"Let us not forget there are First Amendment rights, and Mr. Graglia has the right to say whatever he wants to in America, but so do we," said Barrientos.
"We want something done, and we want it done now, or in the next [legislative] session we will do it."
Referring to Graglia's comments and the recent end to affirmative action programs at state-funded universities, Sen. West, who is African American, said, "I would hope that the governor of our state, who all of us work with on a day to day basis, would not preside over the resegregation of higher education in the state."
Jackson lauded the students attending the rally, most of whom were White, for turning out to protest Graglia. "This is a great moment in the history of Texas because you're turning a minus into a plus. You're making a charge today to go forward by hope and not backwards by fear."
James E. Garcia is editor and publisher of Politico, a national weekly newsletter covering Latino politics.
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