Hector Ponce

Interviewer

Karim Ley-Alarcón

Project

Bracero Oral History

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Hector Ponce was born on April 1, 1933, in Valle de Zaragoza, Chihuahua, México; both of his parents worked in agriculture; he was formally educated through the fifth grade; sometime later, he traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, where he enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he worked in the fields of Nebraska and North Dakota, and he dispensed coal for heaters in Michigan; independent of the program, he also worked for Chevrolet while in Michigan; he later legalized his residency, and he ultimately became a United States citizen.

Summary of Interview

Mr. Ponce very briefly discusses his family and childhood; as a bracero he picked beets in Nebraska, peppers in North Dakota, and dispensed coal for heaters in Michigan; overall, he had great working relationships with his employers; while in Michigan, he was employed by a group of brothers who treated him extremely well; they often invited him into their home, and they offered to help arrange for his residency in the hopes that he would stay to work there permanently; he also relates a story about how his employer in Nebraska was intent on finding him a girlfriend; he goes on to discuss wages, living and working conditions, provisions, language barriers, communication with his family, and community attitudes toward him and other workers; in addition, he describes his experience with immigration personnel; independent of the program, he also worked for Chevrolet while in Michigan; he concludes by commenting on his fondness for the United States and how working with the bracero program changed his life.

Date of Interview

10-12-2005

Length of Interview

32 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1091

Transcript Number

No. 1091

Length of Transcript

23 pages

Interview Number

No. 1091

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Interview in Spanish.

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