Affidavit sworn by Frank E. Riley to Alonso S. Perales
Item
Dublin Core
Title
Affidavit sworn by Frank E. Riley to Alonso S. Perales
Subject
AFFIDAVITS
DISCRIMINATION
DISCRIMINATION against Latin Americans
MILITARY
MILITARY Personnel
RACE discrimination - public establishments
MILITARY
Description
Affidavit sworn by Frank E. Riley that states that he and his wife were told to leave the Ray Theater in Hondo, Texas because of their Latin American heritage.
Creator
Riley, Frank E.
Source
Perales, Alonso S. Are We Good Neighbors? 1948. EBSCO Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 2
Date
1946-08-20
Contributor
Perales, Alonso S.
Relation
Gauthereau, Lorena. "Are We Good Neighbors?: Mapping Discrimination Against Mexican Americans in 1940s Texas." https://arcg.is/1C1bbv.
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
pera0092
Coverage
HONDO (Tex.)
SAN Antonio (Tex.)
Scripto
Transcription
THE STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF BEXAR
BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority in and for said County, State of Texas, this day personally came and appeared Frank E. Riley, to me well known, and who, after being by me duly sworn, did depose and say:
My name is Frank E. Riley. I am 30 years of age and married. I am a member of the United States Air Force, and am stationed at San Antonio Military Basic Training Center, San Antonio, Texas. I have served 15 months in the U.S. Navy. I was born in Guatemala, Central America.
About 15 days ago my wife and I went into the Ray Theater at Hondo, Texas, and sat down. My wife was born in Guatemala, Central American, also. We had occupied our seats about three minutes when one of the ushers came and told us that because we were Latin Americans we would have to leave the theater, as Latin Americans were not admitted to said theater. I asked for an explanation and the usher said that I had better leave if I did not want to get into a difficulty. My wife and I thereupon got up and left. While going thru the vestibule or lobby of the theater I again demanded an explanation and the usher then said that he was not in a position to give me an explanation, as he had orders from the manager to do this. I was wearing the United States Army uniform at the time. I explained to the usher that my wife and I were Latin Americans from Guatemala, Central America, and he said that did not make any difference because we were still Latin Americans. This happened in the afternoon. That same day I went to the Hondo Chamber of Commerce. I spoke with the Manager and he explained to me that it was customary in Hondo not to admit LatinAmericans to theaters, drug stores, restaurants, and other public places. The name of the Manager is Allan Webster.
I then went and reported the incident to my Commanding Officer at the Military Basic Training Center, San Antonio, Texas.
My father, the late Harry Joseph Riley, a native of Hartsville, Mo. was Consul General of the United States of America in Central America for twenty seven years.
Further Affiant sayeth not.
[signed] Frank E. Riley.
Sworn and subscribed to before me this 20th day of August, A.D. 1946.
[signed] Alonso S. Perales
Notary Public, Bexar County, Texas
COUNTY OF BEXAR
BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority in and for said County, State of Texas, this day personally came and appeared Frank E. Riley, to me well known, and who, after being by me duly sworn, did depose and say:
My name is Frank E. Riley. I am 30 years of age and married. I am a member of the United States Air Force, and am stationed at San Antonio Military Basic Training Center, San Antonio, Texas. I have served 15 months in the U.S. Navy. I was born in Guatemala, Central America.
About 15 days ago my wife and I went into the Ray Theater at Hondo, Texas, and sat down. My wife was born in Guatemala, Central American, also. We had occupied our seats about three minutes when one of the ushers came and told us that because we were Latin Americans we would have to leave the theater, as Latin Americans were not admitted to said theater. I asked for an explanation and the usher said that I had better leave if I did not want to get into a difficulty. My wife and I thereupon got up and left. While going thru the vestibule or lobby of the theater I again demanded an explanation and the usher then said that he was not in a position to give me an explanation, as he had orders from the manager to do this. I was wearing the United States Army uniform at the time. I explained to the usher that my wife and I were Latin Americans from Guatemala, Central America, and he said that did not make any difference because we were still Latin Americans. This happened in the afternoon. That same day I went to the Hondo Chamber of Commerce. I spoke with the Manager and he explained to me that it was customary in Hondo not to admit LatinAmericans to theaters, drug stores, restaurants, and other public places. The name of the Manager is Allan Webster.
I then went and reported the incident to my Commanding Officer at the Military Basic Training Center, San Antonio, Texas.
My father, the late Harry Joseph Riley, a native of Hartsville, Mo. was Consul General of the United States of America in Central America for twenty seven years.
Further Affiant sayeth not.
[signed] Frank E. Riley.
Sworn and subscribed to before me this 20th day of August, A.D. 1946.
[signed] Alonso S. Perales
Notary Public, Bexar County, Texas
Text Item Type Metadata
Original Format
paper
Collection
Citation
Riley, Frank E. , “Affidavit sworn by Frank E. Riley to Alonso S. Perales,” Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Digital Collections, accessed May 2, 2024, http://usldhrecovery.uh.edu/items/show/12.