Migrant workers

Agricultural Workers History Collection

drice — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 09:16:17 -0400

The United Farm Workers of America (predecessor name, United Farm Workers Organizing Committee) is a 20th Century union, created when the National Farm Workers Association and Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee merged to form UFWOC, to further the rights of farm workers. As the union developed, it led strikes and organizing campaigns to advance their efforts.

Parts 1 and 2 of the Agricultural Workers History Collection are comprised of articles, publications, crop and migrant studies, farm wage rates, UFW grape and lettuce boycott newsletters, legislative reports and other materials documenting the history of agricultural labor in California and a few other states.

Al Barnes Photograph Collection

eclemens — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 17:33:48 -0500

The Al Barnes Photographs consist of 17 black and white negatives that document life in Northern Michigan during the late 19th-century. The negatives include scenes of local landmarks, both man-made and natural, agricultural labors at work in the farms of the Old Mission Peninsula, and portraits of children. Of particular note are negatives concerning the activities of local Native Americans.

Ken Barger Papers

drice — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:46:10 -0400

Ken Barger (1941-), who was raised in east Tennessee, became active in social change after his experiences serving in the Vietnam War. He was a professor of Anthropology for thirty years at Indiana University Indianapolis, focusing professionally on social change. Through these professional interests, he got involved with the farm labor movement and the immigrant rights movement. Barger has been an active member of the FLOC movement since 1979. He participated in many activities, such as building boycotts, farm labor education, immigrant rights, and public education about migrant worker justice. He was the vice president of the Farm Labor Research Project and the community organizer for FLOC. As of 2011, he serves on the board of directors for the Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice as secretary.

The Ken Barger Papers are predominantly FLOC materials. Included are packets from the FLOC Constitutional Conventions and collective bargaining agreements between workers and companies like Vlasic Foods, Heinz U.S.A. and Campbell Soup. Several campaigns are covered with an abundance of material relating to the Campbell Soup Campaign and Mt. Olive Campaign. There are also copies of FLOC publications and Nuestra Lucha.

David Burciaga Papers

kschmeling — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 09:10:42 -0500

David Burciaga worked with many farm worker movement leaders, including Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Gilbert Padilla in various capacities, from the 1950s to the 1980s. He served as the United Farm Workers’ top contract negotiator, working with both farm workers and growers. Prior to his involvement with the UFW, Burciaga worked with the American Friends Service Committee as the El Porvenir community development advisor from 1964 to 1970 and for the Community Service Organization (CSO). David Burciaga died in 2011.

The files of David Burciaga mainly consist of his activities with the American Friends Service Committee, the Community Service Organization and The United Farm Workers of America.

Marshall Ganz Papers

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:47:35 -0400

Subjects include: United Farm Workers; Cesar Chavez; organizing farm workers; agricultural labor relations cases; boycott in Canada; UFW National Executive Board; Jessica Govea; medical programs

Dolores Huerta Papers

drice — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:04:27 -0400

Dolores Huerta champions the rights of farm workers and Latinos. As a young teacher her experiences in classrooms filled with hungry children of migrant farm workers led her to believe that an even greater need was organizing farm workers. Dolores first met Cesar Chavez in the late 1950s while organizing farm workers under the name of the Agricultural Workers Association. In 1962 they founded the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, California. Today, Dolores Huerta continues to place La Causa first. She remains a boundlessly energetic and charismatic leader for the United Farm Workers union as an executive board member, union negotiator and lecturer. In addition, Huerta has been honored with numerous awards across the country for her work as an advocate for the rights of women, immigrants and people of color.

The papers of Dolores Huerta primarily deal with boycotts, strikes, and the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and organizations involved in such matters.

Larry Itliong Papers

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:31:37 -0400

In 1956 Larry Itliong founded the Filipino Farm Labor Union in California. With the formation in 1967 of UFWOC (United Farm Workers Organizing Committee) Larry Itliong became Assistant Director to Cesar Chavez in the union that would eventually become the UFW. In January, 1970 he was appointed National Boycott Coordinator of the UFWOC. Itliong resigned from the Union on October 15, 1971. He devoted the rest of his life to improving the lives of retired Filipino farm workers, and to a wide variety of community and civic projects, many of which were Filipino related. The collection consists of a small amount of materials from the early days of farm worker organizing. The bulk of the collection is Mr. Itliong's records of his post-UFW endeavors.

Michigan Farm Worker Ministry Coalition Photographs and Audio-Visual and Other Materials

drice — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 17:09:18 -0400

The Michigan Farm Worker Ministry Coalition, active from 1978 through the 1990s, worked to assist farm workers’ organizing efforts and to improve their access to health care and education. This collection consists of photographs documenting their activities and the activities of related organizations, as well as audio recordings, posters, banners, and other ephemera.

National Farm Worker Ministry Records

kschmeling — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 09:26:14 -0500

The National Farm Worker Ministry (predecessor name California Migrant Ministry) is an agency of the Southern and Northern California Councils of Churches and is affiliated with the Migrant Ministry of the National Council of Churches. It carries on a direct and active ministry of service to farm workers and their families in the following areas: Education, health services, worship, recreation, literacy classes, voter registration, community development, and vocational counseling and training. The NFWM also assists local clergy and congregations in their relationships with farm workers.

In addition, the National Farm Worker Ministry has played an active role in the organization of farm workers, in promoting national and state legislation, and in lending support to striking farm workers.

National Farm Worker Ministry: Florida Office Records

kschmeling — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 13:50:43 -0400

The National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM)—original name Migrant Ministry— has been administering to the nation’s farm workers since the 1920’s. It originally operated in southeastern United States and by the early 1940s expanded to aid migrant workers in fifteen states. It was during the strikes and boycotts of the 1960s and 1970s initiated by Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) that brought the California Migrant Ministry and other state migrant ministries to form a national organization to better assist the UFW cause. The Florida office supported the UFW from the early years of the boycott campaigns.

The files of the NFWM Florida office consist of documents relating to a number of UFW strikes and boycotts of the 1970s and 1980s as well as correspondence, organizing and fundraising reports from member migrant support organizations.

National Sharecroppers Fund Photographs

drice — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 16:19:03 -0400

The National Sharecroppers Fund (NSF) was incorporated in 1943 and grew out of “National Sharecroppers Week,” an annual event intended to rally support for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. NSF was founded to provide financial assistance and information on government aid programs to organizations dedicated to improving living conditions for the rural poor. The photograph collection consists of images documenting NSF activities and the lives of sharecroppers and their families from the 1940s through to the mid 1970s.

Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid the Farm Workers Records

drice — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:01:52 -0400

The Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm Workers was a branch of the National Farm Workers Ministry. NFWM began in 1920 as a ministry of charity and service, providing food, clothing and day care to the farm workers. When United Farm Workers founder César Chávez began organizing in the 1960's, he called on the religious community to change its emphasis from charity to justice. NFWM became the vehicle for people of faith to respond to that call.

The collection consists of newspaper clippings and pamphlets detailing the struggles of the UFW during much of the 1980s.

Mark Sharwood Papers

drice — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:43:51 -0400

Mark Sharwood was as a full time volunteer for the United Farm Workers from 1976 until 1982. He worked towards passing Proposition 14, for which he traveled through California, Texas, Mid-west states and New York, assisting with various boycotts and campaigns. Beginning in 1978, Sharwood handled the propaganda for the Imperial Valley election. He created graphic fliers in order to communicate ideas that did not translate into words.

Sharwood’s records consist of leaflets, pamphlets and flyers used in organizing campaigns from 1977 through 1979. The material pertains largely to organizing efforts from Lamont-Delano, Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Salinas-Watsonville UFW field offices. Additional materials regarding the 1978-1978 Lettuce/Vegetable strike and the Texas, Rio Grande Valley are included. The collection also includes Anti-UFW leaflets from the same areas in California.

Robert Thomas Papers

drice — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:00:01 -0400

Robert J. Thomas is a professor at Brandeis University and Executive Director at the Accenture Institute for High Performance. He was formerly a professor of Organizational Studies at MIT. Thomas’ area of interest lies in leadership and transformational change. He has written books, such as Citizenship, Gender, and Work: Social Organization of Industrial Agriculture, with the UFW as subject matter.

The Robert Thomas collection reflects his previous research for his book in organizational structure in the agricultural industry. The Robert Thomas Records is a collection of newspaper clippings with some duplicated and secondhand UFW correspondence included. The majority of the clippings refer to the Lettuce Strike in 1979 and the Delano Grape Strike with clippings from 1966 and 1972. Complete editions of the El Malcriado and Tulare Tenant News are also included. The collection includes various clippings and correspondence from agricultural organizations and related farms.

UFW Administration Department Records

drice — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:05:34 -0500

United Farm Workers grew out of several farm workers organizations of the 1960s and was led by Cesar Chavez for over thirty years. The Administration Department records reflect the wide range of people and groups with whom the UFW corresponded. The work of the union itself is well represented, including U.S., Canada, and Europe boycott files, El Malcriado files, and negotiations with southern California grape growers.

Part 3 of the records represent the second decade of the union’s progress toward the goals of improving wages and working conditions for farm workers. Included are major legal cases, including UFW vs. Teamsters, UFW vs. DiGeorgio, and the Blythe Massacre; boycotts, including the Lettuce Boycott and Grape Boycott; and correspondence, including Cesar Chavez personal correspondence.

UFW Arizona State Office Records

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:41:58 -0400

Subjects include: strikes - grapes, lettuce, sugar

UFW Boycott Central Records

kschmeling — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 09:40:18 -0400

The UFW grape and lettuce boycotts of the late 1960s and early 1970s were the outgrowth of The Delano Grape Strike, which occurred in September 1965 in California. In 1967 the idea of boycotting a product was fostered by Cesar Chavez, head of the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC). Chavez’s intent was to alert the nation that farm workers were looking for civil rights, as well as fairer wages and thus used the tactic of boycotting as a non-violent means of furthering his goal.

Materials in this collection consist of state boycott flyers, correspondence by boycott coordinators and volunteers, clippings, and reports, from 1967 to 1976. In addition, there are files relating to wine and lettuce market studies, and court documents on landmark cases such as Englund vs Chavez and Bruce Church, Inc. vs Chavez.

UFW Michigan Boycott Records

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:36:34 -0400

The UFW Michigan Boycott collection contains materials specific to the state, and the activities of the UFW within the state. The largest boycott in Michigan was of California grapes, and this is reflected in the numerous store surveys which the UFW conducted in an attempt to ascertain the amount of non-UFW wine available. In addition, the collection contains a small amount of material about the lettuce boycott.

It must also be noted that here are a large quantity of materials which focus on agriculture and migrants, and their living and working conditions in the state. (In the 1970s Michigan had the third largest migrant population in the nation.) Additionally, staff activities (other than the boycott) such as fundraising are documented. There is a significant amount of correspondence to Michigan businesses about UFW concerns, and correspondence which shows support for UFW by a wide range of groups including Michigan colleges and universities, churches, and unions, notably the UAW.

UFW California Boycott Records

kschmeling — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:43:28 -0400

The primary mission of the UFW California boycott offices was to alert the nation that farm laborers were looking for civil rights, as well as fairer wages. Cesar Chavez, president of the United Farm Workers Union believed that a non-violent boycott of grapes and lettuce would convey the message. The two main city offices were located in Los Angeles and San Francisco. These offices were primarily concerned with organizing letter-writing campaigns to growers, distributors (with special attention given to Safeway stores), and public officials. In addition, boycott organizers coordinated picketing campaigns against local stores for selling boycotted grapes and lettuce, and solicited support from local religious organizations, universities and labor unions.

The records of the California boycott offices mainly consist of coordinators’ files, leaflets, grape and lettuce reports, legal actions against pesticide usage, and correspondence from boycott support organizations. Also, files documenting the attempt to defeat a California farm labor initiative, Proposition 22, is also prevalent throughout the collection.

UFW Canadian Boycott: Toronto Office Audio-Visual Collection

kschmeling — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 15:42:19 -0400

One of the largest boycott offices in Canada was located in Toronto. Coordinated by Bill Masterson, Jessica Govea, Marshall Ganz and others, the Toronto boycott staff and volunteers, including religious and student groups, led a successful campaign against the sale and shipment of non-union grapes in Canada.

The audio-visual collection consists of a number of posters, bumper stickers, audio tapes and a few photographs that document UFW activities in Toronto during the time of the UFW Grape Boycott in the 1970s.

UFW Canadian Boycott: Toronto Office Records

kschmeling — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 16:43:15 -0400

The files of the Toronto Boycott office reflect the activities of the boycott coordinator, Bill Masterson, and others in carrying out a successful campaign against the sale and shipment of non-union grapes in Canada. Also contained in the collection are files relating to UFW/Teamster jurisdictional disputes involving farm workers, in addition to Cesar Chavez’s visits to various boycott cities. This collection is not Toronto specific and does contain information for other cities and provinces in Canada.

The collection contains correspondence, clippings, reports, signed petitions and pledges, financial and organizational analyses of various companies, and other items concerning the UFW Toronto Boycott Committee’s attempts to boycott non-union grapes.

UFW Central Administration Records

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:30:00 -0400

Subjects include: California boycotts; migrant laborers; immigration and farm labor legislation; farm worker health; Prop 22; Dolores Huerta; California agribusiness

UFW Florida Division Records

kschmeling — Mon, 14 May 2018 11:43:36 -0400

The Florida Division offices were created by the United Farm Workers union to handle the boycott of designated products in the state of Florida, and to function as the union representative between the Coca-Cola Company Foods Division and the migrant workers.

Files consist of boycott and contract correspondence, reports, newsletters, printed matter, research materials and negotiations with the Coca-Cola Company.

UFW Illinois Boycott: Chicago Office Records

kschmeling — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:07:35 -0400

The UFW Illinois Boycott was a part of the nationwide boycotts that the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) spearheaded during the mid 1960s and 1970s. These boycotts aimed to end the sale of non-union grapes and lettuce. The main duty of the Chicago office, which was led by Eliseo Medina, was to enlist support for the striking farm workers by soliciting donations, spreading information, and directing the boycott of specific stores within Illinois.

This collection contains flyers, correspondence, newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, legislative reports, newsletters, rosters, and field organizing notes. Additionally, this collection contains some material about the Teamsters.

UFW Information and Research Department Records

drice — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 10:56:32 -0400

The UFW grew out of several farm workers organizations in the 1960s and was led for over thirty years by Cesar Chavez. The Information and Research Department serves as the research center for the union, collecting materials of interest in many areas importantin to the organization. Their records reflect the range of services which the union provided for its members, including legal and immigration assistance, workman's compensation claims, healthcare, and grievance mediation. Other subjects include: boycotts; contract negotiations; strikes; Teamsters dispute.

UFW Massachusetts Boycott: Boston Office Records

drice — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 12:41:26 -0400

The United Farm Workers Organizing Committee’s Boston Boycott Office (UFWOC) opened in 1967, one of several regional branch offices of the UFW formed to organize communities to participate in a consumer boycott of lettuce, grapes, wines, and other agricultural products. UFWOC was the predecessor name of the UFW. The primary activity of the office involved outreach efforts (mailing letters, hosting rallies and events) aimed at prominent members of the greater Boston area, including political leaders, church leaders, and business leaders, as well as college campuses and the general public, urging them to refrain from buying non-union products. Employees and volunteers also performed routine visits to grocery stores and other places where produce was sold to investigate whether or not they were carrying boycotted products. Additionally, the office was also responsible for the distribution of fliers, pamphlets, and posters in support of the boycott and to promote farm worker events and fundraisers.

The records of the Boston Boycott Office chronicle the activities of the office, which were primarily concerned with organizing the national consumer boycott of California table grapes and non-union lettuce. Materials found in this collection reflect the office’s goal to organize the greater Boston area to participate in larger nationwide boycotts against agricultural growers that employed non-union labor, ill gotten Teamster union representation or engaged in what the UFW deemed “unfair practices.” Targets of the UFW Boston Boycott Office include local grocery and liquor stores, political figures, local universities, religious organizations and churches, as well as the general public

UFW Office of the President: Arturo Rodriguez Records

drice — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:28:09 -0400

Arturo Rodriguez became president of the United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1993 upon the death of Cesar Chavez, co-founder and president of the UFW from its start and Rodriguez’s father-in-law and mentor. Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1949 and attended Catholic schools there. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1971 and a Masters degree in social work from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1973.

Rodriguez learned of Cesar Chavez’s work for farm workers from his parish priest in 1966 and became involved in the UFW’s grape boycott while in college. Thereafter, Rodriguez worked with the UFW and, after graduating from the University of Michigan, Rodriguez went to work full time for the UFW, initially organizing boycotts. His work with the UFW has included organizing boycott efforts, organizing union representation elections, teaching classes on union organizing, negotiating and administering union contracts, working on providing union services and settling worker grievances, campaigning for ballot propositions and political candidates, and serving on the UFW’s executive board.

Upon becoming president of the UFW, Rodriguez led a significant new field organizing and contract negotiating drive, adding substantial numbers of members to the UFW. During his presidency the UFW has also campaigned for new laws and regulations protecting farm workers, including immigrant workers, and sought to provide representation to farm workers by providing them with benefits and services through the UFW.

The UFW Office of the President: Arturo Rodriguez Records consists of files maintained by the UFW president’s office while both Cesar Chavez and Arturo Rodriguez served as president and includes files of collective bargaining agreements, events attended by the president and other UFW officials, public actions undertaken by the UFW, the president’s correspondence, the UFW’s constitutional conventions, the operations of the UFW’s benefit and service organizations, and UFW organizing and boycott efforts, as well as general office correspondence and phone logs for a number of UFW officers. There are also research publications. Files from Arturo Rodriguez, predating his election as president of the UFW are included.

UFW Office of the President: Cesar Chavez Records

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:34:57 -0400

Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, later known as the United Farm Workers, in 1962 at a convention he called. Growing up a migrant farm worker he honed his skills as an organizer with the Community Services Organization in California before splitting with them to form the NFWA. He would serve as president of the UFW until his death in 1993. These records reflect Chavez's beginnings with the CSO and the formative years of the NFWA, United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, and the UFW as well as some milestones in his personal life.

UFW Organizing Committee (UFWOC) Records

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:23:47 -0400

The United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC) was formed in 1966 with the merger of the National Farm Workers Association and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, and was the precursor to the United Farm Workers. Their records center mainly on their activities on behalf of California farm workers. Sometimes referred to by its initials UFWOC.

UFW Pennsylvania Boycott: Pittsburgh Office Records

kschmeling — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 16:02:46 -0500

The Pittsburgh boycott office was set up and coordinated by the United Farm Workers Union to handle the organization of boycotted products and establishments in the state of Pennsylvania and its surrounding region. The office, headed by Frank Ortiz, Sr. Carol Dougherty, Barbara Macri and a number of others, dealt mainly with the boycotting of stores, which sold non-union products, or were involved in anti-union activities. As well, the office involved itself with other UFW interests including migrant workers operating in Pennsylvania, pesticide abuse and the lobbying for or against specific legislation being proposed at the state and federal levels.

The records of the Pittsburgh Boycott office relate to the grape and lettuce strikes that were initiated by the United Farm Workers Union and the national boycott efforts that followed.

UFW Public Relations: Jocelyn Sherman Records

drice — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:48:48 -0500

After college, Jocelyn Sherman started at the United Farm Workers (UFW) as a public relations representative and has been with the UFW for over 20 years. Sherman served as a documentary photographer for the UFW and as manager of the UFW’s public relations department before becoming the UFW’s Internet Communications Director.

Sherman’s records consist of the UFW public relations department’s files from 1988 to 2001 and reflect her work with UFW campaigns during that era, including grape boycotts, organizing campaigns, raising awareness of the consequences of pesticide use, and fund-raising. The records cover public relations department administrative matters and persons and subjects of interest to the department and the UFW. The records also contain newspaper clippings of articles referencing the UFW, its members, campaigns, and other activities, and people and subjects of interest to the department and to the UFW.

UFW Texas Records

drice — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:49:00 -0400

Part 1 of the UFW Texas Records contains boycott papers from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the UFW was organizing boycotts against companies like Safeway Supermarkets, and against products like Heublein wines and California grapes and lettuce. They also consist of office files of the UFW which document the establishment of the UFW, particularly the Service Center in Mc Allen, Texas and the UFW's involvement with a variety of local organizations including STACO (South Texas Association of Community Organizations) and La Raz Unida, a Chicano political group. The files show the Texas farm workers concern with the environment and the health of their members when one of their organizations, Nutritional Enrichment, Inc. became involved with a legal suit against the Texas Air Control Board (TACB) over the issue of sugar cane burning. Included is material from Texas organizer Tony Orendain's radio program La Voz Del Campesino.

Part 2 covers the period from 1975 to 1999 and consists of files primarily relating to the UFW boycott of the 1980s, pesticide usage and reports, crop information, organizing in the Rio Grande Valley, and UFW conventions.

UFW Missouri Boycott Records

drice — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:39:05 -0400

The records of the UFW Missouri Boycott Office relate to the various strikes and boycotts that occurred nationally during the period of the 1970s. The Missouri Boycott Offices were located in two locations, Kansas City and St. Louis. The people directing these boycott offices worked on petitions, boycotts of grocery store chains and agricultural products, and raising awareness about the UFW’s dispute with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The majority of material in this collection dates from the 1968 to 1979 and contains numerous correspondences, petitions, and fliers about the plight of the UFW. Some important events that are included in this collection include the Salad Bowl Strike and Grape Strikes.

Workers' Defense League Records

drice — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:17:41 -0500

This collection of correspondence, press releases, newspaper clippings, speeches, trial briefs and transcripts, and published pamphlets and leaflets, thoroughly documents the Worker's Defense League's efforts to obtain justice for labor organizers, government critics, victims of racial and economic discrimination, and conscientious objectors, through established, legal processes.

Series V: Farm Workers, Migrant Workers, Sharecroppers and their Unionization, Boxes 154 to 172 available only on microfilm.

Collection Spotlight: Robert F. Kennedy and the UFW

teller — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:42:21 -0400

U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy strongly supported the advance of human rights and in doing so he forged a relationship in the 1960s with the United Farm Workers, a union that sought to improve the lives and working conditions of migrant farm workers across the country. Kennedy supported the workers during a 1966 Senate Subcommittee on Migratory Labor hearing in Delano, California. In the spring of 1968, read more »

(338) An open-air school for migrant farm worker's children

eclemens — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:12:49 -0400

Bible stories are taught at an open-air school set up for migrant farm worker's children, circa 1960s.

(26063) Riots, Rebellions, 1967

eclemens — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:33:45 -0400

Three men sit in a car and talk to four unidentified men on the street as a police officer, presumably their driver, makes his way back to the car.

Photographers notation "Vance. With Anthony Jr."?

Courtesy Detroit News Collection.

(33915) UFW, Boycotts, Michigan, Demonstrations, 1960s

eclemens — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 11:50:27 -0400

Boycott supporters rally at the foot of the Michigan State Capitol.

Signs read: “Basta! Viva La Causa!” and “Human Dignity for Migrant Workers.”

Podcast: Speak to the Earth and it Shall Teach Thee: Catholic Nuns, the United Farm Workers Movement, and the Rise of an Environmental Ethic, 1962-1978

teller — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:25:22 -0400

John Buchkoski explores the role that religious women had in grassroots social activism in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly organizations of Catholic women religious. He explains how these groups supported United Farm Worker strikes by publicizing the environmental and health effects of pesticide use and popularizing produce boycotts across Catholic communities. Buchkoski is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma. read more »

[Podcast] Awaiting Their Feast: Latinx Food Workers and Activism from World War II to COVID-19

teller — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:48:27 -0500

Dr. Lori Flores discusses food systems in the US and Northeast region specifically, illuminating how the nation has developed a growing appetite for both Latinx food and Latinx food laborers, who are often underpaid and under-nourished as they help grow, process, transport, prepare, and serve food across the country. read more »

[Podcast] Hidden in the Fields: Invisible Agricultural Child Labor in the American Southwest and the Limits of Citizenship

teller — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 11:17:54 -0500

Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez explains how labor laws helped define the modern boundaries of childhood and citizenship for both internationally and domestically migrant Latinx children working on American farms. read more »

[Podcast] Hillbilly Highway: Charting White Migration from Appalachia to the Industrial Midwest

teller — Fri, 03 May 2024 08:47:31 -0400

Dr. Max Fraser shares the often overlooked story of the “hillbilly highway,” the route nearly eight million poor, rural, white Americans took in the 20th century from economically depressed areas in the Southeastern and Southern United States toward higher paying factory jobs in the Upper South and Midwest. read more »

[Podcast] Latinx Encounters: How Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans Made the Modern Midwest

teller — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:45:48 -0400

Dr. Juan I. Mora examines three groups of Latinxs as they used postwar migration, temporary guest-worker programs, and agricultural labor to redefine migrant power, justice, and rights in the twentieth century Midwest, and particularly in Michigan. read more »

[Podcast] Reading the Room: How César Chávez’s Early Life Prepared Him to Lead

teller — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 16:41:08 -0400

Dr. Clay Walker explains how César Chávez’s lifeworld discourse – the language, culture, and experiences that shaped who he was and how he encountered and navigated the world – uniquely prepared him to lead the United Farm Workers and effectively communicate his message to a diverse audience. read more »