Oral History Commons^™

Interview No. 1758, Saucido

Combined Interviews

Her last name is Saucido and she was working at Farah and she was part of the strike. Some of her duties at Farah was cutting and cleaning which was a very demanding job. She says that before the union there was no one that could help them and they thought that the union was going to make things better for them, but it wasn’t that way. When they were working, they will have supervisors that were making sure you did your job correctly, but sometimes they were extremely demanding and they will fire many people for either taking long …

Interview No. 1761, Rios

Combined Interviews

Everyone at Farah hated their job, that’s how Rios described it when she first started working there. She didn’t understand the problems happening at Farah at Paisano that made every worker hate going to work every day. A couple of days pass, she received her first check and realized that she got payed very little, when the manager told her that she would be getting payed more. She realized that she started her work there as a lie and that the contract that she sign was also a total lie that the managers didn’t respect.

At first, she thought that …

Interview No. 1757, Carrillo

Combined Interviews

Her last name is Carrillo and she was born in Mexico, and she arrived at Cuidad Juarez when she was 5 years old when she turned 12, she moved to, El Paso Texas. She was a home stay person and she helped with all the duties in the house, she is the middle child she has 3 older brothers and 3 younger brothers. Before she was married, she was working at a factory where they packed eggs and she worked in the fields picking pecans. She got married at the age of 22, with her husband that she met in …

Interview No. 1765, Garcia

Combined Interviews

Garcia has lived and worked in El Paso, Texas. She mentioned that poverty in Mexico is worse than the poverty in the United States. Garcia left Mexico 5 years ago to get a better life in the USA. She left her children with her mother and got on the train to get to El Paso, Texas. She first arrived to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and stayed with a family during a couple of weeks, while she gathered her papers to get a passport. After she got her passport she went to El Paso and started working and sending money back to …

Interview No. 1763, Marin-Graham-Cortez

Combined Interviews

Their last names are is Marin -Graham -Cortez, and she was working at Farah in El Paso, Texas. She says that engineers were trained but they didn’t do their job the way they were supposed to do it. She mentions that everyone was complaining about the supervisors and how they do nothing about anything that affects the employees. He mentions that many people will work many hours and not get a rise or even some extra cents for the extra work. She says that most of the ditties were to sue pants and pockets and it was a demanding job. …

Interview No. 1764, Lezema

Combined Interviews

Lezama started her journey with Farah in the year 1959 and worked there for nineteenth years. She used to make jeans and sew other clothing items. Her first time in the company was when she was 17 years old, and she worked there for three months before taking a break and going back to the company for the next nineteenth years. Lezama mentioned that in her nineteenth years in Farah she never earned the 3 dollars that they promised her she would earn if she stayed with the company for a couple of consecutive years.

While working at Farah her …

Interview No. 1766, Hernandez

Combined Interviews

The audio is unintelligible

Interview No. 1768, Arieta

Combined Interviews

When Arieta initially started working there, she said that everyone at Farah detested their jobs. She didn't get the issues at Farah in Paisano that made every employee dread reporting to work each day. After a few days had passed, she received her first check and found she had been paid very little before the manager informed her that her pay would be increasing. She came to the realization that the contract she signed when she first started working there was also a complete fabrication that the bosses didn't regard.

She initially believed that Farah employed anyone who was willing …

Interview No. 1769, Gonzalez

Combined Interviews

She says that everything is back in busisnes at Farah and that the new president of Farah is not fighting with the union any more. She says that many people are getting left off and many people just like her she was let off and came back 3 times in a row and she says that she is thinking that is better for her to start studying. She says that Willy Farah, the owner, was very hated and loved at the same tiem and she says that many people will give them gifts such as bringing him mariachi and workers …

Interview No. 1771, Estrada

Combined Interviews

His last name is Estrada, he started working in 1966 and he worked in there for 5 years and in 1970 is where problems begging to occur. He says that he had to leave his job because it wants convenient for them to keep working in those conditions. He says that he did enjoyed doing his job and he will do the best that he could to improve the way he worked. He has never arrived late to any job and he was always compromised with whatever he did. He says that the most common injury to get in his …

Examining Past, Present, And Future Of Agricultural Labor: From The Bracero Program To The Coalition Of Immokalee Workers, Francesca Paradiso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis is a comparative study that examines the Bracero Program and the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The Bracero Program brought Mexican workers into the United States on temporary work visas from 1942-1964. The CIW is an organization of Mexican workers that was founded in 1992 as a response to the horrible working conditions that Mexican tomato pickers faced in Immokalee, Florida. In this thesis, I show that by putting these programs side by side, we can see the exploitation of Mexican farmworkers has relied on changing government tools—different forms of visas, different immigration regimes, different …

Community Oral History To Widen The Path: The Jewish Mobile Oral History Project, Deborah Gurt

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This article presents the case study of the Jewish Mobile Oral History Project of the McCall Library at the University of South Alabama as an example of a participatory archival practice. With goals to build a collection centered on a minority experience, to engage with community members, and to foster inter-communal dialogue, the project highlights affect as one vital consideration for archival record keepers, users, and subjects.

Phillip Vanderweg: Leading The School Of Art And East Hall Studios, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Emeriti Director School of Art Phillip VanderWeg sits with Cassie Kotrch to discuss memories and stories from when the School of Art (formerly Art Department) occupied space on East Campus, including studio spaces of East Hall. He also elaborates on the transition from Department to School that he oversaw.

Renaissance Man Steve "Mongo" Kaniuga And The Architecture Of East Campus, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Steve "Mongo" Kaniuga shares memories and stories of his time as a student on East Campus over a phone call with Cassie Kotrch.

William Virgo: Grad School In His First Grade Classroom, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

Campus School, U High, and WMU Alum William Virgo sits with Cassie Kotrch in Heritage Hall to share his stories and memories from his time as a student at Campus School, U High, and Western as both undergrad and graduate.

Denise Hunt And The Impact Of Band, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMu Alum Denise Hunt sits with Cassie Kotrch in Heritage Hall to share memories and stories of her time as a business student at WMU on East Campus.

Interview With Lt. Col. Herbert H. Schaaf, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections Oral History Collection

Unknown interviewer; interviewed on February 17th, 1986. Find this collection in the University Libraries' catalog!

Interview With Dr. Alvin Mclendon, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections Oral History Collection

Unknown interviewer; interviewed on October 14th, 2004. Find this collection in the University Libraries' catalog!

Interview Series: Eggs & Issues, 1988 March 12, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections Oral History Collection

Find this collection in the University Libraries' catalog!

Joseph Pillion: A Career In Speech With A Stutter And Life With Dr. Van Riper, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Joseph Pillion meets virtually via Zoom with Cassie Kotrch to discuss his time at WMU starting in Dr. Van Riper's speech therapy to becoming a WMU student and graduating. He also shares details and memories of his time on East Campus and living with Dr. Van Riper.

Iola Dunsmore And Wmu In The 1940s, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Iola Dunsmore speaks with Cassie Kotrch over the phone to share some of the stories and memories she has of her time as a WMU student in the 1940s.

Kathy Scheiern: International Business On East Campus, Goat Eyes, And More, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Kathy Scheiern meets virtually over Zoom with Cassie Kotrch to discuss some of the memories and stories she has of her time on WMU's East Campus as a student at the College of Business.

Steve Abid In The Fight Against Landlords And Parking And Becoming A Teacher, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

Steve Abid sits with Cassie Kotrch at the Zhang Legacy and Collections Center to discuss his time at WMU as an education and business student as well as his memories and the promise he made to never teach Spanish.

The Murder Of George Floyd: A Case Study Examining How The Policing Of Black Men And Grassroots Activism Influence The Will Of Black Women To Lead, Ella Gates-Mahmoud

Doctorate in Education

This study's objective investigates the viewpoints held by Black women in two urban areas of Minnesota about the social upheaval that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020 for using a counterfeit $20 bill. In the last decade, police killings of innocent Black people in the United States have received more attention, and Floyd's death is only one example of this phenomenon. In the U.S., the likelihood of a police officer taking the life of a Black man is higher than that of a White man. Between 2013-2019 there have been 1,641 fatal shootings of defenseless Black men by …

Nick Fugedi And The Artistic Freedom Of East Hall, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU alum Nick Fugedi speaks with Cassie Kotrch over Zoom about his time at WMU as an art student with a studio in East Hall.

Jay Weessies And His First Home In Ernest Burnham Hall, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Jay Weessies meets virtually over Zoom with Cassie Kotrch to discuss his time at WMU's College of Business while it inhabited East Campus and his many memories as a student.

Dale Manske: Father/Son Bond And A Career Through Wmu, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Dale Manske meets virtually with Cassie Kotrch to discuss his connection to WMU and the memories he has of his time there and on East Campus.

Suzanne Witthoff: Trailblazing At Wmu, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Suzanne Witthoff meets virtually with Cassie Kotrch over Zoom to discuss her time at WMU College of Business when it occupied East Campus. Suzanne shares memories and stories she has of her time at WMU in the 1960s.

Michael Dixon And His Moment Of Unexpectedly Doctorate Material, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Michael Dixon sits with Cassie Kotrch to discuss his many years as a WMU student (from undergrad to doctorate student) and the many memories from his time on East Campus.

Peter Boylan: Judo Club And International Experiences, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Peter Boylan meets with Cassie Kotrch virtually to discuss his memories and stories of East Campus during his time as an undergrad and graduate student at WMU. He also talks about the Judo Club he was part of on East Campus.