Oral History « Farmworker Movement Documentation Project (original) (raw)

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Below you’ll find audio from various events during the farmworker movement. Click on the headings to view the audio clips from that event. Files will open in a popup window and play.

Founding of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) 1962

Gilbert Padilla, one of the founding members, provides background and context.
Play Audio 55 minutes

Who Was Cesar Chavez? 1962-1993

LeRoy Chatfield: Introduction | Interviews with six volunteers who worked for Cesar Chavez: | Gilbert Flores | Chris Hartmire | Richard Ybarra | Larry Tramutola | Ellen Eggers | Terry Vasquez Scott |

Richad A. Garcia, “Cesar Chavez: A Personal and Historical Testimony” – 1994

Read

Cesar Chavez Oral History

23 Audio Clips. Cesar Chavez in his own words.

Cesar Chavez: Pacifica Radio Archives – 1966-1973

6 Radio Programs

“Cesar Chavez and the NFWA” – KPFK Interview: LeRoy Chatfield – 1966

Play Audio 4 minutes

Cesar Chavez Creates A More Effective Boycott – 1969

5 Recordings | 4.5 Hours

January 1969 / [Introduction](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/grapeboycott/UFW BOYCOTTS INTRODUCTION.pdf)

Cesar Chavez Transcript: “A Dialogue With Congress” – 1969

[Read](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/Cesar Chavez Asks%5F001.pdf "opens as a pdf")

Cesar Chavez Transcript: “Interview: Robert F. Kennedy” – 1970

[Part 1](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/CEC-RFK ORAL HISTORY.pdf "opens as a pdf") [Part 2](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/CEC-RFK ORAL HISTORY PT.2.pdf "opens as a pdf")

Cesar Chavez Grills UFW Organizer Pancho Botello – 1970

Play Audio English|Spanish Transcript

Richard Chavez: The Origins of the Farmworker Movement – 1972

Brother of Cesar Chavez, and a founding member of the NFWA, provides family history.

Gilbert Padilla Oral History

Founding member of NFWA provides historical account of the work of Cesar Chavez.

Dolores Huerta Oral History

Founding member of NFWA provides historical account of the work of Cesar Chavez.

Religious Response to Farmworker Movement – California Migrant Ministry & Central

Valley Churches.

Jim Drake: Worker-Priest – Philosophy & Movement Reflections – 1985

LeRoy Chatfield: [Introduction](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/JIM DRAKE INTRO.pdf "opens as pdf") | Dick Meister: [Eulogy](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/DRAKE EULOGY.pdf "opens as pdf") | Jim Drake: Essays | Jim Drake: [Declaration](/farmworkermovement/ufwarchives/ufwlegal/Jim Drake%5F001.pdf) | Jim Drake: Fred Ross Eulogy | Lincoln Richardson, “Cesar Chavez” Presbyterian Life 1968

4 Oral History Interviews: “Who Was Jim Drake?”

Interviews with volunteers who worked with Jim Drake. | Chris Hartmire | John Moyer | Gilbert Padilla | Yolanda Barrera | Richard Cook | Bruce Meyerson | Herb Ely | Margaret Murphy | Jeff Sweetland |

Andy Imutan Oral History

Filipino farmworker union leader provides history of Filipino farmworkers and Cesar Chavez.
4 Audio Tapes

The Filipino Brothers Oral History – 1981

Peter Stanley: [“Exiled in California”](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/Exiled In California by Peter W. Stanley 1981%282%29.pdf "opens as pdf") |
Fred Abad: [Essay](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/FRED ABAD ESSAY.pdf "opens as pdf") |
Claro Runtal: Essay |
Rudy Reyes: Essay |
Andy Imutan: Essay |
Transcript: Philip Vera Cruz 1977 |
New York Times: [“Last of the Manongs”](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/NYT - MAY 11, 1993 - ABAD.pdf "opens as pdf") |
1971 Phillip Vera Cruz Interview |
4 Interviews: | Philip Vera Cruz | Pete Velasco | Andy Imutan | Lorraine Agtang-Greer | Marissa Aroy Video: The Delano Manongs Video Clip

Luis Valdez Oral History

Huelgistas: Delano Grape Strikers Oral History 1965

8 strikers (huelgistas) tell the story of the Delano Grape Strike: | Marcos Muñoz | Maria Saludado | Joe Serda | Roberto Bustos | Antonia Saludado | Esther Uranday | Jesus Marin & Rico Barrera |

Growing Up in a Migrant Worker Family – 8 Oral History Accounts

| Esther Uranday | Luis Valdez | Gilbert Flores | Antonia Saludado | Yolanda Barrera | Lorraine Agtang-Greer | Abby Flores Rivera | Rudy Ahumada |

Jessica Govea Oral History

| Music | Photos | Essays |

United Farm Worker Volunteers – 8 Oral History Accounts

| Doug Adair | Bill Chandler | LeRoy Chatfield | Chris Hartmire | Nick Jones | Daneen Montoya | Jerry Cohen | Paul Schrade |

Luis Valdez Reads: “The Plan of Delano” (Spanish) – 1966

Recording: El Teatro Campesino de Delano – 6 minutes

Documentary Filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris: “¡HUELGA!” – 1966

5 Documentary Film Audio Clips

Fred Ross Sr. Oral History Archive

In 1969, Fred Ross, mentor and friend of Cesar Chavez, conducted a series of oral interviews and collected oral background material about the farmworker movement for a book he planned to
write but never did. However, in 1989 three years before his death, he published, “Conquering Goliath: Cesar Chavez At The Beginning” – the story of Cesar Chavez’s work with the Community Service Organization (CSO). see books out of print Forty years later, I am privileged to publish
this priceless oral history collection created by Fred Ross, Sr. for a book I wish he had written. – LeRoy Chatfield

National TV News Clips: United Farm Workers – 1970

10 Audio Clips

Michael Dukakis: “The Lettuce Boycott” Debate – 1970

Play Audio Debate at Boston Faneuil Hall – 56 minutes

Winthrop Yinger Farmworker Movement Oral History Archive – 1970

California Child Labor | Chris Hartmire Migrant Ministry | Migrant: NBC White Paper
| Governor Reagan Closes Community Organizing Training Program | Dan Berrigan |
Allan Grant CA Farm Bureau | Proposition 22 | Delano Strike Meeting | CBS: Chavez vs
Teamsters | NBC: Harvest of Shame | Cesar Chavez Speaking

Chet Huntley – NBC: “Migrant” – 1970

Recorded by UFW Volunteer Ruben Montoya

Marshall Ganz Oral History – 1971

UFW Boycott History Explained To Union Ranch Committees (Spanish)

UFW Boycott Conference: Right Wing Attacks | Boycott History (English)

“Si Se Puede” Film: Cesar Chavez Arizona Fast – Rick Tejada-Flores – 1972

3 Audio Clips: Father. Eugene Boyle/Richard Chavez/Cesar Chavez

Saul Alinsky Interview: “The Professional Radical” – 1972

Play Audio 27 minutes

Dedication of Agbayani Village for Retired Filipino Farmworkers – 1974

LeRoy Chatfield: [Introduction](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/Dedication of Agbayani Village.pdf "opens as pdf") | Cesar Chavez Master of Ceremonies – 9 tapes

Fred Ross Training Sessions – 1975

21 Tapes | LeRoyChatfield: [Introduction](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/FRED ROSS INTRO.pdf "opens as pdf") | Larry Tramutola: “Fred Ross” | Fred Ross: “[History of the Farmworker Movement](/farmworkermovement/essays/essays/HISTORY OF FARMWORKER MOVEMENT BY FRED ROSS.pdf)” | Fred Ross: “Axioms for Organizers” |

Pat Hoffman: 33 Interviews “Impact of Farmworker Movement On Churches and Church Leaders” – 1985

Patt Hoffman: [Introduction](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/INTRO TO AUDIO INTERVIEWS.doc.pdf "opens as pdf") | Eugene Boyle | LeRoy Chatfield | Cesar Chavez | Jerry Cohen | Loris Coletta | Cliff Crummey | Mark Day | Jessie De La Cruz | Bill & Mitzi Dew | Jim Drake | Woody Garvin | Marshall Ganz | Jean Giordano | Jessica Govea | Allan Grant | Rose Cecilia Harrington CSJ | Chris Hartmire | George Higgins | Karl & Ethelyn Irvin | Raquel Venegas Lawson & Karl Lawson | Alan McCoy | Charles McLain | Maria Saludado Magana | Howard & Rosemary Matson | John C. Moyer | John R. Moyer | Richard Norberg | Walter Press | Fred Ross | Marilyn Rudy CSJ | Augie Vandenbosche | Gertrude Welch | Winthrop Yinger | Ronald Wells: Cesar Chavez’s Protestant Allies

Artist Carlos David Almaraz Interview: 1973 UFW Convention Mural – 1986

[Read Transcript](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/CARLOS DAVID ALMARAZ.pdf "opens as a pdf") | View Mural

La Paz: United Farm Worker Community Meetings – 1987/1988

5 Audio Tapes – Moderator: Chris Hartmire

California State University Northridge (CSUN): Farmworker Movement Oral History Project – 1995

Introduction | Credits 12 Interviews: | Doug Adair | Roberto Bustos | Bill Chandler | LeRoy Chatfield | Richard Chavez | Gilbert Flores | Chris Hartmire | Nick Jones | Daneen Montoya | Maria Saludado Magana | Antonia Saludado | Joe Serda |

Mary Kambic Oral History Project: UFW Pittsburgh Boycott 1967-1970

Interviews with religious, labor, community activists about UFW boycott and Al Rojas family. | Father Jack O’Malley | Molly Rush | Jim Scardina | Florence Black | Cary Lund | Russell Gibbons |

Paradigm Productions Farmworker Movement Interviews – 1995/1996

Linda Chavez | Pete Velasco | Mike Ybarra | Arturo Rodriguez | Dolores Huerta | Richard Chavez | Cardinal Roger Mahony | David Ronquillo | Paul
Schrade | Bert Corona | Kathy & Lupe Murguia | Fred Abad | Adelina Gurola | Jessie DeLaCruz | Ben Maddock | Jerry Brown | Fred Ross Jr. | Herman Gallegos | Jerry Cohen | Sabino Lopez | Pete
Maturino | Bill Grammi | Rita Chavez Medina | Chris Hartmire | LeRoy Chatfield | Al Rojas | Daryl Arnold | Lionel Steinberg | Marion Moses | Juanita
Brown | Dorothy Coyle | Paul Chavez | Marta Rodriguez | Jessica Govea | Luis Valdez | Ethel Kennedy | Monsignor George Higgins

Paradigm Productions Interview Transcripts – 1995/1996

Paradigm Productions Farmworker Movement Archive 1995/1996

Interview With Filmmakers, Ray Telles & Rick Tejada-Flores of Paradigm Productions – 2009

Play

Bob Hatton Oral History Archive: Delano Grape Strikers – 2005

4 Interviews: | Gilbert Padilla | Yolanda Barrera | Jesus Marin & Rico Barrera | Roberto Bustos | Transcript: Barrera Brothers Interview

Agustin Lira: Music & Interview by Abby Flores Rivera/Jan Peterson – 2005

30 minutes

Terry Scott Interviews Jon Lewis UFW Photographer 1966/1968 – 2006

Play Interview 38 minutes

Elaine Elinson UFW Boycott Volunteer: KPFA Interview & Readings – 2006

Play 30 minutes

Ray Telles/Rick Tejada-Flores Farmworker Movement Interviews – 2006

8 Interviews | Lorraine Agtang-Greer | Yolanda Barrera | LeRoy Chatfield | Jerry Cohen | Andy Imutan | Marcos Muñoz | Paul Schrade | Luis Valdez |

LeRoy Chatfield: [Introduction](/farmworkermovement/media/oral%5Fhistory/SPLC INTRO.pdf "opens as pdf")

LeRoy Chatfield Interviews Esther Uranday Delano Grape Striker and UFW Volunteer 1965-2008

127 minutes

Discussion: “Cesar Chavez 1968 Fast for Nonviolence” – 2008

Panelists: | Jerry Cohen | Abby Flores Rivera | Chris Hartmire | Esther Uranday | LeRoy Chatfield |

115 minutes

Paul Schrade Oral History Transcript (1996) – 2009

Marshall Ganz: Oral History Interview by LeRoy Chatfield – 2009

ORAL HISTORY LINKS – FARMWORKER MOVEMENT

Pancho Medrano – Born October 2, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. Francisco F. Medrano, known as Pancho Medrano, was an official for the United Auto Workers. He was active in local politics in Dallas, Texas, and supported the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee efforts in Texas and California. He was also well-known as a Mexican heavyweight boxing champion.

Don Watson – Don Watson, the focus of this month’s oral history, was a CP member between 1948 and 1956. One would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated adherent to the cause of labor. Watson retired from ship clerks Local 34 in 1993 after years of activist work for the ILWU and other unions, including the Marine Cooks and Stewards (MCS) in the early 1950s and the United Farm Workers (UFW) in the 1960s and 1970s. Today he is still helping the ILWU by assisting with the union’s lobbying program at the California state capitol.

1966 Virgin Banner: March to Sacramento – Our last story explores the birth of a major American labor and cultural movement. It’s March 17, 1966. On a cold winter morning, a small group of mostly Mexican and Mexican-American farm workers set out by foot from Delano, California, to the state capitol in Sacramento. Their goal: to gain public support for their struggle to end over a hundred years of exploitation of. At first, few people take notice. But as the marchers passed through town after town, they picked up more and more supporters… and national more attention. Twenty-five days, and 350 grueling miles later, they reached the steps of the state capitol, ten thousand people strong. What started as a tiny group of largely ignored day laborers has grown into a powerful movement that captures the nation’s attention. Their leader, César Chávez, becomes a household name. The march marked a pivotal moment in American labor history, and the birth of a Latino cultural and political movement. Leading the way is a banner that hasn’t been seen since. Over 30 years later, a woman from San Francisco believes this beautiful banner led the famous 1966 march. If she’s right, then it’s not only an artifact from a celebrated labor struggle, but also the symbolic focus of the emergence of Chicanos in American history. Vicki Vertiz came across the banner at San Francisco State University Labor Archives. In 1994, she joined another march commemorating César Chávez’s life and legacy.

EL TEATRO CAMPESINO: “Mundo Mata” – Introduction by Luis Valdez, performed in San Juan Bautista/May 2001. Premier performance in El Paso Texas (1976). Run-time: 2.27 Language: In English, with some Spanish. Synopsis: It is the summer of 1973, and the United Farm Workers are fighting for their lives. Led by Cesar Chavez, a march comes to Burlap, California, a fictional tank town in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. This is the background for playwright, director and El Teatro Campesinos founder Luis Valdez vintage classic, Mundo Mata a period piece that exposes the raw realities of life in a small farmworker town. As part of an epic struggle to achieve victory in union elections among ranches up and down the state, the campaign in Burlap brings together two brothers and pulls them apart. One is Bullet Mata, who returns to his old hometown for the first time in twelve years; the other, his older brother Mundo, a Vietnam veteran. Bullet is a college dropout, turned Chavista sworn to non-violence. Mundo is a drug dealer, secretly hired by two growers to stop Chavez. While the issue of violence versus non-violence becomes a personal matter between the two brothers, Mundo Mata also resonates within a larger landscape of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. What if Cesar Chavez had been assassinated in 1973? Would history remember him differently? These are some of the questions implied in this gritty drama about the farmworkers struggle for justice. Mundo Mata premiered in 1976 in El Paso, Texas in the Chamizal Theater on the borderline with Juarez, Mexico. After being retired, the play was revived, rewritten and restaged, as documented in this 2001 production.

Raul Trejo: “Dedicado a la Memoria Trabajo y Legado de Cesar Chavez” – A four minute U-Tube video. Presentation with music, quotations from Cesar Chavez, and some excellent photos of a relaxed and confident Chavez. (Spanish).