Interviewer
Beth Morgan
Project
Bracero Oral History Project
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Consuelo Lerma was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on December 1, 1917; in 1949, she began working for the Singer Sewing Center in Las Cruces; after receiving training, she began teaching sewing classes for the wives of braceros and other low-income farm women.
Summary of Interview
Ms. Lerma recalls that in 1949, she began working for the Singer Sewing Center in her hometown of Las Cruces, New Mexico; she went to El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to receive training on how to use the machines and their various attachments and how to teach others to sew; shortly thereafter, she then began teaching a sewing class for the wives of braceros and other low-income farm women; the classes were offered through the Home Education Livelihood Program and jointly sponsored by the government and area churches; the government provided the fabric and necessary materials, and the Singer Company supplied the machines; the classes were given in Vado, New Mexico, in the morning, afternoon, and evening once a week; the women taking her class spoke only Spanish, and she taught them what little English she could; they were from the San Miguel, La Mesa, and Vado area; the women focused primarily on making dresses. [Interviewer’s Note: Ms. Lerma was uncertain of the exact years she taught the classes, but she was adamant about these women being the wives of braceros.]
Date of Interview
3-7-2003
Length of Interview
55 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1560
Transcript Number
No. 1560
Length of Transcript
21 pages
Transcriber
Vanessa Macias
Interview Number
No. 1560
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Consuelo Lerma by Beth Morgan, 2003, "Interview no. 1560," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.