"Justice Then and Now," focuses on the Texas legal justice system and its relationship to Mexican American populations in the Panhandle.
The event will feature four panelists: one guest scholar, one WT professor, and two community members. The guest scholar will be George T. Díaz, professor of history at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Díaz’s research has considered smuggling in the borderlands and he is presently composing a history of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the Texas prison system. The WT professor, Dr. Lisa Garza, is department head and professor of Sociology whose work on ethnic relations and social movements is highly relevant to the region. Lilia Escajeda, Amarillo community volunteer and advocate, has deep west Texas roots and has become an important civic leader in Amarillo. Finally, J. E. Sauseda is an Amarillo attorney at law who has a passion for civil rights issues. WT’s Dr. Tim Bowman will serve as moderator for the panel discussion.