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Images of Valor: U.S. Latinos and Latinas of World War II
Joe Bernal at age 17 in Salinas, California on September 1, 1945. Courtesy of the U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project.
"I was a young man with seemingly a lot of time and energy and I wanted to do right...." – Joe Bernal, b. 1927, San Antonio, Texas
After the war, more Latinos, including veterans, took active political roles to press for crucial improvements. WWII veteran Joe Bernal served first in the Texas House and later in the Texas Senate. Bernal was the primary author of a bill that expunged state statues supporting racial segregation and of another that created the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1969. [Excerpt from exhibit text]
Exhibit
Through images and stories, this twelve-panel exhibit, created by the U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project in partnership with the School of Journalism and Center for Mexican American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, provides a historical overview of U.S. Latino participation in World War II.
In addition to historical photographs from the project's archives, "Images of Valor" incorporates contemporary photographs of men and women of the WWII generation by photojournalist Valentino Mauricio. The exhibit focuses on individual stories that reveal larger themes such as citizenship and civil rights and features excerpts from the more than 500 oral history interviews that were part of the project.
"Images of Valor" was sponsored in part by a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Learn more about the U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project online
Exhibit format
12 one-sided panels
Wall space required: approximately 37 linear feet*
*Panels are lightweight and can also be displayed on easels as a free-standing exhibit.