Sunday Speaker Series: The Brownsville Raid of 1906

Around midnight on Aug. 13, 1906, an assault on the city of Brownsville, Texas, was carried out by an unknown party of men. The townspeople were quick to identify the culprits from the 25th United States Infantry, an all-black unit. The incident had been largely swept under the rug by historians until the 1992 publication, The Brownsville Raid, by John D. Weaver (Texas A&M Press, 1992).  This carefully documented account of the raid supplied the facts in the case that enabled Dr. Joseph Chance to construct a scenario that not only ensured the innocence of the black troops but to point the finger of guilt at other parties. How anyone at that time could have arrived at any other conclusion related to the guilt of the black troops is the only mystery that remains of this incident.

Chance is an author of several published books on history, newspaper columns and essays. A fifth generation Texan, Chance was raised in Austin before making the Rio Grande Valley his home. Currently, he is a retired professor residing in Edinburg with his wife.

Sunday Speaker Series is included in the fee for regular museum admission. FRIENDS of the Museum are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship.

This program is made possible with generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created at the museum by her family to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education to the community.