CUERO, TX – Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco, a Cuero native and distinguished historian, has been elected to the board of the Alliance for Texas History, a prestigious organization dedicated to fostering a comprehensive understanding of Texas’s rich and diverse history. Founded in 2024, the Alliance for Texas History hosts an annual conference, maintains a Texas history news website, and is preparing to publish its inaugural Journal of Texas History. The Alliance’s second annual conference is scheduled for May 15-17 in San Marcos.
Dr. Orozco’s election to the board marks another milestone in an illustrious career that has cemented her as one of the nation’s leading historians. A graduate of Cuero High School, where she served as president of the Student Council, Dr. Orozco went on to earn her BA from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in U.S. History from UCLA, becoming the thirteenth Mexican American woman in the United States to achieve this distinction. Her academic journey and dedication to the field have inspired countless students and scholars.
Dr. Orozco’s accomplishments extend well beyond her election to the Alliance. She has served on the board of the Organization of American Historians, the largest professional society for U.S. historians, and is a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. Locally, she contributes to the preservation of history as a member of the DeWitt County Historical Commission.
Renowned for her scholarly contributions, Dr. Orozco has authored several highly acclaimed works, including No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The Rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement and Agent of Change: Adela Sloss-Vento, Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Texas Feminist, which was awarded Best Book in Texas Women’s History by the Texas State Historical Association in 2020. Her other works include Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales and the co-edited volume Mexican Americans in Texas History. Additionally, she has published over eighty articles for the Handbook of Texas and penned opinion pieces for newspapers across Texas, New Mexico, and California.
Dr. Orozco has also been the recipient of numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies and the National LULAC Education Raymond Telles Award in 2023. She received the ENMU Ruidoso President’s Award for Teaching and Service and prestigious Ford Foundation Fellowships for both her dissertation and post-doctoral work.
Her election to the Alliance for Texas History underscores her lifelong dedication to the study and celebration of Texas history. As the Alliance embarks on exciting new initiatives, Dr. Orozco’s expertise and passion for historical scholarship will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping its future endeavors.
For more on Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco’s remarkable achievements, visit https://CynthiaOrozco.com
Cuero proudly celebrates this hometown historian’s continued success and contributions to Texas and beyond.
