Willie Velasquez

Monument

Willie Velasquez Monument

The Willie Velasquez Monument is a joint project of Southwest
Voter Registration Education Project and William C. Velasquez
Institute, sister organizations founded by Willie Velasquez
The Willie Velasquez Monument will be featured on the lawn in
front of the new Bexar County Elections Office building in the
west-side of San Antonio, Texas
SVREP and WCVI commissioned celebrated New Mexico
sculptor, Reynaldo Sonny Rivera to create Willies Statue by
May 9, 2016
Willies bronze life-size Statue will stand over 8 ft. tall on a 3
ft. pedestal. The bronze monument will stand 11 ft. tall

William C. Velasquez
1944-1988

State of Texas
Governor Perry
signed HB 3209
in September
2013: May 9th
Willie Velasquez
Day

Willie Velasquez Monument

Born on May 9, 1944, in the west side of San Antonio, Texas, Willie
opened SVREP in 1974, to focus on increasing Latino political
participation in the American democratic process.
Over the next fourteen years Willie organized a massive increase in
Latino voting across the southwest principally using the tactic of
nonpartisan voter registration and voting rights lawsuits.
In 1985, Willie launched Southwest Voter Research Institute
(renamed William C. Velasquez Institute in 1997) to develop
research and policy for the growing cohort of Latino elected
officials.
In 1995, Willie was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by
President Bill Clinton. In 1996, his name was attached to the US
Senate version of the Voting Rights Reauthorization and
Amendments Act of 1996.

Willie Velasquez Monument

Willie Started SVREP 1974, WCVI in 1985
Willie opened SVREP with a folding chair and table, rotary phone and phone book.
Willie met with Latino voters at their homes to register them to vote.

Texas Legislature Marks May 9th

Texas celebrates Willie Day of Recognition with passage and Governor

signing of HB3209 in 2013

SVREP celebrates 41 years

Willie opened SVREP doors 41 years ago. Since the doors opened,
SVREP has registered 2.6 million Latino voters, trained over
150,000 Latino leaders and won 85 voting rights lawsuits

WCVI celebrates 30 years

WCVI serves a vast Latino network of community leaders and elected officials
with training, research and policy programs through offices in Los Angeles and
San Antonio.

Willie Velasquez
Monument
Reynaldo Sonny Rivera

Reynaldo Rivera's sculptures reflect the values, spirit and

cultural traditions that existed in the Southwest. His
bronze figures are recognizable because of their strong,
interpretive style. Rivera works to capture the rugged
existence and valiant heroism of those who helped form
the Southwest.

Rivera has been commissioned by the Onate Monument

Center; the Albuquerque Museum; the Albuquerque
Zoological Park; Fort Selden State Monument; The City of
El Paso; Clovis Community College; the County of
Bernalillo's Public Art Program; and the City of
Albuquerque's 1% for the Arts Program to create his life
size bronze sculptors.

Riveras large-scale sculptures are in private, corporate

and museum collections throughout the United States.

Rivera's studied at the American Academy of Arts in

Chicago, the Galleria Della Arte in Florence, Italy, and San
Miguel de Allende Institute in Mexico. He studied under
the late Master Sculptor and Painter Eugene Hall.

Rivera, a native New Mexican resides with his family in

Albuquerque near, where he is fulfilling his life-long dream
of working on historic, cultural and theme pieces.

Willie Velasquez Monument

Sonny Rivera
At work and
his Art

Hon. Roberto Alonzo Hon. Hope Andrade

George Hernandez

Garry Mauro

Rudy Beserra

Hon. Jose Menendez

Ruben Bonilla

Choco Meza

Ernest Bromley Hon. Joaquin Castro Hon. Tommy Calvert Domingo Garcia

Rolando Pablo

Ignacio Perez

Janie Gonzalez
Arturo Sanchez

Juan Sepulveda

Lionel Sosa

Joe Michael Trevino

Art Troilo

Hon. Carlos Uresti

Frumercio Reyes

JD Salinas

Willie
Velasquez
Monument
Committee

Sponsors and Partnerships

Add your Logo

Willie
Velasquez
Monument
Committee

Willie Monument

My donation for the Willie Monument

$50,000
__$100,000
$25,000
__$150,000
$10,000
__$250,000
$5,000
__Other:$______
Tax-deductible donations of $10,000 or more will be placed on a plaque on
the monuments pedestal.

Willie Velasquez Monument

Su Vote Es
Su Voz

We invite you to join us in

building Willies Monument
to celebrate and honor
William C. Velasquez
contributions
Antonio Gonzalez
SVREP & WCVI President