Rename César Chávez Street for Dr. George I. Sánchez
The Issue
Rename César Chávez Street for Dr. George I. Sánchez
Austin is reconsidering the name of César Chávez Street. We have an opportunity to do more than change a street sign. We can honor a civil rights leader whose life and work are part of Austin and Texas history.
Dr. George I. Sánchez was a pioneering Mexican-American educator, scholar and civil rights leader. He earned his master’s degree at The University of Texas at Austin and joined the UT faculty in 1940. His groundbreaking scholarship challenged the use of standardized testing to label Spanish-speaking children as intellectually inferior, and he spent decades fighting segregation and unequal educational opportunities for Mexican-American children.
Sánchez also served as the 13th national president of LULAC and founded the American Council of Spanish Speaking People, which helped support civil rights litigation and organizations fighting discrimination in Texas and across the Southwest.
Austin is the capital city of Texas. If we are going to rename one of its major streets, I believe we should use that opportunity to honor someone whose story gives future generations something worth asking about:
Who was George I. Sánchez?
That simple question can start a conversation about education, Mexican-American history, civil rights, Texas and the responsibility each generation has to leave opportunity a little wider for the next.
We have heard suggestions to return to Water Street or East 1st Street. I believe this moment gives Austin an opportunity to do something more: honor a Texan whose work from Austin reached classrooms, courtrooms and communities far beyond our city.
Join me in supporting the renaming of César Chávez Street to George I. Sánchez Street, and in asking the Austin City Council to make this a lasting tribute to education, civil rights and Mexican-American history in the capital city of Texas.
70
The Issue
Rename César Chávez Street for Dr. George I. Sánchez
Austin is reconsidering the name of César Chávez Street. We have an opportunity to do more than change a street sign. We can honor a civil rights leader whose life and work are part of Austin and Texas history.
Dr. George I. Sánchez was a pioneering Mexican-American educator, scholar and civil rights leader. He earned his master’s degree at The University of Texas at Austin and joined the UT faculty in 1940. His groundbreaking scholarship challenged the use of standardized testing to label Spanish-speaking children as intellectually inferior, and he spent decades fighting segregation and unequal educational opportunities for Mexican-American children.
Sánchez also served as the 13th national president of LULAC and founded the American Council of Spanish Speaking People, which helped support civil rights litigation and organizations fighting discrimination in Texas and across the Southwest.
Austin is the capital city of Texas. If we are going to rename one of its major streets, I believe we should use that opportunity to honor someone whose story gives future generations something worth asking about:
Who was George I. Sánchez?
That simple question can start a conversation about education, Mexican-American history, civil rights, Texas and the responsibility each generation has to leave opportunity a little wider for the next.
We have heard suggestions to return to Water Street or East 1st Street. I believe this moment gives Austin an opportunity to do something more: honor a Texan whose work from Austin reached classrooms, courtrooms and communities far beyond our city.
Join me in supporting the renaming of César Chávez Street to George I. Sánchez Street, and in asking the Austin City Council to make this a lasting tribute to education, civil rights and Mexican-American history in the capital city of Texas.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on August 26, 2026