Collection
Latinx Civil Rights
Contributor
Gracía, Analyssa (Interviewer); Parra, Gabriella (Transcribed by); Otter.ai (Transcribed by); Cotrell, Charles (Interviewee)
Publication Date
2022
Description
Dr. Cotrell discusses the motivations for his activist work and the experiences he faced as a professor and community leader. He recalls cases from his time serving as an expert witness in voting rights lawsuits and notes the importance of telling stories of voter intimidation. Dr. Cotrell shares his thoughts on staying proactive in politics, gives advice to young activists, and describes how university faculty can support students in their activism. He also reflects on his personal interests and those that occupied most of his time as a professor.
Biography
Dr. Charles Cotrell was born August 26, 1940, in San Antonio, Texas. He received his bachelor’s in government from St. Mary’s University in 1962. Two years later, he earned his master’s degree in political science from St. Mary’s. In 1965, Dr. Cotrell received his Ph.D. in political science and government from the University of Arizona and began teaching at Texas A&M University Kingsville. He returned to St. Mary’s in the fall of 1966 as a professor in the political science department. From 1999 through 2012, Dr. Cotrell served as president of St. Mary’s University and then continued teaching until his retirement in 2021. Throughout his career, Dr. Cotrell was an advocate for voting rights and social justice.
Interview Index
0:54 Racial dynamics growing up in Warren, Texas
2:40 Teaching at Texas A&M Kingsville
6:16 Inspirations for activism
8:34 Leadership
12:19 Supporting students in activism as a professor
18:38 Challenging moments in activism
22:15 Goals for St. Mary’s University in the 1980’s
27:30 Serving as an expert witness in voting rights lawsuits
37:48 Importance of sharing experiences of voting rights violations
44:50 Anticipating the future
48:34 Being proactive in politics
58:34 Personal interests and use of time
1:12:29 Advice for young activists
Keywords
activism, voting rights, education, leadership, experiential learning, social justice
Size or Duration
18 pages; 1 hour, 19 minutes, 19 seconds
Format
Docx; M4A
Disciplines
Chicana/o Studies | Latina/o Studies | Oral History | Public History
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gracía, Analyssa and Parra, Gabriella, "Charles Cotrell" (2022). Latinx Civil Rights. 7.
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/mascroh/7
Included in
Chicana/o Studies Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Oral History Commons, Public History Commons