booktv's recent visit to corpus christi, texas we talked with the color of "claiming citizenship," anthony quiroz, who recounts mexican-americans and their fight for civil rights in victoria texas. >> i think that american history itself is a story of citizenship and who's a citizen and who's not and who decides. and so for mexican-americans the story of our history has been this ongoing struggle for e equality, for inclusion. my book looks at the period from about 1940 through the mid 1980s, and i examine the different ways in which mexican-americans in victoria texas, struggled to become equal citizens. so i look at their baer in the churches -- behavior in the churches political action, schools and their private organizations, those sorts of things to find examples of ways in which these people tried to, as i say in the title claim citizenship. victoria, texas, is a town about 60 miles north of here between corpus christi and eastern texas. today the city is integrating, but back then i'll give you some examples, there was an organization in the state called the good neighbor commission, and t

anthony quiroz talking about the fight fur civil rights in victoria. >> american history itself, whocitizen and who is not and who decides so for mexican-americans' the story of our history has been ongoing struggle for economy, for inclusion. my book looks at the period 1940 through the 1980s and i see different ways mexican americans and in victoria texas struggle to become equal citizens. i look at their behavior in churches, public schools, political action and private organizations, to find examples of ways in which these people try to claim citizenship. victoria, texas is a town of 60,000 people load located 90 miles north of here, half way to eastern texas. today the city is integrating but back then i give you some examples. there was an organization in the state that was supposed to investigate charges of discrimination. they have a thick file of discriminatory charges and so you still have some discrimination but not to the same extent you did back then. the laws of change, civil rights act of 1964 made a big difference. so things have devolved. 1940, victoria, texas, was v