A former farmworker wants to play a role in exposing, and ending, the long history of racism, wage theft and mistreatment.
Crouching for up to 10 hours between the furrows of a Nebraska field, Fausto Ríos, 17, could trim and separate 70 beets in a single minute with a small hoe. But he paid a steep price.
Now a widower, with a damaged back, arthritic knees and a treadmill as his constant companion, he wants to play whatever role he can in exposing, and ending, the long history of racism, wage theft and mistreatment that many farmworkers experienced between the early 1940s and the mid-'60s.He believes that sharing his story will give voice to all those immigrants who still are tethered to a system that, he says, exploits them and repays their sufferings with indifference.
He joined a flow of applicants for the bracero program who arrived at reception centers set up in various parts of Mexico. Many had to wait weeks to register, surviving on candy and peanuts, and sleeping on cardboard and newspapers. In “Our Grandfathers Were Braceros and We Too,” written by Zárate Macias and Mexican historian Abel Astorga Morales, farmworkers recount being recruited, coming to the United States and, all too often, being mistreated by bosses. Some testify to waiting days, weeks and even months in line to obtain permission to enter the United States, just as Ríos did.
In 2001, a class-action lawsuit was filed by several former braceros in a federal court in San Francisco against the governments of the United States and Mexico, three Mexican banks and Wells Fargo Bank, where the money was deposited and then transferred to the National Rural Credit Bank of Mexico. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2002, citing expired statutes of limitations and sovereign immunity.
Twelve years ago, with the aid of Zárate Macias, Ríos traveled to Baja California to show proof of his former employment and obtained $3,000 in return for seven years in the fields of Nebraska, Texas and Colorado. He says the amount didn’t include the interest he earned. In August 1942, the U.S. States and Mexico signed a binational agreement to initiate the Mexican Farm Labor Program for Mexican workers to work in the U.S. temporarily on farms and railroads. Above, a Mexicali border crossing in February 1954.
The life there — brutal hours, harsh conditions, physical torment — was similar to that in Nebraska. Then Ríos moved on to northern Texas, packing cotton, watering crops, feeding geese and cows, and putting up fencing. costs, many contractors, Huerta says, kept the money, adding that some employers rented out the braceros with noncertified contractors to perform jobs they had never done before.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Central and western states brace for dangerous heatwaveDangerous heat and elevated fire weather conditions are expected across parts of central and western states throughout the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Read more »
Commentary: Quite fitting if this unexpected winning streak helps break long streak of miseryThere’s an appropriate symmetry if this was somehow going to be the year that the Mariners finally break through again and reach the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. FOX13
Read more »
5 self-care tips for parents who need a break this summerFor many parents, summer means running on fumes as they juggle camp days, vacations and trips to the pool on top of demanding work lives. Here are 5 self-care tips for parents who need a break this summer.
Read more »
Multiple fights break out at Knott's Berry Farm, prompts early park closureBuena Park police responded to the park at around 7: 30 p.m. after several 911 calls and notification from Knott's security about the fights.
Read more »
Knott’s Berry Farm shuts down after multiple fights break outPolice were called to the park around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Read more »
Knott's Berry Farm shut down after multiple fights among teens break out, park saysBREAKING NEWS: KnottsBerryFarm has been shut down for the night after multiple fights were reported at the park, authorities said.
Read more »