Interviewer
Mireya Loza
Project
Bracero Oral History Project
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Mr. Ventura Gutiérrez was born on December 14, 1948, in Puruándiro, Michoacán, Mexico; he is the second oldest of eight children; his paternal grandfather was Joaquin Mendez Mendez and his paternal grandmother was Lucia Mendez Mendez; in 1950, his father moved the family to Coachella, California; his family lived on farmland that belonged to his uncles; both his father and his mother worked as field laborers; at the age of eleven, he made his first trip to Puruándiro, Michoacán, where he noticed the vast disparities in the standard of living compared to the United States; he promised his grandfather, an ex bracero, that he would do something to help change the standard of living in Puruándiro, Michoacán; he is an organizer with Bracero PROA.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Gutiérrez briefly recalls his childhood and the neighborhood he grew up in; he recalls accidently setting his home on fire while playing cowboys and Indians; they lost all of their belongings in the fire and as a result they moved to a Mexican barrio; he discusses the Chicano Movement and organizations such as MEChA, UMAS, the Partido de la Raza Unida, MAPA and the U.F.W.; he briefly discusses his time in the military; in 1972, Mr. Gutiérrez married; Mr. Gutiérrez worked as a teacher’s aid at Coachella Valley High School (1976-77) and obtained his elementary teaching credentials at San Bernardino State University; he taught elementary school and served five years as the vice president of the school board; he worked with union workers in the Coachella Valley, Yuma, and San Diego (1983-1996);he discusses how, from 1988-1998, they had informed ex braceros and/or their widows that they could not adjust their immigration status by using MICA or under the Rodino Bill; he determined that the braceros had ten percent of their earnings deducted and that it should have been applied to a savings fund; Mr. Gutiérrez moved to Puruándiro, Michoacán and established a service center; Mr. Gutiérrez discusses the Bracero PROA inception, expansion, and organization; he further discusses the reasons why some of the members were expelled from the organization; in 1998, the first general assembly for migrant workers was held in Michoacán; in addition, Mr. Gutiérrez discusses the regional organizations that serve different segments of the community; he gives a detailed account of government harassment that he endured because of his organizing efforts; he concludes the interview with a brief description of his plans to continue to organize H-2A and H-2B workers.
Date of Interview
12-21-2007
Length of Interview
100 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1584
Transcript Number
No. 1584
Length of Transcript
30 pages
Interview Number
No. 1584
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Ventura Gutierrez by Mireya Loza, 2007, "Interview no. 1584," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.