AR - 2018 - 030 - 002 - Ernesto Fraga

Austin History Center

Oral history interview with Ernesto Fraga from the Activism and the Brown Berets of Austin Project Recordings and Digital Images collection at the Austin History Center (AR.2018.030). This project was first conceived by Gloria Espitia, Mexican American Neighborhood Liaison at the Austin History Center, in 2013, in an effort to educate and promote the importance of preserving and sharing Brown Berets history and relevance throughout Austin's socio-political history. Oral histories were conducted with four former Brown Berets between June and September 2013. In addition, two panel sessions were held and recorded with a total of four former Brown Berets in October 2013. The Austin Brown Berets chapter emerged in 1973 and existed roughly until 1983. According to Paul Hernandez, a Brown Beret president and spokesperson, members viewed themselves as a community driven group, comprised of and representing the working class Chicanos of the barrios, particularly in East Austin. Issues that were important to them included speaking out on police brutality, quality education, racial equity, and, perhaps most famously, fighting to remove environmentally disruptive drag boat races at Festival Beach during the annual Austin Aqua Festival (Aqua Fest). (text from the AR.2018.030 finding aid available here: http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/aushc/00702/ahc-00702.html)