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Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
German Ortega interview
Interviewer: Penny Bruyu
Interviewee: German Ortega
Penny Bruyu: Testing 1,2,3. Testing 1,2,3. [people speaking in the background] This is Saturday the
18th of June. We’re in Hart, Michigan at the Hart Library. This is Penny Bruyu (?) and I’m speaking
with…
German: -German Ortega.
Penny: German agreed to be interviewed today, um, [switches to Spanish] German, would you like
to speak in English or Spanish?
German: No, Spanish.
Penny: Okay. Good, tell us something about yourself.
German: Like...what? For example, what about [me would you like to hear]?
Penny: When you were born, where, uh...
German: Well, I...my name is German Ortega, em...I was born in a village inside the state of
Nayarit, Puerta de mangos on the fourteenth of May in 1971. Eh, [it’s] ‘bout twenty-eight kilometers
from the, from, from the edge of the sea, the Pacific. It’s...really beautiful. And, I came here in ‘82.
To...
Penny: To Michigan, or?
German: To, no, well, I came to California, Idaho in ‘78. That’s where I was. In ‘79 I returned, I
had [previously] worked six months, and I [had] returned to my village another time. The following
year, in ‘79 I only came to Idaho. There I picked apples, onions, corn, and I returned to Mexico the
ninth of October. From there I didn’t return for three years and then I came to Michigan in ‘82.
[Walter speaking in the background] I came [to Mexico] for six months to study, but I’m still here
after thirty years and counting that I don’t… [people speaking in the background]
Penny: What were you going to study?
German: I wanted to study ___ engineering. (1:50) I studied an hour and a half.
Penny: Where?
German: In a village named Rosamorada in Nayarit. Back then it was a z. Z number seventy-two.
Now it’s called, I believe it’s called Zebeiti. I think it’s Zebeiti...but I came for six months and here I
am still, I don’t know how [German laughs] [people speaking in the background] But yeah, I studied
a year and a half, three semesters.
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Penny: And…when you uh, arrived here...how did you enter, where [did you] live, with who did
[you] work, what...
German: Well, I was in Idaho. Um...
Penny: - Where in Idaho?
German: Um...it’s called... [knocks on the table] Marsing. Marsing, Idaho. And I had an uncle here,
an uncle of ours. His name is Nicolás [pause] Carrillo Duran. [He lived] here in Grand Rapids. He
was working in Kalamazoo. So we spoke, and when we were talking he told us that there was work
here. So we came to Grand Rapids for four months. [People speaking in the background] [German
laughs] I worked getting rid of earthworms [begins laughing] for this golf course.
Penny: Oh.
German: I only worked at night. Yes, it was around three, four months, something like that. Then,
one of my uncles who was here worked as a [inaudible, 3:13] and he told us to come because there
was work picking peaches, so we came. They gave us a place to stay, they gave us everything,
and...they treated us well. We liked the work here, we liked the way the people in charge treated us,
and…
Penny: Who were those in charge at Benona Hill Farms?
German: The boss was Bill Burmeister and the la...I don’t remember what his wife’s name was.
[long pause] [people speaking in the background]
Penny: Vi Burmeister. (¿? No estoy segura de lo que dijo)
German: Uh huh, y the one in charge was just Gerry. Gerry Burmeister. Gerry was the one who
was in charge of everything. And it finished, the apple season, we picked...I started picking peaches
my first year. Afterwards [we picked] apples, the following year asparagus. Cherry. We picked
cherries by hand before. [inaudible, 4:06] And uh...
Penny: What year was this?
German: In ’82. From 1982 onwards [hits the table for emphasis] until I was working with Gerry in
‘95. I was only working in the field, and afterwards I entered into a company. Ah, Whitehall Leather,
and I left the work in the fields. [people speaking in the background]
Penny: And, what else uh, in your life [noise picks up as people in the background begin speaking]
What occurred in your life during these years?
German: Well, sad things! Because in, i think it was in eighty...no wait, I don’t remember the year. It
was in ‘86, no, ‘84 or ‘85. Um, I got sick, from appendicitis. My appendix burst and I spent...many
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
weeks without work. Like six...six weeks. And, and those who where there [hits desk] well, they fed
me, they gave me ten dollars eachPenny: - But, where were you?
German: Here, in the camps! I worked there, I was there in the camps working. I, I, I got sick and I
don’t know...they performed emergency surgery and I was without work for six weeks. It was little
by little that I recuperated. See…[Walter speaking in the background] and, right in the middle of, for
example, when the cherry harvest ends, peaches, no with the asparagus we could sometimes take
three weeks, or occasionally a month. Afterwards we would go to Ohio, [we’d go] there, or we
would go to Traverse City to pick strawberries. Uh, or to Ohio to pick tomatoes. That’s what we
did. [Speaking in the background] HowPenny: -You say that’s what we did, who were you with?
German: We were, there was Mario [inaudible] a young man named [inaudible] ¿Caliento nonato?
Nicolás Carillo, Víctor Cordero, and I. That’s all, it’s just that we were always together ever sincePenny: [noisy] - Were they all from your village?
German: We all were from the same village, yes.
Penny: From, from Puerta de Mangos?
German: From Puerto de Mangos. [inaudible] We followed him because he spoke English, well, he
spoke the most English. Um, and he had a car, therefore he would give us rides. We looked for jobs
and everything, but, we were always together, all of us.
Penny: And when you finished with the jobs available [to you] in Michigan, what did you do?
German: When worked finished up, we would wait to work in tinos? Right there with the boss, but
he gave us a [plazo] to leave the camp. For example, the tenth of November, we would sometimes
work [inaudible] and we would go to Florida to work in the strawberry [harvest]. We had somewhere
to stay there too.
Penny: What part of Florida?
German: Glen City, Florida. There, if an uncle of mine got there first he would arrange for us to
stay in a house and everything. It all finished out well here, and we’d go down there to work. We
barely ever struggled with the work because one of us always went ahead. Eh, because of the cold or
what have you. But someone went ahead, and so, the job would finish there, we’d work picking
strawberries, oranges we would also harvest. The oranges we didn’t have a boss for because [people
speaking in the background] we only had to look and find where there were people harvesting
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
oranges and ask for work. And so, the strawberries would finish in March, March or April, and we’d
call our boss and ask if everything was ready. If the camp was open. To, to prepare.
Penny: The same boss, Burmeister?
German: Yes, the same one. Uh huh. He’d call us and let us know that we could come whatever
day, the camp was already open and we could enter. Everything was ready for the asparagus, and like
that we’d return. Apple season would end and then [we’d stay] for strawberry [season] and we’d
return to here [Michigan]. Yes, it was for, like ten years that we went going back and forth and then
after I stopped for a year. It was for two, butPenny: And you, um, you got married right? [people speaking loudly in the background]
German: I got married in...oh God. [pauses] Eighty...
Penny: How many kids do you have?
German: I have five kidsPenny: And when was your first child born?
German: [stutters] twenty...ninth of May. The May 29th 1985. Benny, Benny Brian Ortega.
Penny: And so, when did you get married? [pause] Or when did you get together with-?
German: I got together, I got together with the mom of my children.
Penny: What’s the name of your children’s mother?
German: Her name is Mariza Lozano. Um...I had five children with her and…[Walter keeps
speaking in the background] at the time I got married, I don’t remember how many years afterwards,
two, three, I don’t know. But we had...after Benny followed Cristina. She was born the third
of...March 6th of 1987. After Cristina, Herman was born [on] the 14th of November, November
14th of ‘91. Laura was born next, August 17th of ‘94, and Luis [was born] July 8th of ‘99. We had
five kids and, and we lived comfortably but...things happen. But we did continue, we both worked in
the camp. Um, we would arrive to pick peaches, apples or asparagus, everything. I’d help her with
the kids, to-or make food, with the food. She’d do something else, but um...we lasted a while
working in the camp. [Conversation continues in the background] For some seasons we worked for
Peterson. No, only when another harvest would begin, be it the peaches or apples.
Penny: And when you say Peterson, um [conversation continues in the background] [do you mean]
Peterson Farms?
German: Peterson Farms in, in the grocery store.
Penny: O-okay. What did they produce [she uses the wrong form of the word in Spanish, the intent
was to say produce in past tense]?
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
German: There we worked [picking] cherries [he uses the English word for cherry as opposed to
the Spanish]. Until today they still pick cherries. In a group we would collect only-well, I worked
outside cleaning the tanks, taking out the trash with a, with a strainer, taking care of the leaves, all of
that. Marisa worked in the line taking out the pits, rocks, getting rid of all that. And...finally when
work began here, they’d call us to tell us that it was beginning and we’d leave the grocery store here,
even though there was work. And, uh, when we stayed here, when I got married, we started to stay.
After ten, twelve years. I finally decided to work the winter with Peterson in the grocery store,
sometimes working with peaches, sometimes apples. [Conversation continues in the background]
And the work in the camps would begin, and again I’d go. With the time, I, I got accustomed to a
company and uh, and finally the year was very round (?) I left the camps, we left the camp um, she
looked for work in a (??) and I in another and um, and we left the camps. We didn’t, we didn’t work.
Even now I don’t work in the camps.
Penny: When you left Peterson’s camps, where did you start working?
German: When I left, I, it was a [inaudible] I worked there for five years.
Penny: And what did you do there?
German: There in [company is inaudible]we would ___ cowhide, for shoes. Apparently [there were]
many government contracts, for the army [army was said in English] it was the most, the most,
almost everything was for the army. And I worked there for five years. I would beat the cowhide so
that they could go into the oven and be tanned. [Alongside me] there was Mario, Mario Engurre,
Victor Cordero, we were, we were the ones who always would get together and almost always were
together working in different areas. And...after five years the company shut down, [conversation in
the background becomes more loud] and-everyone went their own way. So, now no, we don’t get
together anymore. Um, we had to work with the hide, the same as [company name is inaudible] we
worked there with the hide of pigs, also for the same type of shoes.
Penny: Where, what Wolverine?
German: Ah, I can’t pronounce Rockford, um, in the state of Michigan. Rok-Rockford.
Penny: Oh, Rockford, Michigan?
German: Uh huh, Rockford, Michigan. There we worked uh, for four years. But during these four
years I had a car accident. And...then I left for that reason too. Also because I could no longer work
in this place, because, well, I couldn’t. The doctor told me that I could no longer do so, I couldn’t
work there anymore, I wasn’t able to and so I left. And…[conversation continues in the background
for a few seconds]
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Penny: What happened after the accident?
German: After the accidentPenny: -When was the accident?
German: [both begin to speak] the accident was...September 28th of ‘94-of 2004.
Penny: 2004?
German: 2004, um, after that, the accident, I didn’t work for four years. I left for Mexico, I didn’t
come here. I didn’t work.
Penny: What, what injuries did you have, what, what happened to you during the accident?
German: We flipped and uh, I, well they say that it was pretty ugly. I was dead, lost and a part of
me, um, well I don’t-I don’t remember what happened at all. Nothing of the accident, I don’t know.
Um, the only thing that I know is that I woke up in the hospital and I stayed there, I stayed there a
while. [Someone begins laughing in the background as part of the other conversation] It took some
time for me to recuperate. With the, um, with the time I, the accident broke my knee. I broke part of
my collar- the [both say collarbone in English] Umm.
Penny: Oh, okay, collarbone.
German: Collarbone, the ribs, eh, I had many operations on my stomach which was turned inside
out. The operated on me [conversation in the background grows loader] and thanks to God that all
turned out well. Well, it resulted well physically but not, not well with everything in order to...and uh,
I was like that for four years without working at least, going to doctor appointments, overall.
Afterwards I applied to a company that...it’s called Oceana Food. There um...there we worked in
[picking] cherries, blueberries, granada, cranberries…[all fruits said in English]
Penny: And what happened with those?
German: There [both attempt to speak] they process them, hydrate them. There they hydrate them,
through ovens. Everyone works with the ovens and it turns out in a style whichPenny: Dry, dry [second dry is said in English], like?
German: Yes, dry.
Penny: Like raisinsGerman: Yes, like raisinsPenny: Like raisins (said in English).
German: Uh huh, and this is what I do. I work relieving because, I can’t, I can’t do anything
requiring force. But this [cell phone begins ringing] In, in um [conversation in the background
continues alongside a phone vibrating] 2008 [phone vibrates]. During the year 2008, in July of 2008
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
[conversation and vibrating continues] and until now we are- [vibration interrupts him] we are
working there thanks to God. We are well [vibrations continue rapidly] I like the job, I like[vibrations continue in rapid sequence].
Penny: -Um, [vibrations stop]. Did you enter as a migrant [recording is full of static] with papers or
without?
German: When I first entered the United States it was without papers. I entered through the city of
Tijuana with [inaudible] San Diego. And, and in that time it was easy to enter. They’d say “wait for
me for two hours in such and such place” and I would arrive in Tijuana through the other side. And
each year that I came I entered without papers. Here in the United States, and [conversation can be
heard loudly in the background] over time [German coughs] over time it became harder too and
thanks to [God] we were able to fix everything.
Penny: And how was that, the process ofGerman: The process of fixing [our study] was through amnesty. In ‘85, in ‘86 something like that,
and uh, thanks to God we qualified for, for this program and we fixed our status.
Penny: And you’re still a permanent resident?
German: No, thanks to God and a woman named Penny Bruyu? Who helped me a lot in the
process of becoming a citizen.
Penny: And when did you become a citizen? [bang on table]
German: In ’96. In...yeah in ’96 I became a citizen after nearly twenty years [conversation continues
in the background].
Penny: And have you studied English or gone to a university (she uses the term for high school
here but means higher education), the dreams you had how-?
German: I let go of my dreams. I never, I couldn’t study anymore, not even here. I only went to
school one day here and couldn’t continue [inaudible] [conversation in the background is louder
than German]. I went one day, only one day and-it’s just that I don’t have time with my job and
family. Or, it’s more that I don’t want one [university education] because if I wanted one I’d be able
to. All those who really want it can, and maybe I didn’t [want it enough].
Penny: And...what is your impression of Oceana county? What-what...
German: Well, for me Oceana County is my life, my village, it’s my-my city is here. Everything [is
here]. It’s my México over there, because here...I grew up here um, here I-I made-uh I had
everything unfold well. Uh, my job, family, my people, everything is better than over there. Much
better than over there, here it is as calm as it gets.
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Penny: Do you have family here apart from your kids?
German: I have brothers, I have two more brothers. I have [murmurs] four cousins on my dad’s
side and from my mom’s side too- [conversation in the background continues loudly].
Penny: And when you became a citizen were you able to help your family?
German: Yes, thanks to God we were able to help. I helped my parents legalize their status and
thanks to God they became citizens thanks to the help of the woman I mentioned earlier.
Penny: And what are the names of your parents?
German: My dad’s name is Pablo Ortega Manzo and my mom’s name is Felina de Chiga Herrero.
Penny: And they, um, are citizens or residents or how-?
German: They are citizens, thanks to God. They’re, they’re now Americans.
Penny: So, so by...by coming here illegally and fixing your migrant status you made [yourself a]
resident permanent, American naturalized citizen. You fixed and naturalized yourGerman: My parents.
Penny: Your parents, like permanent residents and now they became American citizens.
German: Yes, uh huh. Thanks to God, they could and they did.
Penny: Uh huh, yeah. Is there something of your personal history that you would like to share?
German: [long pause, conversation continues in the background] Well only...to give thanks to the
county. The county have-has treated me well, I haven’t gotten into any problems and I’ve remained
tranquil with everything.
Penny: Your-your life has beenGerman: -As calm as it is possible to be here. I-much better than Mexico. I don’t discriminate
[against] Mexico but, it’s as, it’s pretty.
Penny: Thank you very much, we are going to end the interview. This is the end of the interview
with German Ortega, uh, the 18th of June 2016 in Hart, Michigan.
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Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Entrevistador: ¿Penny Bruyu?
Entrevistado: German Ortega
Penny Bruyu: Testing 1,2,3. Testing 1,2,3. [personas hablando en el fondo] This is Saturday the 18th of June.
We’re in Hart, Michigan at the Hart Library. This is Penny Bruyu (?) and I’m speaking with…
German: -German Ortega.
Penny: German agreed to be interviewed today, um, ¿German puedes hablar en inglés o español?
German: No, español.
Penny: Okey. Bueno, dinos algo de usted.
German: Como… ¿de qué? Por ejemplo, de, ¿de qué?
Penny: Cuando naciste, donde nacisteis, uh…
German: Bueno, yo…me llamo German Ortega, este…nací el catorce de mayo del ’71 en un pueblo del
estado de Nayarit. Puerta de mangos. Eh, ‘ta veinte y ocho kilómetros de la, del, del orilla del mar, del
pacífico. Este…muy bonito. Y, me vine en el ’82 para acá. Para…
Penny: ¿Para Michigan o?
German: Para, no, bueno en el ’78 me vine a, a…para la California para Idaho. Allí tuve. En el ’79 me, me
regre-trabajé seis meses, me regrese a, a mi pueblo otra vez. El siguiente año en el ’79 vine para Idaho, nada
más. Pisque manzana, cebolla, elote, y me regrese de nuevo en octubre para, para México. De ya no vine por
tres años, y me vine en el ’82 ya para Michigan. [Walter hablando en el fondo] Vine por seis meses para
estudiar, pero aquí estoy todavía, treinta y tal años que no… [personas hablando en el fondo]
Penny: ¿Qué ibas estudiar?
German: Quería estudiar para ingeniar orónimo (¿? 1:50) Estudie año y medio.
Penny: ¿En dónde?
German: En un pueblo que se llama Rosamorada en Nayarit. En ese tiempo era zeta. Zeta número setenta y
dos. Y ahora se llama, creo que Zebeiti (¿?) Pienso que Zebeiti...pero vine por seis meses y aquí estoy todavía
no sé cómo. [German se ríe] [personas hablando en el fondo] Pero si estudie año y medio. Tres semestres.
Penny: Y…cuando llegasteis aquí ah…como enterasteis, donde viví, como con quien trabajar, que…
German: Bueno, yo estaba en Idaho. Este…
Penny: - ¿qué parte de Idaho?
German: En…se llama… [toca la mesa] Marsing. Marsing, Idaho. Y aquí estaba un tío, de nosotros, un tío.
Que se llama Nicolás [pausa] Carrillo Durán. Aquí en Grand Rapids. Trabajaba en un compañía en
Kalamazoo él. Y…hablamos, hablamos y nos dijo que aquí, aquí había trabajo. Y nos venimos a Grand
Rapids, duramos como cuatro meses en Grand Rapids. [personas hablando en el fondo] [German se ríe]
Trabajaba sacando lombrices. [está riéndose] para el campo de golf para la pesca.
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�Penny: O.
German: Puro de noche no más. Si, como tres, cuatro meses algo así. Y ya, un tío mío aquí trabajaba como
un [inaudible, 3:13] Y nos dijo que nos vinieramos que ya había pizca durazno que nos vinieramos. Y…nos
vinimos y allí nos dieron casa, nos dieron todo y…y nos trataron bien. Allí, nos gustó el trabajo, nos gustó el
trato de los, de los patrones. Y…
Penny: ¿Quién eran los patrones de Benona Hill Farms?
German: El patrón era Bill Burmeister y la seño…no me recordó cómo se llama la esposa. [pausa larga]
[personas hablando en el fondo]
Penny: Vi Burmeister. (¿? No estoy segura de lo que dijo)
German: Aja, y el encargado nada más fue Gerry. Gerry Burmeister. Gerry era el que se encargaba de todo. Y
ya se terminaba la, la pizca de manzana, pizcábamos…empecé pizcando durazno mi primer año. Después,
manzana, siguiente año espárrago. Cherry [cereza], se picaba a mano la cherry [cereza] antes. [inaudible, 4:06]
Y este…
Penny: ¿En qué año fue eso?
German: En el ’82. Ya de la ’82 para acá [pega la mesa con su mano para énfasis] ya hasta el ’95 cuando
estuve allí con Gerry. Trabajando en el campo, nada más. Y ya después me mete en una compañía. Ah,
Whitehall Leather, y ya me salí del campo. [personas hablando en el fondo]
Penny: Y, que más uh, en su vida [hablando en el fondo se hace más ruidoso] ¿qué pasó en su vida entre
estéis años?
German: ¡Pos, cosas tristes! Porque en él, como en el ochien…no me recuerdo que año, fue en el ‘86 no, ’84,
’85. Este, me enferme. Del apéndice. Me a reventó el apéndice, dure…muchas semanas sin trabajar. Como
seis, seis semanas. Y, y los que estábamos allí [pega la mesa] pos allí me daban de comer, me daban diez
dólares por semana cada quienPenny: - pero ¿dónde estabas?
German: Allí en el campo. Allí trabajaba, allí en el campo trabajando. Me, me, me enferme y no este…me
operaron de emergencia y seis semanas dure sin trabajar. Y ya poco a poco me recuperaron. Este… [Walter
hablando en el fondo] y, ya en miedo del, por ejemplo, cuando se acababa la cherry el durazno que, no el
espárrago que durábamos dos, tres semanas o un mes a veces, nos íbamos para Ohio. A la, o a Traverse City
para pizca de la fresa. Uh, o a Ohio al tomate. Así andamos. [Hablando en el fondo] ComoPenny: -Y dice así andamos, ¿con quién andabas?
German: Andábamos, era Mario [inaudible] un muchacho que se llama [inaudible] ¿Caliento nonato? Nicolás
Carrillo, Víctor Cordero, y yo. Nada más, es que andábamos siempre juntos desdePenny: [ruidosa] - ¿y todos eran de tu pueblo?
German: Todos éramos del mismo pueblo, todos éramos.
Penny: ¿De, de Puerta de Mangos?
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�German: De Puerto de Mangos. [inaudible] Lo seguíamos a él porque él hablaba inglés, pues más, más inglés.
Este…y tenía carro, entonces él nos traílla y nos llevaba. Buscaba trabajo y todo eso, pero, siempre
anduvimos juntos, todos allí.
Penny: ¿Y cuando terminaba el trabajo aquí en Michigan, que hacían?
German: Cuando se terminaba el trabajo, este, ¿nos iba-nos esperábamos a trabajar en los tinos? Allí mismo
con el patrón, pero nos daba un plazo para salir del campo. Por ejemplo, el diez de noviembre, entonces a
veces trabajábamos [inaudible] y nos íbamos pa’ la Florida a trabajar en la fresa. Ya teníamos a donde llegar
allí también.
Penny: ¿Que parte de Florida?
German: Glen City, Florida. Allí hasta, se iba primero un tío mío, y nos conseguí la casa y todo. Y ya se
terminaba aquí todo bien. Y nos íbamos para halla, y ya llegábamos para trabajar. Nosotros casi no
batallábamos nada para el trabajo porque siempre iba alguien pa’ delante. Eh, por el frío, o por lo que sea.
Pero se iba adelante, entonces este, se acaba el trabajo allá, pizcábamos fresa, naranja también pizcábamos. La
naranja no teníamos patrón porque [personas hablando en el fondo, muy ruidoso] nada más a ver adonde
pizcar naranja y pedíamos trabajo. Y este, y ya se acababa la fresa en marzo, marzo/abril, nos hablaba el
patrón que ya estaba listo. El campo abierto. Para, pa’ preparar.
Penny: ¿El mismo patrón Burmeister?
German: Si, el mismo. Aja. Nos hablaba que ya nos podíamos ir cualquier día. Ya estaba el campo abierto, ya
podíamos entrar. Y estar listo para el espárrago. Y así volvíamos, se acababa la temporada de la manzana la
fresa, y de la fresa acababa y nos venimos aquí. Si, por, yo como diez años dure yendo y viniendo y ya después
pare un año. Pare dos, peroPenny: Y este, eh, ¿te casaste no? [personas hablando en el fondo, ruidoso]
German: Me case en el…hay dios. [pausa] ochenta…
Penny: ¿Cuántos hijos tienes?
German: Tengo cinco hijosPenny: ¿Y cuando nació tu primer hijo?
German: [tartamudo] veinte y…nueve de mayo, veinte y nueve de mayo del ’85. Benny. Benny Brian Ortega.
Penny: ¿Y cuándo te casaste entonces? [pausa] ¿O juntaste con-?
German: Me junte, me junte con la mamá de mis hijos.
Penny: ¿Cómo se llama la mamá de sus hijos?
German: Se llama, se llama Marisa Lozano. Este…con ella tuve cinco hijos y este… [Walter sigue hablando
en el fondo] al tiempo me case no me recuerdo cuantos años después, dos, tres. No sé. Pero tuvimos después
de Benny siguió Cristina, nació el tres de…marzo seis ’87. En seguida nació Herman, noviembre catorce,
noviembre catorce del ’91. Después sigue Laura, agosto diecisiete ’94. Y Luis, julio ocho del ’99. Tuvimos
cinco hijos y este, y vivimos ajustó, pero…las cosas pasan. Pero si seguimos, trabajamos los dos en el campo.
3
�Este, llegamos de pizcar durazno lo que pueda manzana o esparrago, de todo. Yo le ayudaba a los niños a-o
hacer la comida, con la comida. Hacia otra cosa, pero, este…duramos un rato en el campo, trabajando.
[conversación en el fondo continúe] Por temporadas trabajamos con-con Peterson. No, nada más mientras
empezaba otra cosecha, ya se el durazno o la manzana.
Penny: Y cuando dice Peterson, eh, [conversación sigue en el fondo] ¿Peterson Farms?
German: Peterson Farms en, en la bodega
Penny: O-okey, ¿que producaban [quiere decir producían]?
German: Allí se trabaja la cherry [cereza]. Se trabaja la cherry [cereza], hasta ahorita todavía. En una banda
sacábamos nada más-pues yo trabajaba afuera limpiando los tanques sacando la basura con una, con un
colador, sacando las hojas, todo eso. Marisa trabajaba en la línea sacando los huevos, sacando las piedras,
sacando todo eso. Y…ya cuando empezaba acá el trabajo, nos llamaba que ya empezaba y nos dejábamos de
la bodega acá, aunque hubiera trabajo. Y, este, cuando nos quedábamos aquí, cuando me case, nos
empezamos a quedar. Después de diez, doce años. Ya me mete a trabajar el invierno con Peterson en la
bodega igual a, a veces durazno, a veces manzana [conservación en el fondo]. Y ya empezaba el campo [y]
empezaba otra vez y me salí. Ya con el tiempo, me, me acomode una compañía y este…y ya el año fue muy
redondo (¿?) me salí del campo, nos salimos del campo eh, ella busco un trabajo en un (¿?) yo en otro y eh, y
nos salimos del campo ya no, ya no trabajamos. Hasta ahorita ya no trabaja en el campo.
Penny: ¿Cuándo saliste del campo de Peterson, donde empezaste a trabajar?
German: Cuando salí, me, fue a [inaudible] allí trabajé por cinco años.
Penny: ¿Y qué hacéis allí?
German: Allí en [compañía inaudible] nosotros acabamos el cuero de vaca, para el zapato. Según muchos
contrates para el gobierno, para el army era lo mas, lo mas, casi todo era para el army. Y trabajé por cinco años
allí. Yo pegaba los cueros, para entrarán el horno para se curtieron. Y era Mario, Mario Aguirre, Víctor
Cordero, éramos los, los que siempre nos juntábamos y casi siempre estábamos juntos trabajando en lugares.
Y…Después de cinco años cero la compañía, [conversación del fondo se hace más ruidoso] y-cada quien se
fue por su lado. Entonces, ya no, ya no nos juntábamos para nada. Eh, tuvimos que trabajar en los cueros, lo
igual a [nombre de compañía es inaudible] allí trabajamos el cuero del puerco. Para el zapato igual.
Penny: ¿en donde, que Wolverine?
German: No puedo decir Rockford, eh, en el estado de Michigan, Rok-Rockford.
Penny: Oh. ¿Rockford, Michigan?
German: Aja, Rockford, Michigan. Allí trabajé este, por cuatro años. Pero en ese tiempo de los cuatro años
tuve un accidente de carro. Y…y ya me salí por ese motivo también. También, porque ya no podía trabajar en
ese lugar porque pues, no podía. El doctor me dijo que ya no pude, que ya no trabajaré allí, no podía y me
salí. Y… [conversación sigue en el fondo por un par de segundos]
Penny: ¿Qué pasó después del accidente…?
4
�German: Después del accidentePenny: ¿Cuándo fue el accidente?
German: [los dos tratando de hablar] el accidente fue…septiembre 28 del ’94-del 2004.
Penny: ¿2004?
German: Del 2004, este después de allí, del accidente, dure cuatro años sin trabajar. Me fui para México, no
fui aquí, no fui a trabajar.
Penny: Que, que ardidas tenias, que, ¿que te paso en el accidente?
German: Nos volteamos, y este, me-pues dicen que estuvo muy feo. Estuvo muerto, perdido y a parte de mi,
y este, pues yo no ¿?? No recuerdo lo que paso, nada. Nada del accidente, nada no se. Este, lo único que se es
que ya desperté en el hospital y allí dure, dure tiempo. [Alguien se ríe en el fondo como parte de otra
conversación] Dure tiempo en recuperarme. Con el, eh, con el tiempo me, el accidente m-me quebró la
rodilla. Me quebré parte de mi espoleta del collar- el [los dos dicen collarbone] [la clavícula] ehh.
Penny: Oh, okey, collarbone.
German: Collarbone, las costillas eh, tuve muchas operaciones en el estómago me reventó por dentro. Me
operaron [conversación en el fondo es ruidoso] y gracias a dios que quede bien, bueno, quede bien
físicamente pero no, no bien de todo para poder. Y este y así duré cuatro años sin trabajar por lo menos, por
yendo a citas del doctor, por todo. Después aplique en una compañía de…se llama Oceana Food allí
este…allí trabaja en la pura cherry, blueberry, granada, cranberry…
Penny: ¿Y qué pasa con esos?
German: Allí [los dos tratando de hablar] de la procesan, la hidratan. Allí le hidratan. Puro horno. Todo
trabaja entre fresca el horno y ya sale el estiloPenny: ¿Seco, dry, como-?
German: Si, dry.
Penny: Como pasasGerman: Si, como pasasPenny: -Como raisinsGerman: Uh huh. Y este es lo que hago, trabajo aliviando porque no, no hago nada de fuerza, pero este
[celular empieza a soñar] En el-en el [conversación sigue en el fondo, el celular para de soñar] 2008 [celular
vibra]. Entre en el año del 2008, en el julio del 2008 [conversación y vibraciones continúan] y hasta ahorita
estamos- [vibración del celular lo interrumpe] estamos trabajando allí gracias a dios. Estamos bien
[vibraciones siguen rápidamente] me gusta el trabajo. Me gusta y- [vibraciones siguen en secuencia rápida].
Penny: -Um, [vibraciones para] ¿Usted entró como un migrante [grabación tiene estatutico] con papeles o sin
papeles?
German: Cuando entre yo aquí en los Estados Unidos yo entre sin papeles. Entre por la ciudad Tijuana con
[inaudible] San Diego. Y, y en ese tiempo las pasadas eran fáciles. Eran desde, ‘esperame por dos horas en tal
5
�parte’ y ya allí llegó en Tijuana por el otro lado. Y cada año que yo venía entraba sin papeles. Aquí a los
Estados Unidos, y [conversación se puede oír claramente en el fondo] con el tiempo [German tose] con el
tiempo se puso a ser más duro también y gracias a [dios] ya arreglamos todo.
Penny: Y cómo fue eso, el proceso deGerman: El proceso de la reglada fue por un amnistía. En el ’85, el ’86 algo así. Y eh, gracias a dios nos
cualificamos por, por ese programa y arreglamos.
Penny: ¿Y todavía eres residente permanente?
German: No, gracias a dios a una señora que se llama Penny Burillo (¿?) ella me ayudó mucho a hacerme
ciudadano.
Penny: ¿Y cuando te hiciste ciudadano? [ruido en la mesa]
German: En el ’96. En el…si en el ’96 me hice ciudadano después de casi veinte años [conversación en el
fondo].
Penny: ¿Y has estudiado inglés or fuiste a colegio, los sueños que tenias como-?
German: De mis sueños se me cayeron. Ya no nunca, ya no pude estudiar, ni aquí. Aquí nada más fui al
escuela un día no más y no podía seguir [inaudible] [conversación sigue] Un día fui, fui nada más y-es que no
se no caso el tiempo y el trabajo y la familia. No quiero uno mas bien, porque si quisiera uno si pudiera uno,
todo los que quieren pueden. Yo a lo mejor no quiso.
Penny: Y… ¿que es su impresión de el condado de Oceana? Que-que…
German: Pues para mi el condado de Oceana es mi vida, es mi pueblo es mi-aquí es, es mi ciudad. Todo. Es
mi México allá. Porque aquí…crecí aquí este, aquí me, me hice-uh me desarrollo bien de todo. Este, trabajo,
familia, mi gente, todo ya esta mejor que allá. Mucho más mejor que allá, más, aquí es lo más tranquilo que
hay.
Penny: ¿Tienes familia aquí aparte de sus hijos?
German: Tengo hermanos, tengo dos hermanos más. Tengo [murmullo] cuatro primos por parte de mi papá
y de mi mamá también- [conversación en el fondo sigue con mucho ruido]
Penny: ¿Y cuando usted se hizo ciudadano pudo ayudar a su familia?
German: Si, gracias a Dios si pudimos ayudar. Les arregle a mis papas. Y…gracias a dios también se hicieron
ciudadanos y gracias a la señora que le mencione al rato.
Penny: ¿y como se llama sus papás?
German: Se llama Pablo Ortega Manzo y mi mamá se llama Felina de Chiga Herrero.
Penny: Y ellos, eh… ¿son ciudadanos o son residentes o como...?
German: Ellos son-ya son ciudadanos gracias a Dios. Ya, ya son americanos.
Penny: Entonces, entonces por…por venir aquí ilegal y arreglar su estatus migratorio hiciste residente
permanente, ciudadano americano naturalizado. Arreglaste y naturalizaste susGerman: Mis papás.
6
�Penny: Sus papás, como residentes permanentes y ahora se hicieron ciudadanos americanos.
German: Si, ajá. Gracias a Dios, pudieron y quisieron.
Penny: Ajá, si. ¿Hay algo más de su historia que quisiera compartir que…recuerden?
German: [pausa larga, conversación sigue en el fondo] Pues nada más este…darle gracias a aquí a el condado
más bien. Al condado porque me han dad-me han tratado bien, no me mete en problemas no he estado
tranquilo, con todo.
Penny: Su-su vida ha sidoGerman: -Tranquila de lo más posible que hay aquí. Me-mucho mejor que allá, México. Yo no discrimino
México, pero, es una, es bonito.
Penny: Muchas gracias, vamos a cerrar. This is the end of the interview with German Ortega, uh, the 18th of
June 2016 in Hart, Michigan. [Este es el fin de la entrevista con German Ortega, la, la fecha es el 18 de junio
del 2016 en Hart, Michigan.]
7
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/51fd3083e454959ff4813440e1c26560.mp3
e20b3e5a0cbb91ca601c5112173d37f7
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oceana County Migrant Labor History Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Shell-Weiss, Melanie
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Growing Community: A Century of Migration in Oceana County." This project was a collaboration between El Centro Hispano de Oceana, the Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society, and Grand Valley State University funded by a Common Heritage grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The materials in this collection document the history of communities in Hart, Shelby, and Walkerville and explore themes of migration, labor, religion, family, belonging, national and cultural identities, regional, national, and international connections, and citizenship.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Oceana County (Mich.)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
El Centro Hispano de Oceana; Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society
Relation
A related resource
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage project)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
audio/mp3
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Image
Sound recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oceana County (Mich.)
Hart (Mich.)
Shelby (Mich.)
Farms
Farmers
Migrant agricultural laborers
Hispanic Americans
Account books
Diaries
Oral history
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Título
Spanish language Title entry
Ortega, German (entrevista de audio, transcripción en Español y Traducción en Inglés)
Descripción
Spanish language Description entry
Entrevista de historia oral con German Ortega. Entrevistado por Penny Burillo. Hart, Michigan. Idioma en Español. Junio 18, 2016.
Sujetos
Spanish language Subject terms
Migrante
Agricultura
Puerta de Mangos
Grand Rapids (Mich.)
Cerezas
Espárragos
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06_Ortega_German
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ortega, German
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-06-18
Title
A name given to the resource
Ortega, German (audio interview, Spanish transcript, and English translation)
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with German Ortega. Interviewed by Penny Burillo. Hart, Michigan. Spanish language. June 18, 2016.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Burillo, Penny (interviewer)
Shell-Weiss, Melanie (director)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Migrant
Agriculture
Hispanic
Puerta de Mangos
Grand Rapids (Mich.)
Peaches
Cherries
Asparagus
Naturalization
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/08dbe21fb02677d03ca275a18af4552e.pdf
077c0e2c72e9c98c1556be93f6affd6a
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
Norma Gonzalez Buenrostro Interview
Total Time – (8:25)
Self interview, May 18, 2016.
Background
• Norma grew up in Holland, Michigan
• She lived there for fifteen years until her father was deported
o Some family in Oceana County took her and her older sister in
o Her family is Maria and Ramon Rosas, who own La Probadita, a Mexican store in
downtown Hart
o The Mexican store plays a big part in her life
Vivid Childhood Memory – (1:24)
• Going to school and coming home with her report cards was one of the biggest things
her parents instilled in her
Parents and Family – (1:45)
• Norma’s parents are originally from Michoacán
• They came to the United States in 1999 with Norma and her brother and sister
• Her mother had two more children once in Holland
• The family never worked as migrants or pickers
o Her dad found a job as a factory worker
o But Norma was not sheltered about the blueberry picking process in Holland
Agriculture in Oceana – (2:23)
• When she moved to Hart, it was an eye-opener of how big the agriculture business was
there
o It’s really common for any Hispanic-looking person to be asked if they were
going to stay year-round because most of them come and go
1
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
o When she went to Hart High School, she was asked if she was going to go there
all year, and Norma was shocked
o She was not exposed to the fact that most Hispanic students leave before the
winter and come back sometime in the spring
Reflections on Oceana County – (3:39)
• When Norma first came to Oceana County, she thought it was a small and very boring
place with nothing to do
• She started to find things to do and realized how vast the community really is and how
many people there are to meet
• Norma volunteered a lot with the Hart Main Street Program, with the Oceana Hispanic
Center, and with her church
• Hart has been a good place for Norma’s growth, and she has been very successful there
o She has grown financially through working for her aunt and uncle at the Mexican
store
o The store is impacted by the influx of migrants during the summers and the lack
of migrants during the winters
Migrants – (5:08)
• Norma has never picked herself, but has heard that it is a very tiresome and humbling
experience
• She is not a migrant worker but is a Mexican immigrant
o She feels somewhat like she doesn’t belong because the other Hispanics all seem
to have experience with picking when she doesn’t
• Her father used to tell them that he didn’t want his children to have to do that kind of
work and that he wanted better for them
• Norma has some family who work in the fields and in the factories with the crops
o The weather and seasons play an important role in people’s jobs
Future Thoughts – (7:27)
• Norma hopes that more relationships are built between farmers and workers in the
community
• Many workers share stories at the Mexican store, and the stories are both good and bad
o Norma hopes that community members will get along in the future, no matter if
they are farmers or workers or residents
2
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9a8a5777f5ea89efd3271d86ca37c6b2.pdf
2aa83c89ebd2d1ab3b3d3501dda7c119
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Una comunidad que cultiva: El proyecto de la historia agrícola de Oceana
Entrevista de Norma Gonzalez Buenrostro
Tiempo total – (8:25)
Antecedentes
• Norma creció en Holland, Michigan
• Vivió allí durante quince años, hasta que su padre fue deportado
o Unos familiares vivían en el condado de Oceana, y Norma y su hermana mayor
fueron a vivir con ellos
o Se llaman Maria y Ramon Rosas, quienes poseen La Probadita, una tienda
mexicana en el centro de Hart
o La tienda mexicana tiene gran importancia en la vida de Norma
Recuerdo vívido de su niñez – (1:24)
• Sus padres le inculcaron el valor de la educación y de recibir buenas notas
Padres y familia – (1:45)
• Originalmente los padres de Norma son de Michoacán
• Vinieron a los Estados Unidos en 1999 con Norma y su hermano y hermana
• Su madre tuvo dos niños más en Holland
• La familia nunca trabajó como trabajadores migrantes
o Su padre encontró trabajo como trabajador de fábrica
o Sin embargo, Norma sabía del proceso de recoger arándanos en Holland
La agricultura en Oceana – (2:23)
• Cuando Norma se mudó a Hart, se dio cuenta de la magnitud de la agricultura allí
o Es muy común que se le pregunta a cualquier persona que parece ser hispana si
va a quedarse allí todo el año, porque la mayoría de los hispanos va y viene
o Cuando asistió a Hart High School, se le preguntaba a Norma si iba a quedarse
allí todo el año, y eso le sorprendió
1
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
o Norma no sabía que la mayoría de los estudiantes hispanos se va antes del
invierno y regresa durante la primavera
Reflexiones del condado de Oceana – (3:39)
• Cuando Norma llegó por primera vez al condado de Oceana, pensaba que era un lugar
pequeño y muy aburrido sin nada que hacer
• Empezó a encontrar cosas que hacer y se dio cuenta de que la comunidad es muy
grande y que hay mucha gente que se puede conocer
• Norma ha sido voluntaria para Hart Main Street Program, el Centro Hispano de Oceana,
y su iglesia
• Hart ha sido un buen lugar en cuanto al desarrollo de Norma, y ella ha tenido mucho
éxito allá
o Ella ha crecido financieramente por medio de trabajar para su tía y tío en la
tienda mexicana
o La llegada de los trabajadores migrantes durante el verano y su salida durante el
invierno afecta a la tienda
Los migrantes – (5:08)
• Norma nunca ha sido trabajadora migrante pero se ha enterado de que es una
experiencia fatigante y de humildad
• Ella no es trabajadora migrante pero es inmigrante mexicana
o Siente de alguna manera que no encaja con los otros hispanos porque todos
parecen tener experiencia con la cosecha y Norma no tiene esa experiencia
• Su padre solía decirles que no quería que sus hijos tuvieran que hacer este tipo de
trabajo porque deseaba un futuro mejor para ellos
• Norma tiene algunos familiares que trabajan con los cultivos en los campos y en las
fábricas
o El clima y las estaciones tienen un papel importante en los trabajos de la gente
Pensamientos futuros – (7:27)
• Norma espera que se desarrollen más relaciones entre los agricultores y los
trabajadores en la comunidad
• Muchos trabajadores comparten historias en la tienda mexicana, y hay historias buenas
y malas
2
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
o Norma desea que los miembros de la comunidad se lleven bien en el futuro, sin
importar si son agricultores o trabajadores o residentes
3
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/22765b8131f156026895b2242b72bf29.mp3
37fbb53ed931dc8bce5ab7ef2156d045
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oceana County Migrant Labor History Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Shell-Weiss, Melanie
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Growing Community: A Century of Migration in Oceana County." This project was a collaboration between El Centro Hispano de Oceana, the Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society, and Grand Valley State University funded by a Common Heritage grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The materials in this collection document the history of communities in Hart, Shelby, and Walkerville and explore themes of migration, labor, religion, family, belonging, national and cultural identities, regional, national, and international connections, and citizenship.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Oceana County (Mich.)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
El Centro Hispano de Oceana; Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society
Relation
A related resource
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage project)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
audio/mp3
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Image
Sound recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oceana County (Mich.)
Hart (Mich.)
Shelby (Mich.)
Farms
Farmers
Migrant agricultural laborers
Hispanic Americans
Account books
Diaries
Oral history
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Título
Spanish language Title entry
Gonzalez, Norma Buenostro (entrevista de audio y resumen)
Descripción
Spanish language Description entry
Entrevista autograbada por Norma Gonzalez Buenrostro, Mayo 18, 2016. Los padres de Norma son de Michoacán, México. Su familia vino a los Estados Unidos en 1999, y ella creció en Holland, Michigan. Luego, Norma y su hermana mayor se mudaron al condado de Oceana para vivir con su tía y tío, quienes tienen una tienda llamada La Probadita que está ubicada en el centro de Hart. Como la familia de Norma nunca trabajó como trabajadores migrantes mientras crecía, le asombró aprender de la enormidad de la agricultura en Hart. Norma ha sido voluntaria para Hart Main Street Program, el Centro Hispano de Oceana, y su iglesia. Espera que se desarrollen más relaciones positivas entre los agricultores y los trabajadores en el futuro.
Sujetos
Spanish language Subject terms
Holland (Mich.)
Deportado
La Probadita
Tienda mexicana
Migrantes
Fábrica
Hart Main Street Program
El Centro Hispano de Oceana
Inmigrante
Hispano
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06_Gonzalez_Buenrostro_Norma
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gonzalez, Norma Buenostro
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-05-18
Title
A name given to the resource
Gonzalez, Norma Buenostro (audio interview and summary)
Description
An account of the resource
Self-recorded interview by Norma Buenrostro Gonzalez, May 18, 2016. Norma’s parents are originally from Michoacán, Mexico. Her family came to the United States in 1999, and she grew up in Holland, Michigan. Later, Norma and her older sister moved to Oceana County to live with their aunt and uncle, who own a Mexican store named La Probadita in downtown Hart. As Norma’s family never worked as migrants or pickers while she grew up, she was astonished by how big the agricultural business was in Hart. Norma has spent time volunteering with the Hart Main Street Program, the Oceana Hispanic Center, and her church. She hopes to see more positive relationships built between farmers and workers in the future.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Shell-Weiss, Melanie (director)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Holland (Mich.)
Deported
La Probadita
Mexican store
Migrants
Factory
Hart Main Street Program
Oceana Hispanic Center
Immigrant
Hispanic
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cd241cc2e8e666ecd1ccaa623faee72a.pdf
c3fe36efef60d225247425742b09ca23
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
Diana Azereth Giles Mendez Interview
Total Time – (17:35)
Interviewed by Norma Gonzalez Buenrostro, May 17, 2016, in English.
Background
• Diana grew up in Hart, Michigan
o She grew up where all the stores were, next to the police department
• She is not really used to life in the country
• In a small farm town, community members get to know everyone else
Vivid Childhood Memories – (1:50)
• Diana got to know the neighbor kids pretty well
o They would go over to each other’s houses and ask if they wanted to play
Coming to Oceana County – (2:31)
• Her family moved to Oceana County around 2002 when Diana was five years old
• Diana’s parents were migrant workers, and someone recruited them to come to Oceana
to work in agriculture
• Diana and her family were the first Hispanics that settled in the area
o Going to school was very difficult
o Diana and her parents did not know English
Diana’s Parents – (3:55)
• Her parents had agricultural jobs
o They started by picking asparagus and peaches
o Years later, they went into factory work and worked on assembly lines
o Later, her mom was a lab technician in the factory and her dad got a better
factory job too
• When Diana was growing up, she would go to work with her parents because they didn’t
have a babysitter
1
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
•
•
o She would take the bus to school and then come back after school and wait until
her parents were done
o Her mother would tell her that she didn’t want Diana doing work like that
Work ethic was very important to Diana’s parents
o Diana would ask her mom how to do things to help, and she would teach her
Back then, her family was not wealthy, and her parents didn’t make enough money
between the two of them
o When Diana was 9 years old, she began working alongside her parents
o Diana and her siblings experienced what it’s like to do labor work
o Going through this gave her the motivation to go to college and get higher
education
Diana appreciates what her parents did and has learned to work harder towards what
she wants
Current Job – (9:34)
• Diana is currently a community health worker at a migrant clinic
• She is studying to be a nurse and a respiratory care therapist
• What she does now gives her experience and better medical understanding
Agriculture in Oceana – (10:30)
• Agriculture is the biggest business in Oceana and what brings many people to the area
• Sometimes this is the only type of job that some people can get, so they come there
• There is also some tourism
• Some migrants come there together, and they always help each other out
• Some farmers are close with their employees and are more understanding towards
them
• There are always new workers too because they’ve heard there are jobs in Oceana
Future Thoughts – (13:00)
• Diana hopes that her mother doesn’t have to work in those kinds of jobs anymore
because she doesn’t like doing it, and Diana wants to take care of her
• Her father really likes the agriculture
2
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
•
•
Diana wishes that there were other opportunities in Oceana too
Many people don’t know what it’s like to do such hard work when they’ve never done it
themselves before
Diana’s children will never understand the struggle that it is to be a first generation
migrant like she did
3
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/71f1a7948b65cf2efb96d4a65ffa8bb9.pdf
da988c263a9742dd4856833fc2ac139c
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Una comunidad que cultiva: El proyecto de la historia agrícola de Oceana
Entrevista de Diana Azereth Giles Mendez
Tiempo total – (17:35)
Entrevistado por Norma Gonzales Buenrostro, 17 Mai 2016
(Traducido al espaňol por Kassie O’Brien, May 2016)
Antecedentes
• Diana creció en Hart, Michigan
o Creció donde había las tiendas y el departamento de policía
• No está acostumbrada a la vida rural
• Los miembros de la comunidad conocen a los demás en un pequeño pueblo agrícola
Recuerdos vívidos de la niñez – (1:50)
• Diana conocía a los niños vecinos
o Se iban a la casa del otro y se preguntaban si querían jugar
Venir al condado de Oceana – (2:31)
• Su familia se mudó al condado de Oceana cerca de 2002 cuando Diana tenía cinco años
• Los padres de Diana eran trabajadores migrantes, y se les contrató para trabajar en la
agricultura de Oceana
• Su familia fue uno de los primeros hispanos que se estableció en el área
o Fue difícil asistir a la escuela
o Diana y sus padres no sabían inglés
Los padres de Diana – (3:55)
• Sus padres trabajaron en la agricultura
o Empezaron a recoger espárragos y duraznos
o Años después, trabajaron en las fábricas y en cadenas de montaje
o Luego su mamá fue técnica del laboratorio de la fábrica, y su papá consiguió
trabajo mejor en la fábrica también
1
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
•
•
•
Mientras Diana crecía, iba al trabajo de sus padres porque no tenían niñera
o Iba a la escuela en autobús, y después regresaba y esperaba hasta que sus
padres terminaran de trabajar
o Su madre le decía que no quería que Diana hiciera ese tipo de trabajo
La ética laboral era muy importante a los padres de Diana
o Diana le preguntaba a su mamá cómo hacer las cosas para ayudarle, y su mamá
le enseñaba
Entonces, su familia no era rica y sus padres no ganaban suficiente dinero
o Cuando Diana tenía 9 años, empezó a trabajar con sus padres
o Diana y sus hermanos tuvieron la experiencia de trabajo laboral
o Eso le dio la motivación para asistir a la universidad y obtener educación superior
Diana aprecia lo que hicieron sus padres y ha aprendido a trabajar duro para alcanzar lo
que quiere
Su trabajo actual – (9:34)
• Actualmente Diana trabaja como agente sanitaria de la comunidad en una clínica para
trabajadores migrantes
• Estudia para ser enfermera y terapeuta respiratoria
• Lo que hace le da experiencia y mejor conocimiento médico
La agricultura en Oceana – (10:30)
• La agricultura es la industria más grande de Oceana y es lo que atrae a mucha gente al
área
• A veces es el único tipo de trabajo que algunas personas pueden encontrar, así vienen
allí
• También hay turismo
• Algunos migrantes llegan juntos y siempre ayudan a los otros migrantes
• Algunos agricultores y empleados tienen amistades íntimas
• Siempre hay trabajadores nuevos porque han oído que hay trabajo en Oceana
Pensamientos futuros – (13:00)
• Diana espera que su madre ya no tenga que hacer este tipo de trabajo porque a ella no
le gusta, y Diana quiere cuidarle
2
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
•
•
•
A su padre le gusta mucho la agricultura
Diana desea que existan otras oportunidades en Oceana también
Muchas personas no entienden este tipo de trabajo físico porque nunca lo han hecho
Los hijos de Diana nunca entenderán la lucha que existe para los migrantes de primera
generación como ella
3
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aa3d5d1199a2b95ff854311193acdb80.mp3
418e553020836032b92c58bacb1c62d3
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oceana County Migrant Labor History Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Shell-Weiss, Melanie
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Growing Community: A Century of Migration in Oceana County." This project was a collaboration between El Centro Hispano de Oceana, the Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society, and Grand Valley State University funded by a Common Heritage grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The materials in this collection document the history of communities in Hart, Shelby, and Walkerville and explore themes of migration, labor, religion, family, belonging, national and cultural identities, regional, national, and international connections, and citizenship.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Oceana County (Mich.)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
El Centro Hispano de Oceana; Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society
Relation
A related resource
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage project)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
audio/mp3
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Image
Sound recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oceana County (Mich.)
Hart (Mich.)
Shelby (Mich.)
Farms
Farmers
Migrant agricultural laborers
Hispanic Americans
Account books
Diaries
Oral history
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Título
Spanish language Title entry
Giles, Diana (entrevista de audio y resumen)
Descripción
Spanish language Description entry
Entrevista de historia oral con Diana Giles. Entrevistada por Norma Gonzalez Buenrostro. Idioma en Inglés. Mayo 17, 2016. Diana creció en Hart, Michigan. Su familia se mudó al condado de Oceana en 2002 cuando Diana tenía cinco años. Sus padres eran trabajadores migrantes, y se les contrató para trabajar en la agricultura de Oceana. Su familia fue uno de los primeros hispanos que se estableció en el área. Sus padres tuvieron trabajos en los campos y en las fábricas allá. Cuando Diana tenía 9 años, empezó a trabajar con sus padres y tuvo la experiencia de trabajo laboral. Actualmente Diana trabaja como agente sanitaria en una clínica para trabajadores migrantes. Estudia para ser enfermera y terapeuta respiratoria.
Sujetos
Spanish language Subject terms
Migrante
Agricultura
Hispano
Inglés
Fábrica
Se estableció
Primera generación
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06_Giles_Mendez_Diana
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Giles, Diana
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-05-17
Title
A name given to the resource
Giles, Diana (audio interview and summary)
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Diana Giles. Interviewed by Norma Gonzalez Buenrostro. English language recording. Summary in English and Spanish. May 17, 2016. Diana grew up in Hart, Michigan. Her family moved to Oceana County in 2002 when she was five years old. Her parents were migrant workers who were recruited to work in Oceana’s agriculture business. Diana and her family were the first Hispanics that settled in the area. Her parents had agricultural and factory jobs there. When Diana was 9 years old, she began working along with her parents, experiencing what it was like to do labor work. Diana is currently a community health worker at a migrant clinic. She is studying to be a nurse and a respiratory care therapist.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Gonzalez Buenrostro, Norma (interviewer)
Shell-Weiss, Melanie (director)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Migrant
Agriculture
Hispanic
English
Factory
Settled
First generation
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/446626cc94678a24d70c909525e421d1.pdf
c85300098517d754a7e41d7ab6ca0250
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Jerry Brandel Interview
Total Time – (1:09:11)
Interviewed by Walter Urick, February 12, 2016
Family Background
• He was born February 28, 1945 in Muskegon, Michigan
• His grandparents lived on a 20 acre farm north of Hart, Michigan
o They had 9 children, with Jerry’s father being one of them
• Jerry’s father was Herbert Brandel
o On their 20 acre fruit farm, they grew cherries, apples, and peaches
• Jerry’s father came from Muskegon to Hart and bought a fruit farm in 1945 when Jerry
was a baby
o Farm was located on 84th Ave. and Fox
• Jerry has been in the area for 70 years
• Jerry’s mother was Ruth Samantha Jacobs
o She was in the top 20 of her class in 1927 at Hart High School
• Jerry had one brother, Richard, and also an adopted sister, Marilyn
• Jerry bought the current property that he’s on when he was a senior in high school in
1962
o He paid $6,500 for 80 acres
o He bought it with a land contract at 3% interest
Childhood Memories – (4:20)
• He grew up in Hart and has been there all of his life
• He went to the one room school there called Danielson School
o He had to walk half a mile there and back every day
• When he was around 8 or 10 years old, he had to start doing chores
o He had to feed and water the cattle at a barn and at home
o Eventually he had to milk the cows too
• When he was 16 his brother went into the army, and Jerry was the only one home with
his dad then
• He had to milk 24 cows by himself
o He would get up at 6:00am and end up with 40 gallons of milk
o He would separate the skim milk from the cream, and then would feed the skim
milk to the pigs
1
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
•
•
•
•
o It took about an hour to milk the two dozen cows
By 9:00am he was at the cherry orchard
o He’d drive to Hart or Shelby and unload all the lugs of cherries
He’d get home about 10:00pm, eat supper, go to bed, and then do it all again the next
morning for about 6-8 weeks
Jerry’s father was the principal at Walkerville High School during the first year of his
farm (1945) because the crops froze out
o His father had the farm paid off by the second year though (1946) because of the
big cherry crop
o His father went back to teach at Walkerville for five more years when he was
about 60 years old
Jerry’s father was a schoolteacher for 20 years, and Jerry’s mother taught for 36 years
o His mother taught at the middle school in Shelby
o She would take Jerry to school every day when he was 4 years old
o He was then a student there through 7th grade
When Jerry was 7 years old, he’d pick two lugs of cherries in both the morning and
night, and he got paid 50 cents a lug to pick them ($2 a day)
o He bought his first bicycle for $42 in Hart when he was 7 years old
Becoming Involved in Farming – (10:20)
• When he was 13 years old, he bought 60 acres with his brother near Pentwater for $10
an acre
o They planted 10,000 Christmas trees on it
o Three years later he sold that farm and split the money with his brother, using
his half to buy his current farm at 17 years old
• He graduated from Hart High School in 1963 and went on to Michigan State University
for a two-year agricultural course
• After his schooling, he went into partnership for 10 years with his dad and brother
o They farmed from when he was 20 to 30 years old, roughly from 1965-1975
o They had 2,500 acres all together, all in Oceana County
o Their largest piece was a 500 acre section in Hart
• Cherries were the biggest crop for their partnership
o 150 acres of cherries
o 40 acres of apples
o 20 acres of peaches
o At least 500 acres of Christmas trees
2
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
• They tapped 3,600 taps to make maple syrup too, and Jerry was the head of this
Farming on His Own – (15:06)
• The partnership ended in 1975 when Jerry decided that he wanted to be on his own
• He started growing 150-200 acres of pickles
• He had bought other farms since the original 80 acres, adding up to about 800 acres
• He also had cattle, hay, and pigs
• He chose his cash crop to be pickles because he got along well with the migrant workers
o He saw that when the cherry season ended around August 1, the migrant
workers had nothing left to do
o So he wanted to use the time that they had that last month before they went
back to school to give them work with his pickle crop
• The largest quantity of pickles he ever grew at one time was about 300 acres
• All the pickles were harvested by hand
The Migrant Workers – (18:00)
• Oceana County had families coming from Tennessee and Arkansas who were white,
non-Hispanics
o They’d come to pick cherries for six weeks and then go back home
• There would be African American families coming the 36 miles from Muskegon who
wanted to pick cherries too
• A woman named Ruth Coleman would come with 35 people with her in a bus, and they
housed them in a labor camp
o Jerry owned this camp then
• When Jerry was about 15 years old, he would keep track of the amounts of cherries
picked by people and would have to pay them every Saturday
• The non-Hispanic work force was around 25-30 people
o These people did not like the pickle harvesting work because it was too hard for
them
• The Hispanic migrant workers started coming to work in the late 50s and early 60s
• They would come from Florida or Texas in big canvas-topped trucks
o Crew leaders would bring 50-60 people in one truck
• During the Mexican fiestas, the people would come out of those trucks in nice clothes
and ready to dance
o That was the migrant people’s culture
• Jerry employed around 60-70 Hispanic people during his pickle operations
3
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Farming Challenges – (24:53)
• There were problems with drought and hot temperatures
• In 1980, there were 22% bank interest rates
o Jerry had to borrow $100,000 because he had lost money on the pickle crop one
year
• In 1976, Jerry was investigated for child labor in the fields
o He got sued, and it took six years to get to the federal court
o After an appeal, Jerry was the only person who has ever won that
o Walter Urick was Jerry’s attorney
• Jerry stopped farming pickles because they were costly to grow and a profit couldn’t be
made
• He then started into the broker business of doing the pickle selling for other farms or
sheds
o He usually gets around $200-400 per load that he sells for others
o He knows the business and coordinates it all
Relationship to the Migrants – (30:42)
• There was an abundance of Mexican migrant workers coming in the late 60s and early
70s
• They would come out of desperation because school was out
o They would just show up because they didn’t know who to go to
• Migrant organizations would call around to see if anyone had work for these migrants
who needed jobs and housing
• Jerry housed migrants and had them work in his pickle fields
• Jerry wanted to increase the pickle market, so he started buying other farmers’ pickles
as well as having his contract with Heinz
• Jerry used to have strawberry acreage, and 350 migrants would show up to pick
strawberries
o It would spread by word of mouth that there was work at Jerry Brandel’s
strawberry farm, and they’d come
• He got along well with the migrants, and if there was conflict, they would compromise
well
4
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
Jerry knew that he needed to settle misunderstandings because he had their goodwill,
and he and they were all there to make money
Migrant Housing and Living – (34:20)
• The housing had to be licensed by the state of Michigan and meet standards
• The housing was free to the migrants, which attracted workers to come
• Jerry’s people had to maintain the housing themselves
• The people who had trouble with the migrants were those who tried to cheat them
somehow, by shorting how much they worked or picked
• The migrants would have to be trained on how to best pick the pickles and maintain
their sections of the fields
• At this time there was no food stamp program, and people were so poor that they’d do
whatever they needed to survive
Jerry’s Family – (39:58)
• He has two boys and one girl
o Art is 47, Alan is 40, and Kathy is 44
• Art farms at the family place part-time
• Alan is in Alabama, working for a 3,000 acre farm in the pickle business
• Kathy is a schoolteacher in Hart
Oceana Community – (41:24)
• Jerry would like to see the Historical Society and the records to continue on for years
• He also wants the county fair to continue running
o He served 22 years on the livestock committee, promoting the 4-H program
• The cell phone business has transitioned in to life now
• Jerry farmed pickles for 17 years in Mexico
o He would be there for 2-3 weeks at a time
o They quit that business 3 years ago because of too many dangers and cartels
o They had rented land there to farm
o The U.S. would sometimes cause issues when they’d stop trucks for health
inspections, and the pickles would have gone bad by the end of it
5
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
•
•
•
Jerry is in the Farm Bureau, but it isn’t as strong of a voice as it could be to help farming
Migrants aren’t coming to work as much anymore because of the U.S. immigration
changes, and people getting arrested now for being illegal
o The government doesn’t have a program to let these people work legally here
o It does exist in Canada though, so Mexicans or Jamaicans drive through to
Ontario to work
People who pick asparagus or apples are well-paid today, making $25 an hour
People can be shying away from labor-intensive crops because they aren’t sure if they’re
going to have the workers they need at the specific times their crops will need it
Listening to the Tape in 50 Years – (51:44)
• The population is stable and doesn’t grow very much
• The area has been a good place to raise families
• The biggest threat is some drugs coming into town now
• There is a lot of goodwill and peace between the people
• Jerry encourages young people to plant crops that will make money, such as fruit or
asparagus farming
• Farming today is so complicated that you have to be careful what you plant because you
may not get enough profits to survive
o The cost of farming is very discouraging for young farmers
• Now there are many people without skills or a college education but are making so
much money an hour picking
• Jerry and his sons had lost money on crops, so they sold off some land to pay back debts
• Today farmers have to guarantee hours and pay to workers whether there’s work or not
• Jerry mentions current farming challenges and laws that cause many problems for
farmers
Final Thoughts – (1:00:32)
• The migrants workers have always been a very important part of Oceana County, and
some have settled and become good citizens, stabilizing the economy there
• Jerry is in the process of selling his labor camp now
• Segregation has been a problem too when some locals don’t want the Hispanics around
• There’ll never be enough locals available to keep up with the work; migrants are needed
• At one time, Oceana County was the biggest pickle county in Michigan
6
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9f4b1a96c894c610e0ee58c1ed002df9.pdf
6a907ab0e829fbf64df11eaa6192b1b1
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Entrevista de Jerry Brandel
Tiempo total – (1:09:11)
Entrevistado por Walter Urick, 12 Febrero 2016
(Traducido al espaňol por Kassie O’Brien, May 2016)
Antecedentes familiares
• Jerry nació el 28 de febrero de 1945 en Muskegon, Michigan
• Sus abuelos vivían en una granja de 20 acres al norte de Hart, Michigan
o Tuvieron 9 niños, y uno fue el padre de Jerry
• Su padre se llamaba Herbert Brandel
o Cultivaban cerezas, manzanas, y duraznos en su granja de 20 acres
• El padre de Jerry se mudó desde Muskegon a Hart y compró una granja de frutas en
1945 cuando Jerry era bebé
o La granja estaba ubicado en las calles 84 y Fox
• Jerry ha estado en el área por 70 años
• La madre de Jerry se llamaba Ruth Samantha Jacobs
o Ella estuvo entre los mejores de su clase en 1927 en Hart High School
• Jerry tiene un hermano, Richard, y también una hermana adoptada, Marilyn
• Jerry compró su propiedad actual cuando estaba en su último año de la secundaria en
1962
o Pagó $6.500 por 80 acres
o La compró con un contrato de compraventa de terrenos con una tasa de interés
del 3%
Recuerdos de la niñez – (4:20)
• Jerry creció en Hart y ha vivido allí por toda su vida
• Asistió a la escuela llamada Danielson School que solamente tenía una aula
o Cada día tenía que caminar por media milla de ida y vuelta
• Cuando tenía más o menos 8 o 10 años, comenzó a hacer labores
o Tenía que alimentar y dar de beber a los animales
o Con el tiempo tenía que ordeñar las vacas también
• Cuando tenía 16 años su hermano ingresó en el ejército, y Jerry fue el único que estaba
en casa con su papá
• Tenía que ordeñar 24 vacas por sí mismo
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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o Se despertaba a las seis de la mañana y terminó con 40 galones de leche
o Separaba la leche descremada de la nata, y daba de comer a los cerdos con la
leche
o Le tomaba una hora ordeñar dos docenas de vacas
A las 9:00 de la mañana llegaba al cerezal
o Conducía a Hart o Shelby y descargaba todas las cestas de cerezas
Llegaba a la casa alrededor de las 10:00 de la noche, cenaba, se acostaba, y la mañana
siguiente volvía a hacer todo de nuevo por 6-8 semanas
El padre de Jerry fue el director de Walkerville High School durante el primer año que
tuvo su granja (1945) porque los cultivos se congelaron
o Durante el segundo año (1946) su padre terminó de pagar por la granja porque
hubo una gran cosecha de cerezas
o Su padre regresó a enseñar en Walkerville por cinco años más cuando tenía
alrededor de 60 años
El padre de Jerry fue maestro por 20 años, y la madre de Jerry fue maestra por 36 años
o Su madre enseñó en la escuela intermedia en Shelby
o Cuando Jerry tenía 4 años, su madre le llevaba a la escuela cada día
o Jerry fue estudiante allí hasta el séptimo grado
Cuando Jerry tenía 7 años, recogía dos cestas de cerezas por la mañana y por la noche, y
ganaba 50 centavos por cesta ($2 por día)
o Compró su primera bicicleta por $42 en Hart cuando tenía 7 años
Participando en la agricultura – (10:20)
• Cuando tenía 13 años, Jerry y su hermano compraron 60 acres cerca de Pentwater por
$10 por acre
o Plantaron 10.000 árboles de Navidad
o Tres años después vendieron esa granja y se dividió el dinero entre Jerry y su
hermano, y Jerry usó su mitad del dinero para comprar su granja actual cuando
tenía 17 años
• Se graduó de Hart High School en 1963, y asistió a Michigan State University por dos
años para tomar un curso de agricultura
• Después de su educación, se asoció con su padre y hermano por diez años
o Mantuvieron las granjas desde cuando tenía 20 a 30 años, más o menos de 19651975
o Poseían 2.500 acres en conjunto en el condado de Oceana
o La parte más grande fue una sección de 500 acres en Hart
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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Las cerezas fueron la mejor cosecha en su asociación
o 150 acres de cerezas
o 40 acres de manzanas
o 20 acres de duraznos
o Por lo menos 500 acres de árboles de Navidad
También prepararon mucho jarabe de arce, y Jerry encabezaba este trabajo
Su propia agricultura – (15:06)
• La asociación terminó en 1975 cuando Jerry decidió trabajar por sí mismo
• Empezó a cultivar 150-200 acres de pepinillos
• Había comprado otras granjas además de los 80 acres originales, que sumó un total de
800 acres
• También tuvo ganado, heno, y cerdos
• Decidió cultivar los pepinillos como su cultivo comercial porque se llevaba bien con los
trabajadores migrantes
o Jerry notó que los trabajadores migrantes no tenían trabajo cuando terminó la
temporada de cereza alrededor del primer día de agosto
o Así Jerry quería usar el tiempo disponible durante el último mes antes de que
regresaran a la escuela para darles trabajo con sus cultivos de pepinillos
• Cerca de 300 acres fue la mayor cantidad de pepinillos que cultivó a la vez
• Se cosechaban a mano todos los pepinillos
Los trabajadores migrantes – (18:00)
• Familias caucásicas no hispanas viajaron al condado de Oceana desde Tennessee y
Arkansas
o Venían para recoger cerezas por seis semanas y luego regresaban a casa
• Familias afroamericanas que viajaron las 36 millas desde Muskegon querían recoger
cerezas también
• Una mujer que se llamaba Ruth Coleman venía en un autobús con 35 personas, y todos
vivían en un campo de trabajo
o Jerry poseía este campo de trabajo en aquella época
• Cuando Jerry tenía más o menos 15 años, mantenía un registro de la cantidad de
cerezas que recogió cada persona y les pagaba cada sábado
• La fuerza laboral no hispana fue cerca de 25-30 personas
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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o A estas personas no les gustó cosechar los pepinillos porque el trabajo era muy
duro
Los trabajadores migrantes hispanos empezaron a trabajar a finales de los años
cincuenta y al principio de los años sesenta
Se iban de la Florida o de Texas en camiones grandes con lonas
o Los supervisores traían 50-60 trabajadores en un camión
Durante las fiestas mexicanas, la gente venía en estos camiones vestida en ropa
elegante, preparada para bailar
o Eso fue la cultura de los trabajadores migrantes
Jerry empleó a 60-70 personas hispanas como parte de sus operaciones agrícolas con
pepinillos
Desafíos en cuanto a la agricultura – (24:53)
• Había problemas de sequía y altas temperaturas
• En 1980, hubo tasas de interés de los bancos de 22%
o Jerry pidió un préstamo de $100.000 porque perdió dinero durante un año con
su cultivo de pepinillos
• En 1976, fue investigado por trabajo infantil en los campos
o Fue demandado y después de seis años la investigación llegó al corte federal
o Después de una apelación, Jerry fue la única persona que ganó
o Walter Urick fue el abogado de Jerry
• Jerry dejó de cultivar pepinillos porque costaron mucho y no pudo obtener beneficios
• Luego empezó a trabajar en la venta de los cultivos de pepinillos de otros agricultores
o Normalmente gana $200-400 por cargamento de pepinillos que vende
o Entiende bien el negocio y coordina todo
La relación con los migrantes – (30:42)
• Había una abundancia de trabajadores migrantes mexicanos que llegaron a finales de
los años sesenta y al principio de los años setenta
• Llegaron empujados por la desesperación porque terminó el año escolar
o Solamente aparecieron porque no sabían adónde ir
• Las organizaciones migrantes hacían llamadas para buscar trabajo disponible para los
migrantes que necesitaron empleos y vivienda
• Jerry les dio vivienda a los migrantes y les dio trabajo en sus campos de pepinillos
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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Jerry quería engrandecer el mercado de pepinillos, así empezó a comprar los pepinillos
de otros agricultores, además de su contrato con Heinz
Jerry solía poseer acres del cultivo de fresas, y 350 trabajadores migrantes vinieron a
recoger fresas
o Se promocionaban las noticias de trabajo disponible por el boca a boca, y los
trabajadores venían
Se llevaba bien con los trabajadores migrantes, y si había conflictos, llegaron a un
acuerdo
Jerry sabía que era necesario resolver malentendidos porque tuvo su buena voluntad, y
todos estaban allí para ganar dinero
La vivienda de los trabajadores migrantes – (34:20)
• Se necesitaba la autorización del estado de Michigan para cumplir las normas de la
vivienda
• La vivienda era gratuita para los trabajadores migrantes, y eso atrajo a los trabajadores
• Algunos empleados de Jerry tenían que mantener la vivienda
• Las personas que tuvieron problemas con los trabajadores migrantes fueron personas
que trataron de engañarles por medio de decir que los trabajadores recogieron menos
que la cantidad verdadera
• Se necesitaba enseñarles la mejor manera de recoger los pepinillos y de mantener sus
propias secciones de los campos
• En ese momento no existía ningún programa de vales para alimentos, y la gente era tan
pobre que hacía cualquier cosa para sobrevivir
La familia de Jerry – (39:58)
• Tiene dos hijos y una hija
o Art tiene 47 años, Alan tiene 40 años, y Kathy tiene 44 años
• Art trabaja en la granja de la familia a tiempo parcial
• Alan está en Alabama y trabaja con pepinillos en una granja de 3.000 acres
• Kathy es maestra en Hart
La comunidad de Oceana – (41:24)
• Jerry quiere que se preserven la Sociedad Histórica (Historical Society) y los documentos
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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También quiere que la feria del condado continúe
o Jerry participó en la comisión de ganadería por 22 años donde promovió el
programa 4-H
El negocio de la telefonía celular ha cambiado mucho en la vida hoy en día
Jerry cultivó pepinillos en México por 17 años
o Estaba allí por 2 a 3 semanas cada vez
o Hace 3 años dejó este negocio porque había demasiado peligro y muchos
carteles
o Alquiló tierra allí para cultivar
o A veces los Estados Unidos causaron problemas cuando detuvieron camiones
para realizar inspecciones de salud, y la comida se puso fea
Jerry es parte del Farm Bureau, pero cree que la organización no es bastante fuerte para
ayudar a la agricultura
Los trabajadores migrantes no vienen a trabajar tanto como antes a causa de los
cambios en la inmigración de los EEUU, y hoy en día las personas ilegales son arrestadas
o El gobierno no tiene programas en que estas personas pueden trabajar aquí
legalmente
o Sí existe en Canadá, así hay mexicanos o jamaicanos que viajan en auto para
trabajar en Ontario
Hoy en día se les paga bien a las personas que recogen los espárragos o las manzanas, y
ganan $25 por hora
La gente rehúye cultivos laboriosos porque no está segura si va a tener los trabajadores
necesarios en los momentos específicos para estos cultivos
Escuchar la grabación en 50 años – (51:44)
• La población es estable y no crece mucho
• El área ha sido buen lugar para formar una familia
• Unas drogas que han entrado en la comunidad son la mayor amenaza
• Hay mucha buena voluntad y paz en el pueblo
• Jerry anima a los jóvenes que planten cultivos que ganarán dinero, como cultivos de
fruta o espárragos
• Hoy en día la agricultura es tan complicada que hay que tener cuidado en lo que se
cultiva porque es posible que no se gane suficiente dinero para sobrevivir
o El costo de la agricultura es muy desalentador para los jóvenes agricultores
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
•
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Actualmente hay muchas personas sin destrezas o sin educación universitaria que ganan
muchísimo dinero por hora cuando recogen cultivos
Jerry y sus hijos perdieron dinero en cultivos, así vendieron parte de sus tierras para
pagar unas deudas
Hoy en día los agricultores tienen que garantizar horas y pago específico para los
trabajadores sin importar si hay trabajo o no
Jerry menciona desafíos actuales para la agricultura y leyes que causan problemas para
los agricultores
Reflexiones finales – (1:00:32)
• Los trabajadores migrantes siempre han sido una parte muy importante del condado de
Oceana, y algunos se han establecido y han llegado a ser buenos ciudadanos,
estabilizando la economía allí
• Jerry está vendiendo su campo de trabajo
• La segregación racial ha sido problemática también porque algunos nativos del pueblo
no quieren que los hispanos estén allí
• El pueblo nunca tendrá residentes suficientes para hacer todo el trabajo; se necesitan
los trabajadores migrantes
• En cierta época, el condado de Oceana fue el principal productor de pepinillos en
Michigan
7
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4c60e07d6225f6d2e1fabfe09c8e41a3.mp3
c58867556bce55c83ee3fc0d6e40d650
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oceana County Migrant Labor History Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Shell-Weiss, Melanie
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Growing Community: A Century of Migration in Oceana County." This project was a collaboration between El Centro Hispano de Oceana, the Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society, and Grand Valley State University funded by a Common Heritage grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The materials in this collection document the history of communities in Hart, Shelby, and Walkerville and explore themes of migration, labor, religion, family, belonging, national and cultural identities, regional, national, and international connections, and citizenship.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Oceana County (Mich.)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
El Centro Hispano de Oceana; Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society
Relation
A related resource
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage project)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
audio/mp3
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Image
Sound recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oceana County (Mich.)
Hart (Mich.)
Shelby (Mich.)
Farms
Farmers
Migrant agricultural laborers
Hispanic Americans
Account books
Diaries
Oral history
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Título
Spanish language Title entry
Brandel, Jerry (entrevista de audio y resumen)
Descripción
Spanish language Description entry
Entrevista de historia oral con Jerry Brandel, Hart, Michigan. Entrevistado por Walter Urick. Idioma en Inglés. Febrero 12, 2016. Jerry Brandel nació el 28 de febrero de 1945 en Muskegon, Michigan. En ese año, su familia se mudó a Hart, Michigan, y compró una granja de frutas. Se graduó de Hart High School en 1963 y después asistió a Michigan State University por dos años para tomar un curso de agricultura. Después de su educación, se asoció con su padre y hermano por diez años para cultivar cerezas, manzanas, duraznos, y árboles de Navidad. En 1975, Jerry decidió cultivar solo y empezó a cultivar pepinillos en Oceana y en México. Luego, eligió trabajar en la venta de los cultivos de pepinillos de otros agricultores en todo el país. Jerry tiene dos hijos y una hija, y actualmente ha vivido en el área del condado de Oceana por 70 años.
Sujetos
Spanish language Subject terms
La agricultura
Granja de frutas
Cerezas
Pepinillos
Árboles de Navidad
Ordeñar vacas
El cerezal
Tasa de interés
Acres
Trabajadores migrantes
No hispano
Hispano
Afroamericano
Desafíos en cuanto a la agricultura
Vivienda
México
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06_Brandel_Jerry
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brandel, Jerry
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-02-12
Title
A name given to the resource
Brandel, Jerry (audio interview and summary)
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Jerry Brandel, Hart, Michigan. Interviewed by Walter Urick. English language recording. Summary in English and Spanish. February 12, 2016. Jerry Brandel was born on February 28, 1945 in Muskegon, Michigan. That year, his family moved to Hart, Michigan, and bought a fruit farm. He graduated from Hart High School in 1963 and then went on to Michigan State University to take a two-year agricultural course. After his schooling, he went into partnership for ten years with his father and brother, where they farmed cherries, apples, peaches, and Christmas trees. In 1975, Jerry decided to begin farming on his own, and he started growing pickles in Oceana and Mexico. Years later, he entered into the broker business, selling pickle crops for other farmers across the country. Jerry has two sons and one daughter, and he has now lived in the Oceana County area for 70 years.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Urick, Walter (interviewer)
Shell-Weiss, Melanie (director)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Farming
Fruit farm
Cherries
Pickles
Christmas trees
Milk cows
Cherry orchard
Interest rate
Acres
Migrants
Non-Hispanic
Hispanic
African American
Farming challenges
Housing
Mexico
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa