Email: mbarrera1917@gmail.com
About “Meme” Manuel Barrera;
I write mostly about local politics in Houston, Texas, Tejano history, Mexican American memory, and national issues that reach into our communities. Some articles begin in Houston. Some begin in Starr County, Corpus Christi, or the borderlands. Some begin in Washington. But the voice is always the same: independent, Tejano, and not for sale.
I am an eighth-generation Texan and can prove it.
Below is a screenshot of my 3rd great-grandparents in the 1860 census. When my grandmother was born in what is now Texas, it was part of Mexico. If one looks at my grandfather, one would notice that he was born in New Mexico. That part of the family was some of the original Spanish settlers in New Mexico.
I have lived in Houston since 1970.
I am originally from Corpus Christi, Texas. I attended West Oso High School and received a technical degree from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. If one wants to know what life was like when I grew up in Molina, read the following: Thesis-Molina.
I attended Oklahoma State University for two years, then transferred to the University of Houston, where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
Five years later, I attended the University of Houston School of Law, night school. It took five years, but I eventually earned my degree and passed the bar exam during my last semester of law school.
I have been licensed to practice law since 1983.
How to pronounce my nickname – Meme – My Gabacho friends and acquaintances prefer to call me Manny, which is much easier for them to pronounce.