MACRI Talk – Lyndon Johnson, Mexican Americans, and the Border

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. In the year of this milestone, we are called to reflect: What does the United States semiquincentennial mean to Mexican Americans? How have Mexican Americans shaped this country, and what do we want to see for our communities in the future?

Our America 250 MACRI Talk series continues in August with a conversation about Lyndon Johnson, Mexican Americans, and the Border, featuring historian Geraldo Cadava. LBJ was a native Texan, and, when he was a college sophomore, Johnson taught at the Welhausen Ward Elementary School, a segregated Mexican American school in Cotulla, Texas. He credited this experience with inspiring his interest in supporting education and the Mexican American community. How did this manifest during his time in office? LBJ’s career in politics was marked by civil rights movements, shifts in U.S.-Latin America relations, and major changes to immigration law. What was his relationship to Mexican Americans pursuing civil rights advancements? 

Join us to learn about this and more during this special virtual MACRI Talk to take place on LBJ’s birthday, August 27!

Thursday, August 27, 2026  |  6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Central Time

OJO! This is a virtual event. The event will livestream via Facebook at https://bit.ly/FB-MACRI and YouTube at https://bit.ly/YT-MACRI

RSVP to receive a reminder and links for the talk!

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About our guest

Geraldo Cadava is a historian of the United States at Northwestern University. He focuses on Latinos in the United States, the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, and Latin American immigration. He is originally from Tucson, Arizona. Cadava is the author of two books. Most recently, he wrote The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of an American Political Identity, from Nixon to Trump, published by Ecco in 2020. His first book was Standing on Common Ground: The Making of a Sunbelt Borderland, published by Harvard University Press in 2013. He is working on a third book, an overview of Latino History since the Spanish conquest called A Thousand Bridges, to be published by Crown.

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MACRI’s programs are funded in part by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, Bexar County, the Mellon Foundation, the John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation, Spurs Give, and individual donors like you! Gracias!

As always, views and ideas shared by presenters do not necessarily reflect those of the MACRI, its staff, board, or funders.