Texas Originals

Adela Sloss-Vento

September 27, 1901–April 4, 1998

Born in 1901 in Karnes City, Texas, and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Adela Sloss-Vento was a pioneer of Mexican American civil rights.

She advocated for justice as a writer, publishing articles and essays in both Spanish- and English-language newspapers across the state, including La Prensa of San Antonio, La Verdad of Corpus Christi, and the McAllen Monitor. She championed the rights of immigrants, women, and workers and called for implementation of the Good Neighbor Policy with Mexico.

Sloss-Vento also joined Alonso S. Perales of the League of United Latin American Citizens—or LULAC—in the struggle for equality. She never joined LULAC herself but advocated on its behalf as well as for Ladies LULAC, separate chapters for women. Her collaboration with Perales was key to the Mexican American civil rights movement, and she lent crucial support to LULAC’s first class-action case to end school segregation in Texas.

Sloss-Vento later wrote an important book chronicling Perales’s accomplishments as a civil rights activist.

In the sixties, Sloss-Vento backed the political agenda of the Chicano Movement, which empowered people of Mexican descent to celebrate their culture while combatting systemic racism. She continued to provide counsel and support in the struggle for justice through her final years.

Sloss-Vento died in 1998. Her enduring legacy was her formidable ability to engage others with her vision for a better Texas.

For More about Adela Sloss-Vento

Cynthia E. Orozco’s award-winning Agent of Change: Adela Sloss-Vento, Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Texas Feminist is a comprehensive account of Sloss-Vento’s lifelong commitment to bring justice to the Mexican American community. The book carefully lays out how she put a spotlight on local corruption, led her community, and appealed to the conscience of public leaders. In an interview for University of Texas Press, historian Cynthia Orozco recounts how she became interested in Sloss-Vento’s life and accomplishments.

Details about the work Adela Sloss-Vento accomplished on behalf of the Mexican American community is provided in the Texas Public Radio podcast episode "Adela Sloss-Vento Both Abided by and Shattered Gender Norms as Mexican American Civil Rights Activist." The episode delves into her efforts as an activist and writer and her lasting impact on racial and ethnic equality in Texas.

Selected Bibliography

Martinez, Norma, host. "Adela Sloss-Vento Both Abided By And Shattered Gender Norms As Mexican American Civil Rights Activist." Texas Public Radio's Fronteras. November 6, 2020.

Orozco, Cynthia E. Agent of Change: Adela Sloss-Vento, Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Texas Feminist. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2020.

Orozco, Cynthia E. "Pioneer Woman of Mexican American Civil Rights." Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 14, 2017.

Vento, Arnoldo Carlos. Adela Sloss-Vento: Writer, Political Activist, and Civil Rights Pioneer. Lanham: Hamilton Books, 2017. 

Listen to the audio

Adela Sloss-Vento. Courtesy of the Alonso S. Perales Collection at Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage, University of Houston.