Hispanic film to be premiered in San Antonio

Museo Alameda plays host to movie premiere
San Antonio Business Journal

The Museo Alameda recently hosted the world premiere of a new documentary by Carlos Sandoval and Peter Miller that tells the story of America’s first and only Hispanic civil rights case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The documentary “A Class Apart” will air nationally on Feb. 23 on PBS’ television history series American Experience. Several prominent San Antonians appear in the documentary. Emmy Award-winning actor Edward James Olmos narrated the film.

“A Class Apart” tells the story of Hernandez vs. Texas, which involved the 1954 Supreme Court decision to uphold the rights of Mexican-Americans to serve on juries. The case was argued by San Antonio attorneys Gus Garcia and Carlos Cadena. The court ruled unanimously in favor of the plaintiffs in the case.

“This landmark legal battle and its victorious outcome were a turning point in the Hispanic equal rights movement in this country and a crucial chapter in the story of the Latino experience in America. Yet it is a story largely forgotten today,” says Eliseo Rios, interim executive director of the Museo Alameda. “We are proud to host the world premiere of such an important film and to help Carlos and Peter bring its message to a new generation.”

Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the decision just two weeks before the court handed down its historic Brown vs. Board of Education decision, which struck down school segregation.

More than 150 people attended the San Antonio premiere, which served as a fundraiser for the Museo’s parent organization, The Alameda National Center for Latino Arts and Culture.
Web site: www.thealameda.org