“Envisioning Bracero History” and looking to the future

Newswise — As the United States takes a critical look at the future of immigration and temporary worker programs, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is teaming up with the Smithsonian on a project that could help the country’s leaders learn from the past.

The UTEP Department of History and Institute of Oral History has joined the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and a consortium of museums, universities and cultural institutions, to create the Bracero History Project.

A three-day conference, from Nov. 10-12 in El Paso, will bring together scholars from both sides of the border to discuss and learn more about the rich cultural history of the braceros along the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

“The Bracero Program not only shaped the agricultural economy and industrial technology, but also made a significant impact on American and Mexican immigration,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

In 1942, the United States entered into a series of agreements with Mexico to organize the Bracero Program in order to overcome the labor shortage caused by World War II. The program enabled Mexican citizens to come to the United States for temporary labor contracts, which were predominantly in the agriculture industry.

Between 1942-1964, millions of Mexicans came to the United States to work. These men were often referred to as braceros, a term derived from the Spanish word brazo, or arm, referring to a farmhand or labor for hire. The Bracero Program became the largest and most significant contract labor, guest worker program of the 20th century. While braceros were to return to Mexico at the end of their labor contracts, many instead immigrated to the United States and continued working.

With the executive and legislative branches of the federal government considering options for new temporary worker programs, conference organizers said the bracero event is an opportunity to learn from the past.

“Ultimately the Bracero Program was misguided. We must learn from this history to ensure that when forging a new guest worker program the United States government treats Mexican laborers with dignity and respect… rather than merely as workers to be mistreated and exploited,” said Dr. Ernesto Chavez, UTEP professor of history.

UTEP’s students, faculty and staff have made significant contributions to the study of the Bracero Program. In fall 2002, UTEP’s Institute of Oral History launched the Bracero Oral History Project. Kristine Navarro, Institute director and conference organizer, along with several graduate students, have worked several hundred hours researching, interviewing and transcribing the oral histories of braceros, ranchers, state and government workers involved in the Bracero Program.

“The people with the Smithsonian project are interested in our findings, and they are especially interested in following the model in which we collected our stories,” Navarro said. Her group traveled through New Mexico, California, interior cities of Mexico and other areas to collect 235 oral histories. The group is transcribing the interviews to make them available to the public by late fall.

Navarro will share some of her research and experiences working on the Bracero Oral History Project during a Nov. 12 session of the conference, “Institution Partnerships and Collections.”

“This is the only event that the Smithsonian is doing in Texas. We are really excited about having the community learn about this rich history,” said Navarro.

The event will begin with a Town Hall meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 at Café Mayapan, 2000 Texas Avenue. Presentations will be made by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Two panel discussions are set for Friday, Nov.11. The first, “Creating and Changing Communities: Gender, Life and Citizenship Under the Bracero Program,” will be at 9 a.m. with an opening welcome from Michael Topp, chair of the UTEP Department of History. The “Business, Diplomacy, and the State During the Bracero Era” will be at 2 p.m. Both sessions will be at UTEP’s Academic Services Building, room 131.

All events are free and open to the public. For a full list of events during the three-day event visit, http://ia.utep.edu/universityrelations/