History

Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary

In 2001, Brownsville ISD dedicated its 31st elementary to Dr. Americo Paredes who served as a role model, outspoken advocate for social justice, and inspiration for Hispanics of every generation. Paredes spent a lifetime writing and singing about a subject close to his heart: the border of the United States and Mexico. He was a journalist, educator, poet, author, anthropologist, and singer during a life that included more than 30 years teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. Honored on both sides of the border, Paredes was still writing, singing and passing on his border folklore at the time of his death in 1999, at the age of 83. Jay Harris was the school’s first principal.