CV Braceros

During the summer as I conducted my research for the Johnson Grant I learned of the The Bracero History Archive is an on-going effort to collect oral histories of the Bracero program. As I studied the archive, I heard many testimonies of braceros who worked in the fields of eastern Coachella picking cotton, dates, grapefruits, lemons, and oranges and describe the harsh working and living conditions he experienced. Jesús Aceves Gutiérrez, is one of the many braceros who worked in the Valley and he stated, “They almost killed us with all the work. I worked for three years and didn't rest one single day.” After the Bracero program ended in 1964, Jesus returned to his native town in Mexico but eventually returned to Coachella to live. Like him, others talk about the cement beds and small bathrooms they had to share, their inability to leave the work camps because they had no cars or were afraid of being deported. José García Díaz was another bracero who worked picking dates in Coachella and Indio. He mentioned that he once fell about thirty-five feet from a date tree and never received any compensation for his injuries or lost wages. At the end of their interviews both, Jesús and José, talk about being grateful of having the opportunity to work in the U.S. because they were glad of becoming citizens. I had heard of bracero stories before because many of my friends from home have relatives that migrated to CV as braceros but what I found interesting was that in the local newspapers of the time (1950s) the Bracero program received little, if any, coverage. CV was actually advertised as a rising resort economy and at that point in my research it was no surprise that, historically speaking, CV remained a white space, one that continued to deny the presence and experiences of non-white populations such as the Mexican and Cahuilla populations.