Diplomatic pressure: Adolfo Domínguez, civil rights and World War II

As people of Mexican Origin immigrated to the United States in the early twentieth century they were often marginalized from society and government institutions. Many turned to the network of Mexican consuls located throughout the Southwestern United States. In this paper I argue that Mexican consul Adolfo Domínguez played a pivotal role in incorporating people of Mexican Origin into the World War II era Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) that investigated complaints of discrimination. Domínguez used international pressure and relationships with Mexican American civil rights leaders to incorporate people of Mexican origin, including American citizens, into the work of the FEPC. Domínguez served as a personal diplomat between people of Mexican origin in the United States and the United States government.