Since 1926—shortly after the Texas Rangers lynched thousands of Mexican-Americans from the Texas border to San Antonio—the Texas Ranger has been associated with San Antonio College as its newspaper name and mascot. San Antonio College is a majority Mexican-American student campus and is federally defined as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. In addition to ignoring students who find having a symbol of Mexican-American oppression as a long time mascot offensive, San Antonio College has recently adopted a new mascot who is suggested to be a “masked ranger,” with the appearance of a stereotypical Mexican bandit. When the Texas Rangers lynched Mexican-Americans for refusing to give up their lands, our ancestors were often accused of being bandits and/or of committing crimes in order to justify the atrocities committed by the Texas Rangers. The mask was recently removed from the “masked ranger” but “Antonio,” as they have named him, is still the mascot. We, the students of Alamo Colleges, along with the Mexican-American organizations listed here would appreciate your support in respectfully requesting that San Antonio College completely disassociate itself with the problematic legacy of the Texas Rangers and removes the Masked Ranger, who we feel is not only problematic, but does not at all represent the students.

Somos La Gente student organization at San Antonio College, NACCS Tejas Foco, Somos MAS/Mexican American Studies San Antonio, Tejas, Trinity University’s Global Latinx Studies, MAS at NVC, MAS at UTSA, OLLU’s Center for Mexican American Studies and Research (CMASR), OLLU's Mexican American Student Association (MASA), Palo Alto College’s Center for MAS, PAC’s Somos MAS student Organization, Mexican American Studies Student Organization at UTSA (MASSO), and MASA at A&M-SA