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Life story

" Arriaga's political involvement was a departure for Mexican Americans in the small town of Rosenberg, 34 miles southwest of Houston. That involvement, starting in the late 1960s, would change her hometown: soon there would be paved streets, streetlights and eventually a park named for a Mexican-American hero. During the 1960s and 1970s, Arriaga joined State representative district 27 of Austin, Dora Oliva and Lupe Uresti in efforts with the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project to educate the Hispanic population on their voting rights. They set up a small voter registration office in town, went door to door passing out information and held mock elections to further encourage Mexican-American citizens to overcome their fears by going to vote. By 1975, segregation and discrimination had eased somewhat, but there were still daunting issues for the Hispanic community in Rosenberg. That year, attorney Paul Cedillo sought the attention of Barbara Jordan with a letter and an attached series of affidavits, part of which described an incident of voter intimidation in a school board election in Rosenberg where Hispanic voters were being turned away from the polls for various reasons. Arriaga and her husband contributed to this effort by submitting affidavits, and eventually Jordan held a meeting in Rosenberg to address the issues. In 1979, Arriaga and Uresti ran for City Council, but they both lost. They continued with their efforts to educate voters and ran again the next term. Through the years, Arriaga witnessed many positive changes in the community of Rosenberg. In a small Texas town where segregated theaters, restaurants and parks were the norm, and where Mexican Americans were treated like second-class citizens, individuals like Felicita Arriaga fought for their rights and made things happen."