Mexicans in Wisconsin
Mexicans in Wisconsin

Author: Sergio González

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2017-10-27

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0870208357

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From agricultural and factory workers to renowned writers and musicians, the Mexican immigrants who have made their homes in Wisconsin over the past century have become a significant and diverse part of this state’s cultural and economic history. Coming from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds, the earliest Mexican immigrants traveled north in search of better economic opportunities and relief from the violence and economic turmoil of the Mexican Revolution. They found work in tanneries and foundries, and on beet farms where they replaced earlier European immigrant workers who had moved on to family farms. As Mexican immigration has grown to the present day, these families have become integral members of Wisconsin communities, building businesses, support systems, and religious institutions. But their experience has also been riddled with challenges, as they have fought for adequate working conditions, access to education, and acceptance amid widespread prejudice. In this concise history, learn the fascinating stories of this vibrant and resilient immigrant population: from the Tejano migrant workers who traveled north seasonally to work in the state’s cucumber fields, to the determined labor movement led by Jesus Salas, to the young activists of the Chicano Movement, and beyond.

Obreros Unidos
Obreros Unidos

Author: Marc S. Rodriguez

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This dissertation examines the role played by young Chicano migrant farm workers in the creation of the Chicano Movement after 1950. It argues that the Chicano Movement grew out of a translocal migrant community operating between Wisconsin and Texas. After 1950, Chicanos in Crystal City, Texas, where they represented the majority population, pushed for an end to school segregation. This advocacy facilitated youth entry into the local Chicano migrant worker political movement, which elected five Chicanos, known as Los Cinco, to the city council in Crystal City. Though Los Cinco only held office between 1963--1965, young Chicanos carried an activist impulse north to Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, with the assistance of local progressives, these activists pushed for the reform of conditions for migrant farm workers. This effort led to the founding of Obreros Unidos, a labor union, among Texas-Mexican migrant farm workers, who in turn transformed the migrant labor system to serve themselves. Once only a labor recruiting network, the migrant system now facilitated community mobilization in both Texas and Wisconsin. After 1969, as the union deteriorated, activists spread out to take positions with migrant-serving agencies operating under the Office of Economic Opportunity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they called for and won Chicano control of "War on Poverty" agencies. After 1970, as political protest under the banner of La Raza Unida Party developed in Crystal City, Cristaleno activists, trained in Wisconsin, returned to their hometown as leaders. The Chicano Movement thus developed in Crystal City and Wisconsin, and took as its single greatest resource the translocal migrant farm worker network operating across the Midwestern migrant stream. And over an eventful decade, the activists gained a permanent political presence in both Texas border politics and Wisconsin welfare agencies.