DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Chicano conference programs and speeches, April 1973-May 1974

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Chicano conference programs and speeches, April 1973-May 1974

1974-04-13 Opening Remarks Page 11

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for a period of years. He was layed off and then went into some other work, worked in a bakery most of his adult life. Juan Garcia, who came up in in 1918, worked with the railroad for awhile was layed off in the 1930's, worked with the Works Progress Administration. He told me how much he worked con su espalda palo y pico, making all those streets in Des Moines and building all these bridges in Des Moines that he remembered what he had done. Who had ever hear of Juan Garcia, who ever heard of any of the Chicanos who worked for the same gang building all those constructions in Des Moines. Francisca Garcia, another women who came up with the sugar beets who used to farm up in Northwest Iowa where they used to put them in chicken shacks, they used to take the chickens out and put them in there to work six months picking vetabel. They would earn $300.00. With that $300.00 they would go to Des Moines and live the other six months starving. Su esposo, would have to go and pick at ice in the river and sell it as a way of surviving. 
   Many of the families in Des Moines that I interviewed related how they almost starved during the depression years. How they went over to the city dumps to find pon, find dulces for los ninos que no tenian otro, ni dinero para hacer nada. Who found fierro in the dumps and would go and sell it. Esos son nuestros heros nuestros heroes. Han venido y han y sufrido y sufren all. 
   They continue to suffer today. The Migrant Law in Iowa does not cover many of the migrants that are recruited by companies. I am a commissioner for the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. I went up to Estherville, Iowa to investigate a complaint in which they had housed 25 Chicanos who were working in a canning factory there in Estherville, Iowa. The house had all the wiring out, they were putting six, seven, eight in a room. There was one bathroom facility and there was one sink. They had all these people and they were charging them $10.00/week, and twenty-five people at $10.00/week, when the housing was falling apart. 
   When Senator Taft Scott from the state went up there and began to investigate the situation the man who owned the Watt Co. in Estherville said quit fooling around with my Mexicans. 
   The oppression of economic colonialism that we have suffered up here is very evident. It has been consistent in the history of Iowa and I am sure the history of every other Midwestern state. Me acuerdo de la historia que me dijo la senora Jesusa Gonzales de su esposo Esuquial Gonzales, came up was recruited by Maytag Co. out of Newton. And worked with the Maytag Co. and who was instrumental in leading a strike against the Newton Co. in 1930. This idea that all Chicanos are docile, they just walk around and did everything everybody else told them to do.

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11 for a period of years. He was layed off and then went into some other work, worked in a bakery most of his adult life. Juan Garcia, who came up in in 1918, worked with the railroad for awhile was layed off in the 1930's, worked with the Works Progress Administration. He told me how much he worked con su espalda palo y pico, making all those streets in Des Moines and building all these bridges in Des Moines that he remembered what he had done. Who had ever hear of Juan Garcia, who ever heard of any of the Chicanos who worked for the same gang building all those constructions in Des Moines. Francisca Garcia, another women who came up with the sugar beets who used to farm up in Northwest Iowa where they used to put them in chicken shacks, they used to take the chickens out and put them in there to work six months picking vetabel. They would earn $300.00. With that $300.00 they would go to Des Moines and live the other six months starving. Su esposo, would have to go and pick at ice in the river and sell it as a way of surviving. Many of the families in Des Moines that I interviewed related how they almost starved during the depression years. How they went over to the city dumps to find pon, find dulces for los ninos que no tenian otro, ni dinero para hacer nada. Who found fierro in the dumps and would go and sell it. Esos son nuestros heros nuestros heroes. Han venido y han y sufrido y sufren all. They continue to suffer today. The Migrant Law in Iowa does not cover many of the migrants that are recruited by companies. I am a commissioner for the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. I went up to Estherville, Iowa to investigate a complaint in which they had housed 25 Chicanos who were working in a canning factory there in Estherville, Iowa. The house had all the wiring out, they were putting six, seven, eight in a room. There was one bathroom facility and there was one sink. They had all these people and they were charging them $10.00/week, and twenty-five people at $10.00/week, when the housing was falling apart. When Senator Taft Scott from the state went up there and began to investigate the situation the man who owned the Watt Co. in Estherville said quit fooling around with my Mexicans. The oppression of economic colonialism that we have suffered up here is very evident. It has been consistent in the history of Iowa and I am sure the history of every other Midwestern state. Me acuerdo de la historia que me dijo la senora Jesusa Gonzales de su esposo Esuquial Gonzales, came up was recruited by Maytag Co. out of Newton. And worked with the Maytag Co. and who was instrumental in leading a strike against the Newton Co. in 1930. This idea that all Chicanos are docile, they just walk around and did everything everybody else told them to do.