Bracero History Archive

[Guest guest]

Hello

Everyone,

I wanted to let you all know about the Bracero History Archive. This

is a traveling exhibition exploring the history of the Bracero Program in the

United States. Through photographs and audio excerpts from oral

histories, this exhibition examines the experiences of bracero workers and

their families while providing insight into Mexican American history and historical

context to today's debates on guest worker programs. Begun in 1942 to

fill labor shortages in agriculture and the railroads caused by World War II,

the bracero program eventually became the largest guest worker program in U.S.

history. Small farmers, large growers, and farm associations in California,

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, and 23 other states hired Mexican

braceros to provide manpower during peak harvest and cultivation times.

By the time the program was canceled in 1964, an estimated 4.6 million

contracts had been awarded. Bittersweet, the bracero experience tells a story

of both exploitation and opportunity to earn money. The exhibition draws

extensively from a collection of photographs taken by photojournalist Leonard

Nadel in 1956, as well as oral histories, documents, and objects collected by

the Bracero Oral History Project.

You can take a virtual tour of the exhibit at the link below

http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/small_exhibition.cfm?key=1267 & exkey=770 & pagekey=773

If you would like more information on the exhibit you can click the link

below

http://braceroarchive.org/

The collection is currently at the Alameda National Center for Latino Arts

and Culture in San , TX. If you would like to see what venues it

will be traveling to click on the link below

http://braceroarchive.org/Braceroitineraryschedule.pdf

Josh Shepherd

Resource Center Manager

National Center For Farmworker Health

(512) 312-5463