EDINBURG, TEXAS - James C. Harrington, retired founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, is giving a speech at UT-Rio Grande Valley today.
The event takes place at the EEDUC building on the Edinburg campus from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
It is part of the Gloria E. Anzaldua Speaker Series in Philosophy 2026 and is sponsored by the Center for Collaboration and Ethics, which is part of the Department of Philosophy.
"It's a wonderful honor to be invited to return to the Rio Grande Valley as the 2026 speaker for for the UTRGV Gloria E. Anzaldúa Speaker Series in Philosophy, especially on International Workers Day,” Harrington told the Rio Grande Guardian.
“It’s a double honor to be there with friends with whom we worked together to bring greater justice for farm workers and to change the Texas grand jury system, as well as to advocate for people in the disability community.
"I hope my talk will help inspire and motivate the current and future generations of leaders to continue that struggle for justice, even against the forces that resist society’s progress. Continuing to organize is the key and is how we show the respect for the generations who went before us and sacrificed to bring us be where we are today: to receive the marathon torch from them and to pass it on to those who follow us It’s a long struggle, but we can, and will, succeed."
Last September, Harrington published a book tilted "The Texas Civil Rights Project: How We Built a Social Justice Movement." The Cine El Rey Theater Foundation hosted a book-signing event for him at the España restaurant in McAllen. Click here to watch a video interview with Harrington from that event.
Harrington said a Spanish language version of the book has now been published.
“I’m bringing it to distribute to the farm workers after the UTRGV talk. They are free; a donor covered the cost so that people in the Valley could be sure to have one in Spanish. We want to distribute it without charge to schools and public libraries.”
