William C. Velasquez Jr. (May 9, 1944June 15, 1988) was an American social activist and vote organizer. He founded the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project which worked to expand Latino and Hispanic American interest and participation in the voting process. His group popularized the motto ''Su Voto Es Su Voz'' (Your Vote is your Voice).

Biography

Velasquez was born to William and María Luisa ( née Cardenas) Velásquez, who were Mexican Americans. His father was stationed in Florida during World War II where he worked as a union organizer. He attended St. Mary's University where in 1967, he helped form the

Mexican American Youth Organization The Mexican American Youth Organization (acronym MAYO, also described as the Mexican Youth Organization) is a civil rights organization formed in 1967 in San Antonio, Texas, USA to fight for Mexican-American rights. The creators of MAYO, Los Cinco ...

and later on earned a B.A. in economics. Velasquez helped form the basis for Raza Unida Party as El Movimiento Social de La Raza Unida. In 1968, Velasquez was boycott coordinator for

United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...

and organized strikes at the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

. He founded the Mexican American Unity Council and then later on became field director for the Southwest Council of La Raza in 1970. From 1972 to 1974, Velasquez started work on the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project which would have helped Latinos be given more involvement with the voting process. Velasquez also hoped that the democratic process was more aware of the Latino vote. Velasquez would not live long enough to see his accomplishments flourish. He died in 1988 due to

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include sp ...

. Velasquez was survived by his wife Jane Velasquez, daughters Catarina and Carmen and son Guillermo. In 1995, Velasquez was posthumously honored with the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velasquez Jr., William C. 1944 births 1988 deaths American trade unionists of Mexican descent Deaths from kidney cancer People from Orlando, Florida People from San Antonio Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Raza Unida Party St. Mary's University, Texas alumni United Farm Workers people