Presented by: C 60 Inc. and Historic LULAC Council 60

September 15, 2023 - January 15, 2024

“President and Mrs. Kennedy's remarks were a pivotal moment for Hispanic American civil rights. The President's words of inclusivity and equity carry on as part of our family's legacy to help build a more just and peaceful world for all.” Chris Kennedy, nephew

On September 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month begins. The Heritage Society has partnered with the Houston chapter of LULAC to highlight the 60th anniversary of The Kennedys’ visit and the speeches at The Rice Hotel.  This special indoor exhibit educates on how November 21, 1963, was a celebration of recognition for Latinos during the Civil Rights Movement of 1954 – 1968. 

Other exhibit activities include an opening reception with entertainment, free Houston History Bus Tours by Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney’s Historic Houston, docent-led mural tours, and an evening with subject matter experts about the struggle for Hispanic rights sponsored by Constellation Energy.

Museum gallery admission is only $5 and is located at 1100 Bagby Street. Gallery hours are Tuesdays – Saturdays, 10 AM – 4 PM, and parking is free at 212 Dallas Street. For more information about National Hispanic Heritage Month, please see - https://www.heritagesociety.org/national-hispanic-heritage-month.

About the Curator

Mikaela Selley is an archivist, public historian, and consultant for cultural heritage projects. She is a native Houstonian and proud graduate of the University of Houston’s Public History M.A. program. Selley has 10 years of professional experience specializing in the preservation of records significant to Hispanic and Latina/o heritage.

From 2013 to 2021, she served as the Hispanic Collections Archivist for the Houston History Research Center, a special collections branch of the Houston Public Library. In this position, she oversaw the processing, digitization, and promotion of the Hispanic Archival Collections, adding over 1,000 items to their public research portal, and curating three (3) major exhibitions in the Julia Ideson Building Gallery. Exhibitions include Música! A History of Hispanic Sounds in Houston, Remembering World War II: Houston’s Latina/o Veterans, and When Camelot Came to Houston: John F. Kennedy and the League of United Latin American Citizens, a collaborative effort with LULAC for their 50th Anniversary commemorative gala held in 2013.

Selley offers research, planning, archival and exhibit design services for personal, business, and cultural heritage projects. She is also an Archivist and Program Manager for Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage, Arte Público Press, at the University of Houston, where she oversees the Periodicals in the US-Mexico Border Region, as well as archival collections care.

Selley brings knowledge of heritage preservation, a creative eye for engaging displays, and a personal dedication to Houston history. Visit mikaelaselley.com for more information.

More about LULAC:  On February 17, 1929, representatives from three organizations met in Corpus Christi to merge and form the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). The new group sought to unify statewide efforts to challenge racism and inequities toward Texas' Hispanic residents, while also promoting patriotism, education and equality.  Although needing only ten members to charter a new council, more than 20 Houston men met in 1934 at a filling station and bookstore at 74th and Navigation to form LULAC Council 60, of Magnolia Park. The group immediately set out to eradicate local prejudice and discrimination and adopted the national organization's primary goals: improving education, employment and civil rights. Many of their early efforts were combined with the Latin American Club of Harris County, with which they merged in 1939 to become LULAC Council 60 of Houston.

Thank you to the following contributors and supporters:

Platinum Sponsor
Constellation Energy

Gold Sponsor
HEB

Silver Sponsor
Husch Blackwell Law Firm

Bronze Sponsor
Latinos in Heritage Conservation

In-Kind Donations
Mister McKinney’s Historic Houston
Identity Plus LLC
Arte Público Press / US Latino Digital Humanities
Michelle “CC” and Duke Ensell Outreach Strategists
Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library

Steve Curry in care of Sunset Settings

On Display

This exhibit features archival photographs, documents, and films, and a beautiful skirt. Below are a few of the gems that visitors will see--

• Color photographs taken by the White House (Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library) 

• Interactive LULAC Timeline on a 27” Touchscreen Monitor (Timeline created by Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage at Arte Público Press, University of Houston)

• Vintage television playing film footage of the Kennedys’ speeches at the Rice Hotel

• Projector showing footage of Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1962 White House Tour

• Handmade skirt worn by Lisa Herrera Moravitz who was just four years old at the time. 

• John J. Herrera’s manuscript “Han Matado a Mi Presidente” or “They Have Killed My President” detailing the entire event from the initial idea to the tragic next day. 

• Cards collected by Jaqueline Kennedy during her stay in Houston including a business card from a local, Houston flower shop. 

Exhibit Experience

An array of archival documents and photographs will guide visitors through each step of that historic evening at the Rice Hotel, from the invitation letter sent to President Kennedy to the tragic next day. A vintage television set, displayed against a 1960s-era wallpaper backdrop, will feature film footage taken at the LULAC event. Visitors will watch as the Kennedys speak to the packed crowd in black and white. Stunning color photographs taken by a White House photographer will also be on display, courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. Of note, is an incredible photograph of President Kennedy greeting an enthusiastic crowd at the entrance to the Rice Hotel. Outstretched hands and wide smiles fill the image. Finally, on loan from our very own Houston History Research Center at the Houston Public Library is an original handwritten note by John J. Herrera, documenting the special evening taking place before him. It reads “notice Mexican mariachis in background sing Jacqueline, Jacqueline.” Herrera, civil rights attorney and past LULAC National President, served as Master of Ceremonies, at the LULAC Gala on November 21st.  Upon meeting President Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Herrera was starstruck. This archival gem is one of twelve original artifacts on display.

HOW OUR MURAL AND NEW LULAC EXHIBIT FOR NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH COMMEMORATE PRESIDENT JFK’S VISIT TO HOUSTON

The Heritage Society commissioned a mural to celebrate the many contributions of our city’s Mexican American community. In the spirit of the great Mexican muralists, this vibrant collective artwork, Mexican American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston, highlights the places, personalities, concepts, and events that shaped the Mexican American community and laid the foundation for the multicultural city we live in today. Set in Connally Plaza against a dramatic backdrop of City Hall and the downtown skyline, the new mural will be a cultural landmark in the historic heart of Houston.

On the right side of our mural, one may wonder what President John F. Kennedy has to do with Houston history…almost every Texan remembers that he visited downtown Dallas where he was assassinated while riding in a convertible in a motorcade on November 22, 1963.

The evening before the tragedy, President Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline, Vice President Lyndon Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, walked through a wall of applause to take their place as honored guests in a Houston ballroom on November 21, 1963. They were making a brief stop at a formal dinner held by LULAC — the League of United Latin American Citizens — to show their appreciation for the Mexican American votes that had helped the young president carry Texas in the 1960 election.

To historians, Kennedy's appearance at the Rice Ballroom was likely the first time that a president officially acknowledged Latinos as an important voting bloc. According to a press release from LULAC, he was only supposed to stop by and say hello on his five-city, two-day trip to Texas. Instead, a group of eager Latinos persuaded him to come inside and speak to a packed room of Mexican American civil rights activists. And then, he persuaded First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, to address the crowd in Spanish. Our mural marks the historic occasion at the Rice Hotel where President Kennedy sat and heard a band play Mexican ballads and where the crowd yelled "Viva Kennedy!" 

Mural artists Laura López Cano and Jesse Sifuentes, along with key fundraisers and government officials celebrated the unveiling of the mural to Houstonians in September 2018. The vibrant mural, located at 1100 Bagby Street, overlooks Connally Plaza and is impressively surrounded by the downtown skyline and majestic oak trees. This mural spotlights 38 places, personalities, and events that played a key role in the growth of this community and provides recognition for the countless and essential contributions of Mexican Americans to the economy, culture, and vitality of our city in the 1900s.  Some of the people on the masterpiece are still actively playing a key role and representing the Mexican American spirit and way of life well into this century including the LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse.

PAST EXHIBIT EVENTS