Raul Cano, Milwaukee Civil And Educational Rights Activist Passed Away In San Antonio

Cano along other Mexican-American civil and educational rights activists fought for Hispanics to be given the opportunity to higher education in Wisconsin.

By H. Nelson Goodson

September 21, 2014

San Antonio, Texas -  On Sunday, Raul Cano Jr., 65, a well known Milwaukee civil and educational rights activist in the late 1960's and early 1970's past away, according to family members. Cano passed away peacefully with family at his side at the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital in San Antonio, according to Yolanda Cano, his sister.

Cano joined the Brown Barets and fought along side other Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans and undocumented immigrants for equal access to higher education and employment opportunities in local, county and state jobs.

Cano fought along side with the late Roberto Hernández and the late former Aldermanic woman Mary Ann McNulty and was one of more than 500 educational activists who took over the U.W.M. Chancellor's Office on August 27, 1970. The educational protest by Cano and other community activists lasted until the chancellor decided to accept Latinos to enroll at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (U.W.M.) and created the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute and later was renamed the Roberto Hernández Center at U.W.M.

Cano was also instrumental with the changing of the leadership role at the United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) in the late 1960's along with Jesus Salas who became the first Hispanic director of UMOS.

"Cano was one of the community organizers with the Latin American Union for Civil Rights (LAUCR) during the late 1960's and 1970's and was one that care very much how Latinos were being treated in Milwaukee. Also, he always wanted to make a difference for young people in Milwaukee and around the state," said Ernesto Chacon, former executive director for LAUCR.
Cano also joined and fought along side iconic Milwaukee Hispanic leaders and community organizers like, Jesus Salas, Ernesto Chacon, Lalo Valdez, Armando Orellana, Dante Navarro, Salvador Sánchez, Roberto Hernández and Tony Baez, including a group of women known as las Adelitas, Marla O. Anderson, Maria Ortega, Clementina Castro and Mercedes Rivas who were just initiating a local civil rights movement in the late 1960's to bring down the barriers of discrimination, exclusion and inequalities in fair housing, Welfare rights, higher education and the lack of employment opportunities for Latinos in local, county and state governments.

Cano Jr. is survived by his sons, Raul Cano III and Ricardo Javier Cano both of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; sisters, Linda Cano Basaldua and husband Paul Estala and Yolanda Cano; brother, John Jay Cano all of Uvalde; grandchildren, Carissa Meilani Cano and Isabella Veronica Cano; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raul and Guadalupe (Arizmendi) Cano.

A rosary will be held on Thursday and Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary, 220 S. Getty, Uvalde, Texas.

Cano Jr.'s cremation is under the direction of Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary.