Henry B. González (1916–2000) was a Mexican American Democratic congressman from Texas who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1999. González was known as a prominent liberal and staunch supporter of civil rights. He surprised many of his fellow Democrats and progressives on April 22, 1969, when he delivered a speech that was highly critical of some groups and strategies that were emerging in the late 1960s as part of a growing movement for Hispanic rights and self-empowerment. The period was marked by the emergence of organizations that sought economic, political, and social equality for Hispanics.