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Courtesy UTSA Special Collections

About Macri

Expanding the story of civil rights in the U.S.
MACRI is building the first national Mexican American civil rights history museum! 

MISSION

Rooted in and inspired by San Antonio’s legacy, the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI) is the premier national organization dedicated to chronicling and advancing the Mexican American community’s civil rights efforts in the U.S.

MACRI Collection

VISION

The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute envisions communities where all Americans are inspired by the Mexican American civil rights legacy and see themselves as participants and transformational leaders in advancing democracy for all.

Guiding Principles:

Civil rights are an expansive and significant set of rights designed to protect individuals from unfair treatment. For the Mexican American community, they are the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment and be free from discrimination including in the areas of education, employment, voting, housing, public accommodations, immigration, economic opportunity, as well as on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, and more. We strongly believe that all individuals should be treated with dignity and respect and are part of our common humanity.

OUR ROOTS ARE IN SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio is the national cradle of Mexican American civil rights history, as the birthplace of numerous significant Mexican American civil rights organizations, leaders, and historic events that have shaped the history of civil rights in the United States.
MACRI continues the legacy of Mexican American Civil rights activism and advocacy
We believe knowledge of our civil rights history inspires action to advance democratic values, amplify voices, and enhance the quality of life of individuals, families and communities.
MACRI is important for all Americans
We expand the public’s understanding of the U.S. civil rights story because Mexican Americans' ongoing struggle for civil rights has created enduring change for ALL Americans, including indigenous communities and newcomers to this country.
People power movements that promote democratic ideals
The history of Mexican American civil rights teaches us that empowered people drive and sustain movements and our democracy. We create safe spaces that educate and empower people and we stand in solidarity with other historically oppressed communities.
Mexican American civil rights history is ongoing, dynamic and exceedingly relevant
Telling and retelling Mexican American civil rights history has the power to transform our collective consciousness, lived experience, identity, resilience, and self- determination, now and into the future.
Our roots are in San Antonio
San Antonio is the national cradle of Mexican American civil rights history, as the birthplace of numerous significant Mexican American civil rights organizations, leaders, and historic events that have shaped the history of civil rights in the United States.
MACRI continues the legacy of Mexican American Civil rights activism and advocacy
We believe knowledge of our civil rights history inspires action to advance democratic values, amplify voices, and enhance the quality of life of individuals, families and communities.
MACRI is important for all Americans
We expand the public’s understanding of the U.S. civil rights story because Mexican Americans' ongoing struggle for civil rights has created enduring change for ALL Americans, including indigenous communities and newcomers to this country.
People power movements that promote democratic ideals
The history of Mexican American civil rights teaches us that empowered people drive and sustain movements and our democracy. We create safe spaces that educate and empower people and we stand in solidarity with other historically oppressed communities.
Mexican American civil rights history is ongoing, dynamic and exceedingly relevant
Telling and retelling Mexican American civil rights history has the power to transform our collective consciousness, lived experience, identity, resilience, and self- determination, now and into the future.
Organization’s History

The First Five Years

2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Pre-MACRI
Following the 50th anniversaries of milestone Mexican American civil rights events, meetings begin in earnest to determine how to keep Mexican American civil rights history alive for future generations.
Incorporation & Seed Funding
On May 29, 2019, MACRI incorporates as the National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights. In September, MACRI receives seed funding from the City of San Antonio. In November, Dr. Ezequiel Pena is appointed as MACRI’s Interim Executive Director.
Public Launch & Pandemic Pivot
In January, a press conference to announce MACRI’s plans, is held at Our Lady of the Lake University, home to MACRI’s first office. In July, Dr. Sarah Zenaida Gould, takes the helm as Interim Executive Director, and oversees the organization’s rebranding as the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute, or, MACRI. In August, MACRI holds a half-day Virtual Launch, featuring an array of prominent figures in Mexican American civil rights. In September, MACRI debuts one of its signature programs, Virtual MACRI Talks.
Growing Virtual Reach
The MACRI Talks series audience grows to reach tens of thousands of viewers. In May, MACRI releases the first issue of Brown Papers. In August, MACRI holds a two-day Virtual Symposium with guest speakers including U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Congressman Joaquin Castro, and the Smithsonian’s Eduardo Diaz. In September, MACRI launches its first virtual exhibit, CHISPAS.
Focus on Programming
MACRI hosts 18 MACRI Talks, expands partnerships with other organizations, and launches Honorary Street Names Project. In October, MACRI hosts a hybrid 2-day Symposium including speakers Norma V. Cantu, Sec. Henry G. Cisneros, and filmmakers Sylvia Morales and Hector Galan. In December, MACRI receives $500,000 Mellon Grant.
Major Growth
MACRI diversifies funding, launches first film series, and expands staff.In January, MACRI leads an SA to DC delegation to the National Museum of the American Latino’s Molina Gallery. MACRI becomes an official partner for the Jovita Idar quarter launch, and in September, hosts a three-day celebration including a one-day symposium on Jovita. In October, MACRI’s Visitor Center opens.
Planning Ahead
In May, MACRI hosts a 5th anniversary luncheon and 2-day symposium with speakers including Sec. Julian Castro, author Julissa Arce, and Pulitzer Prize winner Silvia Foster Frau. In June, MACRI launches its first traveling exhibit. In September, MACRI announces the completion of the site feasibility study for permanent home.

In The News

Spurs give MACRI $20,000 donation

In November, the San Antonio Spurs commemorated Hispanic Heritage Night with a $20,000 donation to MACRI.

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MACRI screens groundbreaking Dia de los Muertos documentary

In late October, MACRI partnered with Día de los Muertos at Hemisfair for a screening of Lourdes Portillo’s 1988 documentary La Ofrenda: The Days of the Dead.

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MACRI Museum Site Feasibility Study Press Conference

In September 2024, MACRI held a press conference for the completion of the site feasibility study for a permanent national museum, attracting heavy press coverage.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD
She | Her | Hers

Sarah Zenaida Gould, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI), an emerging national museum collecting and disseminating Mexican American civil rights history based in San Antonio, Texas. A longtime museum worker and public historian, she has curated over a dozen exhibits on history, art, and culture. Before joining MACRI, she was founding director of the Museo del Westside, a community participatory museum housed at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s Rinconcito de Esperanza in San Antonio’s Westside, the historic center of Mexican American San Antonio. In 2019, her visionary work for the Museo earned her the “crown” at the biennial Reimagining the Museum: Conference of the Americas held in Oaxaca, Mexico. Prior to launching the Museo, Gould was the lead curatorial researcher at the Institute of Texan Cultures, a museum dedicated to telling the stories of Texas’ diverse cultures. While at ITC she curated exhibits on a range of topics from fashion to folklife and toys to Tejanos, and guest curated Bexar County’s tricentennial exhibit “Nuestra Historia – Our History: Spain in Bexar County,” featuring maps and documents from the Archivo General de las Indias in Seville, Spain.

Outside of museum work, Gould is a noted preservationist. She is co-founder and former co-chair of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, a national organization that promotes historic preservation within Latino communities and advocates for the protection of Latino tangible and intangible heritage, at local, state, and national levels. She frequently speaks on topics related to historic preservation and representation of Latino histories, serves as an Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and is a member of the Westside Preservation Alliance, a coalition dedicated to promoting and preserving the working-class architecture of San Antonio’s Westside.  Additionally, she serves on the boards of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, the fundraising arm of Texas’ state historic preservation office, and Texans for the Arts, a non-partisan statewide arts advocacy organization. She formerly served on the boards of the American Association of State and Local History, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association, San Anto Cultural Arts, and the South Texas Popular Culture Center.

Gould received a BA in American Studies from Smith College and an MA and PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan. She also holds a certificate in Philanthropic and Fundraising Administration from NYU’s School of Continuing Studies. She is a former fellow at the National Museum of American History, the Winterthur Museum, and the American Antiquarian Society, and is an alumna of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute.

 Her publications include “Latinos in Heritage Conservation: Establishing a National Vision for American Latinos and Historic Preservation” in Bending the Future: Fifty Ideas for the Next Fifty Years of Historic Preservation in America (University of Massachusetts Press, 2016); “A Fair to Remember: HemisFair ‘68,” in 300 Years of San Antonio and Bexar County (Trinity University Press, 2018); and “Field Guide to the Westside,” in Vernacular Architecture of San Antonio and its Environs (Texas A & M University Press, 2021).

 Gould is a native Tejana and the descendant of farmers and farmworkers. Her maternal grandparents were active members of LULAC.