PALABRAS: Professor and Author Dr. Carlos Kevin Blanton Tells the Story of Unsung Civil Rights Activist George I. Sánchez

This article is part of Palabras, the Latin Post Latino Author Series.

Sometime during the fall of 1999, subsequent to a riveting session where educator and author Dr. Carlos Kevin Blanton energetically educated his history class about the life and legacy of little known civil rights activist and American educational pioneer George Isidore Sánchez, students packed away their books and readied to leave the classroom.

As the room emptied, Blanton apologized for his longwinded attentiveness to Sanchez, promising to diversify the next lesson. To this, a parting student raised his hand and said, "Since no one knows anything about him, why don't you write a book?"

Sixteen years later, "George I. Sánchez: The Long Fight for Mexican American Integration" is stationed on book shelves across the nation, and the published nonfiction work stands as a utensil for those who ache to learn more about a complex and unsung hero who dedicated himself to reform, intellect, integration, and racial and political equality. Following the completion and publication of his first book, "The Strange Career of Bilingual Education in Texas, 1836-1981," Blanton dove entirely into research, unearthing information about the unexplored figure.

"I thought, 'I already know something about this guy'; I thought, 'I already know everything I need to know.' [But,] what I didn't realize when I was going through research, during the summer of 2002, was that he was a much, much, much bigger figure than I'd realized," Blanton said to Latin Post during an interview. "It took me years just to intellectually wrap my arms around all the things that he did, and everything that he was. It took a lot longer than I originally anticipated, but it was a real joy and a real pleasure. I so enjoyed the project, that I was wistful when it came to an end."

"Brave and courageous" is how Blanton described Sanchez. Initial research only showed Sanchez's thoughts on education, segregation and immigration, but there was far less information on the man himself. Blanton was forced to venture out, read obscure articles and interview family. Effort by effort, he learned the story of the fearless man who was behind Mexican-American progression in the U.S., while simultaneously being at the forefront of the civil rights movement.

"A lot of what we know about him comes from article links and studies. Several articles feature him as a political figure prominently, and he was included in a lot of very 'talkable' studies on civil rights, on politics and on immigration. But, those studies were really about that topic, they weren't necessarily about him," said Blanton. "So, what ended up happening over the last two decades is we've ended up with four or five different versions of George Isidore Sánchez: Immigration Sanchez, civil rights Sanchez, education Sanchez, politics Sanchez, academic activist Sanchez, World War II Sanchez, and Mexican Sanchez, which very many people don't even know. So there are a couple things people don't know about him, and one of them is his political presence in Mexico. And that's just scratching the surface."

When talking about the civil rights pioneers, it's important to highlight contribution, but also sacrifice. In the time of civil rights movement, gamesmanship and criticism over methods were prominent; at the same time, those who were out on the forefront of the civil rights movement paid a dear price, one that can't be easily understood or appreciated. There were threats of physical violence and retaliation, but he and many others also paid an emotional price.

"He chose to be a civil rights activist; he prioritized it over his career and his family. He made some incredible choices, and if I was in his shoes, I don't know what kind of choices I would have made. He was incredible, courageous and brave," Blanton explained. "And it's hard to even understand and relate to. There's evidence in his papers, and I bring this out in the book, that he was denied promotions, titles, job opportunities, and all kinds of things professionally. He was denied basic respect. Towards the end, he was one of the lowest paid professors at the University of Texas, despite his publications, and despite his grant prowess, which was phenomenal."

Sanchez was punished for his civil actions, but that was the price that he was willing to pay. He continuously put the pursuit for the greater good ahead of his own work, and ahead of the people who loved him most, his family. He was committed to addressing Mexican-Americans as a topic and elevating issues.

When discussing segregation, he wasn't just interested in removing segregated barriers, like buildings and schooling. He was also interested in reporting on Mexican Americans, and ensuring that they lived happier and healthier lives. He was hell-bent on the spread of democracy, and founding Chicano educational psychology was to counter the belief that Mexican children were inherently "retarded" or mentally deficient. His radical thoughts were aggressively pushed to debunk racist views.

When asking Blanton how he compared himself to Sanchez, he said that he couldn't fill his shoes, and simply felt honored to write his biography. But he, again, mentioned how Sanchez sacrificed his family, and he made the choice to sacrifice his career -- something Blanton admitted that he couldn't do.

The 400-page biography was published on Jan. 27, 2015, and was published by Yale University Press.