Interviewer

Mireya Loza

Project

Bracero Oral History

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Alma Delia Fraile Barozio was born in Parácuaro, Michoacán, México, on December 18, 1962; she was the third born of her eight brothers and three sisters, and she also had a half brother; her parents owned the land they farmed, and they also had a small grocery store; although she was too young to remember, her grandfather and uncles served in the bracero program; Alma eventually married and had two children; she was formally educated and even began receiving technical training for a career; both she and her husband were political activists involved in various social causes and cooperative projects; she also worked with the Alianza de Nacional Bracero PROA.

Summary of Interview

Ms. Fraile talks about her family and her life growing up; her grandfather and uncles served in the bracero program, but she was too young to remember any details; by the time she was eighteen years old, she was involved with the Confederación Nacional Campesina (CNC) and their fight for equal land rights for women on ejidos; at the time, she was also studying for a career in social work; in time, she married and had two children; she and her husband were political activists involved in various social causes and cooperative projects; some time later, she began working in the United States without documents for two to three months out of the year to help support her family; she describes working in the fields and packing plants; immigration officials eventually caught her and put her in jail before deporting her; she goes on to detail the various organizations she worked with; in 2001, she started working with former braceros; as she grew more involved she joined the Alianza de Nacional Bracero PROA, where she ultimately became one of the head regional coordinators for the state of Michoacán; she goes on to chronicle the gradual organizing of more municipalities, the obstacles of managing various documents, the difficulties with government officials and agencies, as well as the organization’s accomplishments.

Date of Interview

12-21-2007

Length of Interview

95 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1392

Transcript Number

No. 1392

Length of Transcript

41 pages

Transcriber

Alejandra Díaz

Interview Number

No. 1392

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Interview in Spanish.

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