pieces in place for a permanent museum and archive.”^[5] The ribbon cutting ceremony included performances by Guadalupe Dance Company, Mariachi Azteca de America, and Bombasta.^[2]

Exhibits

On the institute’s website, an online exhibit can be found by the name of “CHISPAS: Mexican American Civil Rights Trailblazers in San Antonio.”^[6]

See also

• History of Mexican Americans in Texas