LRJM Continues Monitoring UH Mural
La Raza Justice Movement Continues To Monitor Developments With UH Chicano Mural
On December 19th, La Raza Justice Movement held a press conference outlining concerns about the university’s commitment to preserving the Chicano mural at the Cougar Den as part of the renovations at the University Center. Students and faculty had worked for weeks, and in some cases months, before the press conference to secure commitments from the university regarding the mural’s preservation, unfortunately to little avail. By her own account, Monica Rhor, a reporter from the Houston Chronicle had been unable to find any administrator from the university who would fully commit to preserving the mural the week before her press conference. Her story ran in the Chronicle on December 17. As of the Friday before the press conference, one elected official in contact with La Raza Justice Movement said that he had not heard any response from the university, despite efforts to reach out. Additionally, at least one professor said that the administration had never included the mural in any of their proposed schematics for the renovated University Center.
In the days correlating with increased media attention, the university began producing statements with increasingly encouraging language. In perhaps the strongest language to date, the university has stated unequivocally, “the mural, donated to the University by the Mexican-American Youth Organization, will be carefully preserved and relocated to a more prominent location in the new UC.”
In this and in other statements, the university has stated that the mural is on canvass.
Inasmuch as it appears that it took media inquiries to get the university to commit to the mural’s preservation, La Raza Justice Movement will continue monitoring the university’s commitment. After the press conference, one of the original mural artists, Ruben Reyna, contacted La Raza Justice Movement to report that the mural, in fact, is not painted on canvass contrary to university claims, and that he believes the material to be vinyl. He says that he, like other concerned participants, is opposed to moving the mural at all. Finally, the very nature of what might be a “prominent location” is subjective, and La Raza Justice Movement is interested in helping to define what a prominent location might be, if it must be moved, as many members and supporters are alumni, and all are taxpayers.
Artists, non-profit organizations and professors from Austin, El Paso and Arizona have contacted La Raza Justice Movement offering their support. The organization will meet with supporters in early January. The organization plans to formally request a schematic of the new University Center with the mural included in the schematic no later than January 15th and will present signed petitions to administration pending developments. Until the university is able to articulate the exact proposed location of the mural in the New University Center, La Raza Justice Movement considers the mural to be under threat, of being relegated to an obscure part of the university, and will continue organizing toward a community response.