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Refusing to Forget

@refusing2forget.bsky.social
1.4K followers 3.7K following 1.2K posts

An award-winning public history project committed to sharing the history of state-sanctioned violence against Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Texas.

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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Refusing to Forget condemns the latest DHS decision to build a wall that disturbs a sacred site in Presidio County. Stand with us in supporting descendants and their families. Learn more about this history: refusingtoforget.org Take action: nobigbendwall.org
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
🚨Important news emerging about the Porvenir Massacre site. An official statement from Refusing to Forget on this news is forthcoming. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
Trump’s Border-Wall Construction Is Set to Bulldoze the Porvenir Massacre Site
It is considered sacred ground for the descendants of those killed in a mass execution. The border wall threatens to erase it from history.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
🚨 NEW BOOK ALERT 🚨 In 1919, José Tomás Canales filed legislation to reform the Texas Rangers, sparking two weeks of historic hearings at the state capitol 🏛️ An unprecedented exposure of state-sanctioned violence & its aftermath. 👉 tinyurl.com/55jf89hs
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
This history shaped the world we live in. Many Americans have never heard of it. Meet Benjamin Johnson, co-founder of Refusing to Forget. 🔗 youtu.be/k6ITAhvCdpQ Support our 2026 campaign: refusingtoforget.org/donate/ #PublicHistory #TexasHistory
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
See you tomorrow, RGV! Join the discussion with RTF co-founder, @benjaminhjohns1.bsky.social and learn why “Texas Is Bigger Than You Think It Is,” as well as a roundtable discussion on Trouble in the Borderlands. All community members are welcome.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
New Blog Post ➡️ refusingtoforget.org/terror-is-th... Refusing to Forget member @leahlao.bsky.social demonstrates how the violence that the world is witnessing in Minneapolis and the murders that have occured in other cities since Trump resumed office, is horrific....but it is not new.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
New Blog Post ➡️ refusingtoforget.org/the-canales-... On January 30, 1919, began an unprecedented exposure of state-sanctioned violence by the Texas Rangers & accomplices. Witnesses testified about murder, torture, displacement, and other efforts of intimidation of Border Mexicans by the Rangers.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
On January 30, 1919, began an unprecedented exposure of state-sanctioned violence by the Texas Rangers & accomplices. Witnesses testified about murder, torture, displacement, and intimidation of Border Mexicans by the Rangers. Learn more in today's blog post: refusingtoforget.org/the-canales-...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Today we remember the Porvenir massacre and the lives that were lost. Read more here: refusingtoforget.org/porvenir-mas...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Today we remember the Porvenir massacre and the lives that were lost. Read more here: refusingtoforget.org/porvenir-mas...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Refusing to Forget mourns the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. refusingtoforget.org/we-refuse-to...
refusingtoforget.org
We Refuse to Forget the Murders of Renee Good & Alex Pretti - Refusing to Forget
Refusing to Forget mourns the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. We note with alarm the statements by Trump
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
New on the blog: A guest post marking 115 years since the Rocksprings lynching of Antonio Rodríguez. Contributor Ignacio Minjarez examines the 1910 lynching & invites readers to consider how the stories told after the violence helped define who Rodríguez was. refusingtoforget.org/115-years-si...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
As 2025 comes to a close, this work cannot pause. From reaching 21,000+ people to helping secure long-delayed death certificates for Jesús Bazán and Antonio Longoria, collective memory has made real change possible. With honest history under increasing threat, the need is urgent.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
21,000+ people used our resources this year—teachers, students, journalists, families. Help us keep this history accessible. Support Refusing to Forget this #GivingTuesday. 👉 Donate on Mighty Cause: www.mightycause.com/donate/Refus... 👉 Join Patreon: www.patreon.com/RefusingtoFo...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Starting in 1 hour! Join us on Patreon to join the conversation! www.patreon.com/RefusingtoFo... The forced resignation of Kate Rogers of the Alamo Trust, the firing of Tom Alter from TX State, & lawsuits against historians & journalists are all aimed at suppressing certain historical truths.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Virtual Talk Tonight! Join us as we bring together these powerful voices to reflect on this urgent moment & the ongoing struggle to protect truthful history. @stevanzetti.bsky.social @drmphillipsut.bsky.social Access this event on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/RefusingtoFo...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Our virtual event is just one week away! Join us as we bring together these powerful voices to reflect on this urgent moment & the ongoing struggle to protect truthful history. @stevanzetti.bsky.social @drmphillipsut.bsky.social Access this event on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/RefusingtoFo...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
On Sunday, local community members made the yearly walk to the Matanza of 1915 historical marker. RTF cofounder @gonzalest956.bsky.social, said the murders happened "in response to the last colonial rebellion by ethnic Mexicans against U.S. sovereignty." www.acrosstheamericas.com/la-caminata-...
acrosstheamericas.com
La caminata honors 'the last colonial rebellion', Trump fights SNAP payments in court, election day set for Tuesday
Trinidad Gonzales, who co-founded the history project Refusing to Forget, said the murders happened "in response to the last colonial rebellion by ethnic Mexicans against U.S. sovereignty."
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
🕯Día de los Muertos is upon us.🕯 Join us in remembering the stories and honoring the lives of those who have been victims of racial violence in Texas and those who have fought against these cultures of violence. View our virtual ofrendas on our website. refusingtoforget.org/dia-de-los-m...
refusingtoforget.org
Dia de los Muertos Altar - Refusing to Forget
Day of the Dead is a celebration of Life.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
On an unknown date in October 1962, Homer Garrison, Director of Texas DPS and Chief of the Texas Rangers, dressed in blackface for a work picnic and lampooned the NAACP. A thread on Garrison and racism in the modern Rangers./1 CW: racist language and depictions texasarchive.org/2009_00902
texasarchive.org
DPS Talent Show (1962)
Watch an ever-growing archive of Texas film and videos through the decades. Discover the experience of Texans, explore education and preservation resources.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
#OTD sometime in October of 1921 Texas Ranger Frank Hamer killed Mexican revolutionary and outlaw Rafael "Red" Lopez. His death marked the end of a years long tale that law enforcement would only fully come to understand in the early 2000s. /1
A young Rafael Lopez. From Max Boardman, “Raphael ‘Red’ Lopez,” True West Magazine, April 27, 2015.  https://truewestmagazine.com/article/raphael-red-lopez/
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
The annual Crystal City Pilgrimage honors the memory of the men, women, & children imprisoned in the WWII DOJ Crystal City Family Internment Camp. "The pilgrimage is an invitation to step into the past... To feel rage and grief but also love & community & solidarity." www.crystalcitypilgrimage.org
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
#OTD in 1921, future Texas Ranger Red Burton, a sheriff’s deputy at the time, and Waco sheriff Bob Buchanan had a run-in with the Lorena Ku Klux Klan in Lorena, Texas. /1
Marvin Burton
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
#OTD in 1956, legendary civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall wrote to J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, complaining of Ranger intimidation of Black citizens who had sued Dallas over school segregation. /1
NAACP Chief Counsel Thurgood Marshall in front of the Supreme Court, undated.  Bettmann/Bettmann Archive.  https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/oct/08/thurgood-marshall-film-biopic-supreme-court
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
#OTD in 1915, Texas Rangers murdered Jesús Bazan and his son-in-law, Antonio Longoria, in cold blood. /1
Antonio Longoria
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Did you know Reverberations of Racial Violence (2021) is available in Spanish and FREE to download? ¿Sabías que Rebrotes de Violencia Racial está disponible en español y se puede descargar gratis? ➡️Download: libros.uanl.mx/index.php/u/... ➡️Learn more: refusingtoforget.org/1919-canales...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
🚨Join us in supporting higher education and democracy. Take action using the links below:
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
#OTD in 1949, the first episode of The Lone Ranger premiered, starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. /1
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
#OTD in 1988, Lee Roy Young became the first African American man to be allowed to join the Texas Rangers. /1
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
#OTD in 1918, Texas Rangers illegally held and tortured Jesus Villareal of Copita, TX on his way to his niece’s wedding near Roma. /1
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Want to be featured on our blog? Refusing to Forget publishes blog posts in response to anniversaries & developments in historical knowledge & the way we commemorate the past. Past blog entries can be found at refusingtoforget.org/blog-2/. For more information email jpcarmona74@gmail.com.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
#OTD in 1915, Mexican Revolutionary officer Pascual Orozco and four companions were chased by a posse of Texas Rangers, troops of the Thirteenth Cavalry, and local police after they were falsely accused of assaulting workers at a west Texas ranch. /1
Source: Gen. Pascual Orozco. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-108596 (b&w film copy neg.) Call Number: BIOG FILE - Orozco, Gen. Pascual <item> [P&P], https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mexican-revolution-and-the-united-states/rise-of-madero.html
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
#OTD in 1955, Tales of the Texas Rangers originally aired on the CBS network and continued for three seasons. /1
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
📻Tune in to Fronteras on Texas Public radio today! Refusing to Forget co-founder @gonzalest956.bsky.social discusses his work on the 'A Matter of Justice' Report, written in an effort pursue justice for the victims of La Matanza. www.tpr.org/podcast/fron...
tpr.org
Fronteras: ‘They simply ceased to exist’ — New report aims to identify those killed during state-sanctioned killings
The recent report, A Matter of Justice: The Uninvestigated Homicides of La Matanza, aims to pursue justice for the victims of la matanza.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
📻Tune in!! This Friday RTF co-founder @gonzalest956.bsky.social discusses the 'A Matter of Justice' Report on Fronteras, ‪‪Texas Public Radio. The conversation will also be available Friday on the TPR website: www.tpr.org/podcast/fron... Read the report here: refusingtoforget.org/a-matter-of-...
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
#OTD in 1915, Tomas Aguilar was executed by Rangers after an alleged escape attempt. Ranger Captain James Monroe Fox oversaw the troop that murdered him. /1
JM Fox
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
🔎 New website feature! You can now search across our blogs, OTD calendar, resources and more. 🔎 Give it a try and let us know what you search for! refusingtoforget.org
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
#OTD in 1915, three supposed participants in the “Plan de San Diego” uprising were killed by law enforcement. It is not known whether soldiers, law enforcement, or Texas Rangers were the ones to pull the trigger. /1
Historical marker acknowledging and remembering the participants in El Plan de San Diego. https://refusingtoforget.org/plan-de-san-diego-mexican-american-spirit/.
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
#OTD in 1915, Adolfo Muñoz was tortured, riddled with bullets, and hung from a mesquite tree two miles south of San Benito after mysteriously disappearing from the custody of deputy sheriff Frank Carr and former and future Ranger Daniel Hinojosa. /1 www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
Daniel Hinojosa. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hinojosa-daniel
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
In the summer of 1888, Texas Rangers Ira Aten and Jim King went undercover to try to identify and arrest so-called “fence cutters.” They were unsuccessful. In frustration, Aten developed a plan to hide mines in the fences, blowing them up when cutters approach. /1
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
On July 23 or 24, 1915, the brothers Lorenzo and Gorgonio Manríquez were killed near Mercedes, Texas, by deputy sheriffs, in a chain of events that unleashed violence across south Texas in late summer and fall of 1915. /1
Mercedes Canal in Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas. Ca. 1920 https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/collection/tex/id/5194/
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
🗓Event in 2 Days! Virtual Author Talk with Dr. Trinidad Gonzales. “A Matter of Justice: The Uninvestigated Homicides of La Matanza” is part of an ongoing effort to confront Texas’s past and seek dignity for its victims. Join us. www.facebook.com/share/p/14L3... refusingtoforget.org/a-matter-of-...
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Reposted by Refusing to Forget
Ben Johnson @benjaminhjohns1.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
@refusing2forget.bsky.social co-founder @gonzalest956.bsky.social has painstakingly recreated the location of Texas Rangers in the mass-murder spree of 1915-6. He will be asking local DA to issue death certificates. Read his amazing report here. /1 refusingtoforget.org/a-matter-of-...
refusingtoforget.org
A Matter of Justice Report - Refusing to Forget
From July to November 1915, it is estimated that between 200 to 300 individuals were killed in what the community called la matanza (massacre) in Hidalgo,
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
#OTD on July 8, 1945, Bee County Sheriff Vail Ennis, with Texas Ranger Frank Probst and another deputized man, shot and killed brothers Felix, Domingo, and Antonio Rodriguez. Ennis mowed them down with a Thompson submachine gun. A fourth brother, Geronimo, was injured. /1
"Bee County Sheriff Kills 3 Trying to Recover Children," Corpus Christi Caller, July 8, 1945
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
📢 @datarescueproject.org is calling on us to help #SaveOurSigns! Interpretive signs in national parks may be removed by Sept. under new federal rules. You can help preserve history by photographing & uploading park signs. This summer, let’s #SaveOurSigns. www.datarescueproject.org/save-our-sig...
datarescueproject.org
We love our National Parks. Help us #SaveOurSigns
We need your help to #SaveOurSigns
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
#OTD in 1923, the Ku Klux Klan attempted to kidnap farmer and rail worker Otto Lange from his front porch in Burleson County. The resulting case shows the complicated relationship between Rangers and the Klan. /1
A 1930 photo of members of the Ku Klux Klan. Photograph: Henry Guttmann/Getty Images. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/05/ku-klux-klan-kkk-media-debate
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
#OTD in 1979, the University of Notre Dame Press published “Gunpowder Justice: A Reassessment of the Texas Rangers,” by Julian Samora, Joe Bernal, and Albert Peña. /1
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
In late June 1914 #TexasRangers Ira Cline and H.L. Roberson killed Carlos Morales Wood, editor of the Spanish language newspaper La Patria Mexicana published in Valentine, TX, while he supposedly resisted arrest. /1
Black and white photo of seven men. On the left three sit in a horse-drawn wagon while one leans on the wagon’s side. On the right three are on horseback. A cursive caption in white at the bottom of the photo reads, “Texas Rangers Valentine, Texas.”
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Rangers Captain Sam McMurry, from Company B, was sent to Thumber, Texas in the Spring of 1889 to take stock of an ongoing conflict between T&PCC management and its miners. /1
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/railroad/other/coal-thurber.html
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Refusing to Forget @refusing2forget.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Happy Juneteenth! Today we remember, celebrate, and recommit to justice.
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