This article is based on an abbreviated copy of the historical marker application compiled by Katherine Enders, Preservation Austin intern. Footnote numbering is off.
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| Richard Moya house, courtesy Preservation Austin |
Moya’s Early Life
Richard Moya was born in 1932, the first of three children to Guatero and Berta Moya. At the time of his birth, the family lived on East 9th Street in Austin. Entering grade school, Moya enrolled in Zavala Elementary, a segregated school attended by Mexican American children. When Moya was in 4th grade, his family moved to their long-term home at 1102 East 1st Street6, putting them in closer proximity to the Anglo-only Metz elementary. When the school superintendent told the Moyas their children still had to attend Zavala with other Mexican American children, Moya’s mother refused. She determinedly fought the decision and eventually the school allowed Moya and his sister to attend Metz. The Moya children were two of only five Mexican American children in the entire school.7 After Metz Elementary, Moya attended Allan Junior High and graduated from Austin High School in 1950.
During high school, Moya started his own school newspaper called the Blah, Blah, Blah which became the voice for his Mexican American classmates.8 Although the paper was later banned from campus, Moya did the printing himself, an interest which led to his work as a union printer for 15 years after his high school graduation. This background in printing would feature prominently during his political career. He eventually changed career paths and became an investigator for Travis County Legal Aid Society and worked with the Office of Economic Opportunity in the mid-1960s. This new line of work exposed him to the workings of county government and inspired him to become involved in politics. There had not been any Mexican Americans elected to public office in Austin at that point, and Moya noticed that even among government staff there was a striking lack of diversity.9 In addition to Moya’s exposure to the workings of county government, another influential factor in his life came in the form of the Economy Furniture Strike.10
The Economy Furniture Strike
A strike led by Mexican American workers at the Economy Furniture Store, located at 5100 E 5th St. in East Austin and at the time the largest furniture-making business in the three-state area of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, was an important part of the Chicano political movement that swept Austin in the 1970s.11 Workers at the Economy Furniture Store, 90% of whom were Mexican American, had been trying to unionize for nearly a decade.12 Their chief complaints were low pay and the fact that experienced Mexican American workers would be tasked with training new white workers who would quickly become their supervisors. When owner Milton Smith refused to honor the 252-83 vote in favor of unionizing, workers went on strike on November 27, 1968. Milton bitterly refused to negotiate, causing the strike and an ensuing furniture boycott to last for 28 months. The strike drew national attention when Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union took an interest. Chavez came to Austin to lend support to the movement and led a march of over 5,000 people on the Capitol on February 6, 1971. In June 1971, Smith finally agreed to wage increases, seniority-based raises, and other benefits, including up to $13,500 in back pay to each worker.13 This success showed the power of the Mexican American community in Austin, and soon people were fighting for change in more places than their work environments. They wanted their political representation to look like them. This political awakening led to numerous Chicano politicians running for office in the late 1960s and 1970s.
On December 15, 1969, Moya announced his candidacy for Travis County Commissioner in the midst of the Economy Furniture Strike.14 After months of campaigning, Moya was successful in his race for Commissioner, unseating incumbent Lawson Booth who had been in office for 21 years. This impressive victory solidified Richard Moya’s place in history as the first Mexican American elected to public office in Austin. Moya credited the Economy Furniture strikers and the strong Chicano political movement for his successful election.
Moya House and the Brown Machine
When Moya’s parents moved out of their family home, they gave Moya the house to use as a political headquarters. This physical base was important to the burgeoning Chicano movement in Austin since up until this point most had not had much first-hand experience in political organizing. Having one central place to support their political activities made the effort simpler for the community. The Moya House became the center of the future political strength of the Mexican American community in Austin.15
The Moya House is a one and a half story wooden Craftsman style home that was built circa 1930.16 It is likely a kit home, a concept which was popularized by companies such as Sears, Roebuck & Co. in the 1910s and 1920s. Companies would sell building plans and factory-cut building components. These were shipped and then assembled on-site, making homeownership more affordable for average families. Typical of a Craftsman style home, decorative braces adorn the low-pitched gable roof with exposed rafters. The house features a covered porch supported by square columns. Although they are no longer standing today, at the time the home was used for political purposes there was a small garage and a storage shed located at the back of the property.17 The garage housed Moya’s printing press which he used to create campaign posters for himself and other candidates.
Drawing on his 15 years of experience as a professional printer, Moya was highly skilled at using a printing press and silkscreen printing methods to create political posters. A group of five would operate the press in an assembly line fashion—one raised the press, while another loaded the cardboard, and another applied the ink, and so on.18 Volunteers would attach the posters to wooden stakes and display them around town to raise awareness for the campaigns. Smaller posters would be attached to coat hangers and hung in bushes and in trees around town.19 Moya’s printing press was dubbed “the Brown Machine” because of the part it played in the election of so many Mexican American candidates. The Moya House was used for political organizing to turn out the vote leading up to elections. On election day, the house became the neighborhood hub where the community would gather to see the results of the election. A large board was erected in the backyard to keep track of the political races throughout the day. If the candidate won, a celebratory bar-b-que was sure to follow.20 The Moya House was used as a political headquarters until the early 1990s.21
Conclusion
As the central hub for many important Mexican American political campaigns at the height of the Chicano movement in the 1970s, the Moya House is a significant site in the history of Austin. In addition to Moya’s campaign, other notable campaigns that utilized the Moya House include Bob Perkins for re-election to Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace in 1978, John Treviño Jr. for Austin City Council in 1975, Gonzalo Barrientos for State Representative in 1972 and 1974, and Margaret Gomez for Travis County Constable in 1980, among others. They all used the Moya House for phone banking, block walking, fundraising, sign making, and tracking of votes on election day. These elections were significant because they were the first instances that Mexican American politicians from Austin were elected to city, county, and state levels of government. Although the house was sold in 1999, it takes its rightful place in the history of how the Mexican American community rose to prominence in Austin politics. The civic leaders it produced were highly impactful in shaping the political landscape of the city of Austin, Travis County, and the state of Texas.
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