TRANSCRIPTION
Describe a typical day working in the fields?
We would eat bean taco every morning, put on our gloves, get out the hoes from the back of the truck, then put the hats on. If it rained we wouldn't go, Sundays we went to church.
How early did your family and you go to work in the fields?
Seven, all the time mostly.
How did you and your family and you get to work (transportation)?
In a car, we always had an old car; a Chevy, we always had a little car; old car. But most of the time we would ride in the
stock trucks with other families to get to work.
How far did your family and you travel to go to work in the fields?
Oh! It depends, I say 20, from 10 to 30 miles, I would say; we were far from the camp (she meant the fields because they stayed in the camps when they lived in).
How old were you when you started to work in the fields?
About twelve, I got out of school and started working.
How many hours in a day would your family and you work?
Eight hours, it depends on the weather.
How much money did your family and you make working in the fields?
Oh... about $4 a day, they didn't pay much.
Did you ever see anyone working in the fields get seriously hurt or injured?
No, thanks to God, never. But I remember when I was a little girl, as a migrant we went to pick cotton, in Taylor, Texas I was in a big accident with five more families. We were coming home from work and two soldiers, two boys and a woman were
drunk got in front of us coming from a dirt road; they hit us in front of the truck. Everyone got hurt and I got a big injury on my left leg, my daddy had an arm injury and my little brother was nine years old, he ended up in the field.
I got a big scar on my thigh and don't remember nothing from when it all happened, I guess I was knocked out. When I woke up in the highway and everyone was scattered around and my daddy's best friend was over me and told me everyone's alright
but you have a big cut so don't move. I was in the hospital for four days and my mother was in Texas taking care of my grandmother and dragged my leg for a long time. (I asked later what had happened to the other people who had hit them; the drunk
drivers and if they had paid for their wrong doing.
She told me she never heard from them again and that the hospital bill was not paid for neither.)
How long did you attend school? Were you able to go to high school?
I went to the sixth grade.
How many people went to school with you?
Around fifteen, well how many did you have in your class? Well maybe fifteen or less, but they all quit school to go to work.
Did all of your siblings get to attend school?
To the third grade, because my father wanted me to go to school and I didn't have any clothes to wear. My daddy said, "but I can keep at least one of you in school if you want" I told him
no I want at least my brothers and sisters to have a little bit of school. And Frances, Shona and Beno, but Rata; Beno's brother was too little to go; only Shona, Beno, and Frances got to go.
Did your family own any land? If so how much?
Two lots and a house, that's it. (Laughs...)
What did your parents do for a living besides field work?
My daddy use to work in a farm, ranch; all kinds of labor and my mother was just a housewife, she never did work.
Where else have you lived besides Dilley?
Ohio, Michigan, California, Florida and West Texas, all those places we have worked and lived in the camps Oh! And in Nebraska we picked potatoes before I was married.
What was life like when you moved to Chicago with your sister?
It was alright, I had no problems. I had known the people she was living with because they were good friends of the family and me and your grandpa were together so it was okay. (Her sister was married to my grandpa's brother.)
How did you meet up with grandpa since you moved away?
Because he had his family over there and my sister lived with his brother and their kids, my family was good friends with his. And then we got married and moved by ourselves.
Did your family approve of grandpa or disapprove?
Yeah, they were real good friends with his family, because my sister married his brother, they were two brothers and sisters that married. (My mother Linda told me later after the interview, that my grandmother's parents really did not approve of my grandpa because he was
a bootlegger).
Was your wedding a big wedding or a small one?
We just got married at the judge's office and my brother Beno and my sisters were sponsors.
If you could change anything form your past what would you have changed?
My marriage! (Laughs...)
Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
No not really, just that I had an okay life. (She laughs...)
ANALYSIS
From interviewing my grandmother, I learned that not everything is easy in life and when you're growing up you just learn to go along with your life and somehow cope with it. It amazed me how when asking her how hard life must have been that she just said back then everyone's
life was that way and you don't notice it because everyone went through the same things. She told me that that it's no different from your life because you and others live the same now just as we did back then the only thing is that life for you is more advanced. During the interview
I wanted everyone to know that back then growing up as a migrant worker was hard for my grandmother because she had it hard especially for her because she suffered from anxiety and had many fears coming from many experiences in her past life; one for example was the truck accident that
probably affected her by not ever learning how to drive and panicking on the road. I also learned that while married to my grandfather she was very lucky because he was a very supportive husband and they did everything together. Chores were no problem because when she swept and he mopped,
when she washed he dried, when she cooked he took out the trash and he was an expert with plants so they always had a beautiful yard and freshly grown fruit and vegetables. He was very patient with her and loved all their children equally. I, 'til this day have never seen him mad or
be mean to a single soul. Overall this interview helped me learn about the past in a way that grows with me because I value how easy life is compared to back then and I appreciate my grandmother for sharing her experience as a migrant worker with me. It has made her who she is today;
strong, kind, intelligent, beautiful, outspoken, funny, and most of all loving.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dilley The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography,
and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT-Austin. It was produced in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and the General Libraries
at the University of Texas at Austin. Copyright © The Texas State Historical Association. Last Updated: May 6, 2004.
Illinois,Chicago From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia by Internet Yahoo search. Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. Official policy.
Chevy Picture of 1950 CHEVROLET STYLELINE DELUX by Internet Yahoo search. Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc.All rights reserved.
stock trucks Picture of a stock truck by Internet Google search. Copyright © 2006 worldofstock.com
$4 dollars$4 dollars Calculation of money. American Institute for Economic Research, P.O. Box 1000, Great Barrington, Mass 01230 Phone (413) 528-1216 Fax (413) 528-0103
camps Migrant Labor Camp Photographs, 1935-1936 © 2006 by The Regents of The University of California.
Bootlegger From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia by Internet Yahoo search. Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. Official policy.
Return to Oral History Projects
