UNT Press

Yo Soy: From a Migrant Field Worker to a University Professor

— Vol. 14: of Al Filo: Mexican American Studies Series

Published: November, 2025  Pages: 240  Features: 37 b&w illus. Notes. Bib. Index.

Yo Soy is a memoir of Roberto E. Villarreal’s life struggle for social justice and equality, a reclamation of his ancestry, language, and culture forbidden by the Texas state school policies during his childhood in the 1930s. Racism, bigotry, violence, and subordination formed a shell difficult to overcome. The “Mexican” problem, as it was known, was deeply ingrained in the life of the Anglo community, creating a perpetual labor class. As a result, Mexican Americans were poverty-stricken sharecroppers and migrants, with a complete disconnect between families and the school system. more... about Yo Soy: From a Migrant Field Worker to a University Professor