Joseph Bernal (March 1, 1927 – January 25, 2025) was an American politician. He was a significant figure in the

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

community. Bernal spent eight years in the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

. Bernal was in both the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

and the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

. Bernal was in the

from 1964 to 1966, he was in the

from 1966 to 1972. When Bernal got his start in politics 80% of Chicanos were not graduating high school. Now only 30% are not graduating which he said is still a high percentage. During his time in politics, Bernal produced many opportunities for schooling and opportunities for the Chicano community as a whole. The impact that Bernal had on his community got San Antonio school district superintendent Oscar Miller to meet with community sponsors such as Senator Bernal and others to address Chicano/a student's demands for improved school facilities.

Early life

Joseph Bernal was born in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Texas, on March 1, 1927. Bernal said that his family grew up poor, he did not think that they were poor because they did not act like they were. In a statement from Bernal, he said that his family "was very rich in spirit" and his mom raised nine kids by herself. Bernal's father had passed away when he was young. Bernal enjoyed watching movies at the Progreso, often standing near the entrance during "dos por uno" promotions. He enjoyed popular Hollywood movies on weekends. His family frequented the Progreso Drug Store and the Mexican restaurant next door. Bernal was a student council representative at Lanier High School. This was his first step towards politics. Bernal also played basketball at Lanier High School where his team made the state finals but lost by one point. Bernal said that the students in his high school were given ribbons that read "I am American, I speak English" and had them taken away by the student council when someone was caught speaking Spanish. However, Bernal encouraged people to be bilingual.

Military and college experience

After high school in 1944, Bernal joined the army. In the army, Bernal was never in combat but he worked a desk job in the

Philippine islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

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, and as well as in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. While working his desk job on deployment he would constantly look at his picture from September 1, 1945, when he was nine days from being deployed and he thought that before he deployed people just looked at him as a Mexican but in the service, he was looked at as an American. When he returned, he found that things had reverted to the way they were before his military service, with instances where he could not get a haircut or buy a house due to his Mexican heritage. After Bernal returned he attended Trinity University on the G.I. Bill. He also got his master's degree from

Our Lady of the Lake University Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), known locally as the Lake, is a private Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Divine Providence, a religious institute originating in Lorraine, ...

and a doctorate degree from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

. Bernal taught at David Crockett Elementary School for ten years, while he did that on the weekends and in his free time he worked with Guadalupe Church and had a long association with Inman Christian Center.

Background on the Chicano Movement

The

Chicano Movement The Chicano Movement, also referred to as El Movimiento (Spanish for "the Movement"), was a civil rights movements, social and political movement in the United States that worked to embrace a Chicano, Chicano identity and worldview that combated ...

's purpose was to fight for the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

and cultural identities of the

and

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

Communities. The movement was most active in the 1960s and 1970s but still continues today. Today Chicanos and

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...

make up the largest minority in the United States being about 20% of the population. The term Chicano became popular around the 1940s. The term Chicano was used by second-generation Mexican-Americans like Zoot-suiters and

Pachuco Pachucos are male members of a counterculture that emerged in El Paso, Texas, in the late 1930s. Pachucos are associated with zoot suit fashion, jump blues, jazz and swing music, a distinct dialect known as '' caló'', and self-empowerment in re ...

s who felt they were outcasts in both the

Anglo-American Anglo-American can refer to: * the Anglosphere (the Anglo-American world) * Anglo-American, something of, from, or related to Anglo-America ** the Anglo-Americans demographic group in Anglo-America * Anglo American plc Anglo American plc is a ...

culture and the

Mexican culture Mexico's culture emerged from the culture of the Spanish culture, Spanish Empire and the preexisting Pre-Columbian Mexico, indigenous cultures of Mexico. Mexican culture is described as the 'child' of both Western civilization, western and Indi ...

of their parents. The Chicano Movement helped advance Latino political power. The Chicano Movement was in response to the poverty, discrimination, and lack of opportunity that faced Mexican-American communities. The movement got motivation from the farmworker movement led by

Cesar Chavez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

and

Dolores Huerta Dolores Huerta (born April 10, 1930) is an American labor leader and feminist activist. After working for several years with the Community Service Organization (CSO), she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with fellow activ ...

. The movement fought against segregated public schools in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

, leading to the "Blowouts" in 1968, resulting in thousands of Chicano students protesting.

Political career

Joseph "Joe" Bernal never thought of being a politician but when brought the idea he saw how underrepresented

s were during that time. His Austin political career was between 1964 and 1972 then he was a part of the

Caucus after this. Between 1900 and 1953, Texas had only two Hispanics in the legislature. By 1987, 25 Mexican Americans held legislative offices, largely due to the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and redistricting. Bernal had a lot to do with bills that helped Mexican-Americans and others. Bernal joined the

in 1964. In Joseph's first term, he passed three bills including a bill on segregation. This is also where he passed a bill that allowed people who were in Texas for more than 25 years to receive benefits regardless of citizenship status. Bernal acted as the executive director of the Mexican-American Caucus. During his time in this group, he accomplished many things to further Mexican Americans' rights and their community. Bernal also had a role in getting better education rights for Latino children. In 1967, Dan Salcedo and Joe Bernal, sponsors of the Inman Christian Center, organized a field trip to Center Point, Texas. The group provided information on political issues, organizing strategies, and leadership training to male Lanier students. Senator Bernal mentored female students on American democracy and parliamentary decision-making according to

Robert's Rules of Order ''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert (1837–1923). "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the ...

. Bernal introduced legislation abolishing English-only language laws, established a

campus for the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

, and supported a new Dental and Nursing Program at the

University of Texas San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA or UT San Antonio) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Established in 1969,

Background on Tejano politics

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

politics have been around for more than a century before the formation of the state of Texas in 1845. The oldest tradition of government by Tejanos was ayuntamiento which is traceable all the way back to the Roman time. Ayuntamiento is a form of government that is run by a mayor and a council. The main focus was both civil and criminal matters. This area's first ayuntamiento was not formed until 1731. The economic, social, and political structures of the ayuntamiento form of government were supported by many of the residents like the ranchos and Spanish Missions. On September 16, 1810, in Dolores, Guanajuato

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican War ...

made a cry for Mexico's independence from Spain. When this news was received by the Tejanos many people disagreed because they considered it disloyal. After many royalist officials were executed near Bexar, because of this event the central government of Mexico sent Commandant General

Joaquín de Arredondo Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez), ...

to take Texas back. In 1813 he succeeded in doing this. Many wealthy Tejano families fled Texas. The

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

was mainly led by Anglos but many Tejanos participated but were now the minority. "Among the fifty-six men who signed the

Texas Declaration of Independence The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was form ...

on March 2, 1836, three were Hispanic". Many things went into a lack of Tejano political representation for example minority status, disregard of rights, language differences, etc. Tejano's political participation dropped under American rule. "Between 1846 and 1961 only nineteen Hispanic politicians won election or were named to represent their districts in the state legislature". Between the 1940s and 1960s, significant national conferences and organizations were established to improve relations between

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British d ...

s and

Mexican Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

. To help improve relations the US government initiated diplomatic solutions. This included the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs and organized two national conferences.

Tejano Politics

Joseph "Joe" Bernal played a major role in

politics, especially in bilingual education. The bills that ended in De jure segregation were brought forward in the

by Bernal in May 1969. During the early twentieth century, there were many organizations that were found in all of the areas where most of the Tejanos lived. These organizations fought for

rights and fought the issues of lynching, labor, and educational discrimination. Representatives of these groups met in Harlingen Texas to form the LLAC (League of Latin American Citizens) in August 1927. This group did not succeed in its mission, but just two years later in February 1929, the LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) was formed and became the leading national civil rights organization.

Mexican-American Legislative Caucus

The

Caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

was made up of Mexican-American members of the

including Joseph "Joe" Bernal. The

Mexican American Legislative Caucus {{Hispanic and Latino Americans The Mexican American Legislative Caucus is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization composed of members of the Texas House of Representatives committed to addressing issues of particular importance to Latinos across the s ...

first originated in 1972 but did not become a

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

until 1975. In 1981 the Mexican American Legislative Caucus became an official organization with a budget and staff from the

. The objective of this group was to promote and fight for legislation that benefits Mexican Americans. In 1975 Bernal was the first executive director of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. In 1983, the first Republican, Gerald Gesitweidt, joined MALC. In 1991–92, it had 26 members, representing a fifth of the House vote. In 2001, it had 41 members. This organization that Bernal was a part of helped the Mexican-American community in many ways. Some examples of the ways the Mexican-American Caucus helped would be in 1983–84 they passed a

Bilingual Education Act The Bilingual Education Act (BEA), also known as the Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1967, was the first United States federal legislation that recognized the needs of limited English speaking ability (LESA) s ...

, and in 1985–86 they passed an unemployment-compensation law that also included farmworkers. Another thing that the MALC did was pass a minimum wage bill for farmworkers in 1987–88. This group affected the redistricting process in the years 1991 and in 2001.

Career following politics

After his career in politics, Joseph "Joe" Bernal became an assistant superintendent for the Harlandale School District. Then in 1996, he was elected to the

Board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

. Bernal also won his reelection in the year 2000. Bernal assisted in selecting textbooks and supporting programs that benefited Latino youth during his time as an assistant superintendent and as a member of the Board of education. Bernal is a well-known figure in the

community which he still participated in. Bernal died on January 25, 2025, at the age of 97.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernal, Joseph 1927 births 2025 deaths American politicians of Mexican descent Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party Texas state senators 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature Wikipedia Student Program