Will's notes from a week (-ish) long visit to Arvin & South Kern County
Monday (12/19)
Played pool with the men of the Rasmussen Senior Center. They berated me often for being from New York (i.e., watch out people, he's just hustling us, he's from NY!). Outside the center afterward, I spoke with Larry Rasmussen who shared stories about growing up poor in Arvin (specifically about being too embarrassed to bring his teacher to his house).
Tuesday (12/20)
Attended a City Council meeting where drastic budget cuts were considered and, later, adopted. Also at the meeting, the members of the We the People Team asked the City Council to fund their team jackets. Although the City Council denied funding the jackets, the attendees in the meeting, spurred on the Mayor, volunteered to donate money, and the money was raised. The impromptu community philanthropy reminded me, and many others at the meeting, of the final scene of It’s a Wonderful Life.
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| December vineyard |
Monday (12/19)
Played pool with the men of the Rasmussen Senior Center. They berated me often for being from New York (i.e., watch out people, he's just hustling us, he's from NY!). Outside the center afterward, I spoke with Larry Rasmussen who shared stories about growing up poor in Arvin (specifically about being too embarrassed to bring his teacher to his house).
Tuesday (12/20)
Attended a City Council meeting where drastic budget cuts were considered and, later, adopted. Also at the meeting, the members of the We the People Team asked the City Council to fund their team jackets. Although the City Council denied funding the jackets, the attendees in the meeting, spurred on the Mayor, volunteered to donate money, and the money was raised. The impromptu community philanthropy reminded me, and many others at the meeting, of the final scene of It’s a Wonderful Life.
Co-facilitated an interview with three men whose families came west during the Dust Bowl (Larry Hallam, Wayne Schlusser, and Don Burkett). The interview was co-led by young people from South Kern Sol (Andy Garcia, Gibz Moncayo) and Coordinator Luz Peña. Gibbs' excellent notes from that meeting are attached to this report. In the middle of the meeting, Supervisor Karen Goh happened to stop by, and was so excited by the work that we were doing that she left and came back with Rafael Moreno, the Branch Supervisor of the Lamont Branch Library. After the interview, Mr. Moreno showed us the extensive collection of Dust Bowl history housed in the library, including binders of Government Migrant Camp reports which he opened to a page that said, “today John Steinbeck bought ice cream for some of the camp residents.”
Interviewed Mauro Lopez with the support of translator Javier Arreola. Mauro talked about his journey north and his first days in Arvin.
6:45 a.m. Breakfast with Gabriel and the men of the Dust Bowl at the Westchester Bowling Alley in
Bakersfield. Heard stories about: the German prisoners of the POW camp, who worked in the fields
alongside one of the men‟s mothers; experiences of discrimination against Okies at the Fox Theater in
Bakersfield; an arrival in Weedpatch at Christmas Eve; and a man whose father worked in
the fields so early that he would have to light the rows by his headlights. W.C. Stampes insisted that I see
the Huell Howswer video about Weedpatch, and berated me that I hadn't done so yet. Also said I should
read Elizabeth Strickland's book about the Dust Bowl.
8:00 a.m. A brief game of pool at the Rasmussen Senior Center in Oildale. Don Burkett said that he'd be
happy to set up a meeting with his aunt, so we could learn more about the strike at the Digiorgio Farm
(although his dad took part, he was too young to remember it). I asked W.C. Stampes what was inaccurate to him about the portrayal of Okies in Grapes of Wrath, and he didn't name specifics, except for that
Steinbeck called the camp “Weedpatch” instead of “The Government Camp,” which is a personal pet
peeve.
9:45 a.m.: Had breakfast with Gabriel and Karina Gutierrez. Karina is an Arvin High School and UCSD graduate, and performer with Kaiser Permanente‟s touring theater program. It was a fascinating conversation about race, politics, and theater. Karina's goal is to get a PhD studying Chicano theater. She'll be in Arvin next summer and is excited to participate in any way she can.
11:00 a.m. Met with Salvador Partida, local activist. He spoke to Gabriel and me about his work in the community, specifically on the issue of clean air. The Committee for Better Arvin, of which he is the Chairman, is doing community-led air monitoring through “the bucket brigade” and the BHC youth group is also participating. He also spoke about the small-town mentality of Arvin, which he said has prevented a hotel, a Wall-Mart, and other services from being brought into the community.
1:00 p.m. Attended last part of BHC training led by Victor Mehia, of Youth Leadership Institute. Mr. Mehia was training the young people on community organizing and advocacy techniques, in support of their agenda to create a community park.
3:30 p.m: Met with Alberto Perea Calderon, who came to the U.S. during the Bracero program, along with South Kern members Clara Bruno and Andy Garcia, and South Kern Sol Coordinator Luz Peña. The meeting was set up by Luz, and took place in the Bakersfield home of Mr. Calderon. It was a moving meeting, in particular the description of the centers in Mexico where Braceros were processed or, as Mr. Perea described them, “concentration camps.” He described men waiting in long lines, scratching their palms raw with dried corn cobs (rough hands were considered signs of experience in the fields, and thus more advantageous for acceptance into the program), men having to strip naked and sprayed with “DDT” to get rid of pests (I question that it was DDT, but this should be researched), and in general being treated as animals. His father was also a participant in the Bracero program.
Evening: Met at Bear Mountain Pizza with Gabriel Garcia and two of his classmates at CSUB, Mónica Martinez and Sue Calderon. Mónica has been very involved in theater, and is the person who got Gabriel involved. Sue is a very close friend. It was a very fun night, filled with many stories of what it's like to grow up in Arvin. Mónica spoke about her love for Arvin, about the many sacrifices her parents made, and how proud of them she is for that – she spoke in particular about growing up without any money, but never feeling poor. There were also many funny stories about weddings (how big weddings are in Arvin, and how both Mónica and Sue dream of a small wedding, even though their parents would never allow it) and the unique bond between mothers and daughters in such a small, Mexican-American town.
Friday (12/30)
9:00 a.m. Interview with Ana Maria Arreola (mother of translator Javier Arreola), Jim McKee, and Wayne Beavers, two men in their seventies who were migrants from the Dust Bowl era. Ms. Arreola spoke about her family driving west from Texas to work in the fields, in a crowded car that broke down in Arizona, where her mom made tortillas by hand over a home-made grill. Much of the story reminded me of Dust Bowl migration stories. She also spoke about her life in the midst of the UFW struggles. Particularly moving was her memory of serving as a translator during the main community meetings of the UFW during the summer of 1973, which took place in the Lamont Park opposite the Boys and Girls Club. Mr. McKee spoke about his life in Oklahoma, and his struggle to make a living. Particularly moving was a story about a man coming to his father's farm and offering to sell him a nice truck for $700, but that, even if his father sold his land, his house, his horses, and everything he owned, he couldn‟t come up with $700. Mr. McKee said that he always dreamed of buying a nice truck and bringing it home to his father.
12:30 p.m. Interview with Gabriel's mom and aunt. They spoke about the village where they lived in Mexico, and their mother, and specifically talked about the day that Gabriel's aunt had to tell her mom that she was leaving for the US. The conversation was rushed , and had to take place at their mom's store in the main plaza of the town. They also shared details about the days of working in the fields and balancing child rearing, and going door to door at around 4:30 a.m. with “baby burritos” (babies wrapped in blankets) asking for neighbors to watch their children so that they could go to work.
5:00 p.m. Visited the Boys and Girls Club, to attend a planned pot luck for members of the South Kern Sol group. It was unattended, except for Andy Garcia and (briefly) Clara Bruno. I stayed anyway and saw selections of Andy's video of the interview with Mr. Calderon. I also was able to spend time with Amerika Niño, who grew up in Lamont, then went to NYU, and now is back to support her home town.
7:30 p.m.: Attended a drama class reunion thrown by Sheila McClure, the former drama teacher at Arvin High School. She's a legendary teacher and the students of those years are still remembered in the high school. In attendance were a number of folks who might be interested in participating the project: Araceli, who has significant experience as a Stage Manager in community theater, and would be interested in helping out in stage management; Paola, a community organizer and activist who lists as her occupation, “activist, actor, student, runner;” Jorge Guillen, a muralist and spoken word artist who is on the board of the Arts Council of Kern; Gerardo (Jerry) Kern, who does set design and set construction for local theater; and several others. Paola spoke about her life as an undocumented student, and what it has meant for her as a person and activist, and also why her father did not picket with the UFW; and others spoke about their experiences with race, class, and being at Arvin High. It was a very inspiring night. Additional notes: Ruben Carillo, not present, is apparently an enormously gifted musician and composer, who has orchestrated whole musicals; and Sheila‟s husband, Randy Lollar, is an experienced actor with an MFA in acting.
Saturday (12/30)
Visited mural by Jorge Guillen in Lamont: it's a strong piece that embraces 4 walls surrounding a single intersection, including an image of Zapatistas in front of a pastel landscape.
9:45 a.m.: Had breakfast with Gabriel and Karina Gutierrez. Karina is an Arvin High School and UCSD graduate, and performer with Kaiser Permanente‟s touring theater program. It was a fascinating conversation about race, politics, and theater. Karina's goal is to get a PhD studying Chicano theater. She'll be in Arvin next summer and is excited to participate in any way she can.
11:00 a.m. Met with Salvador Partida, local activist. He spoke to Gabriel and me about his work in the community, specifically on the issue of clean air. The Committee for Better Arvin, of which he is the Chairman, is doing community-led air monitoring through “the bucket brigade” and the BHC youth group is also participating. He also spoke about the small-town mentality of Arvin, which he said has prevented a hotel, a Wall-Mart, and other services from being brought into the community.
1:00 p.m. Attended last part of BHC training led by Victor Mehia, of Youth Leadership Institute. Mr. Mehia was training the young people on community organizing and advocacy techniques, in support of their agenda to create a community park.
3:30 p.m: Met with Alberto Perea Calderon, who came to the U.S. during the Bracero program, along with South Kern members Clara Bruno and Andy Garcia, and South Kern Sol Coordinator Luz Peña. The meeting was set up by Luz, and took place in the Bakersfield home of Mr. Calderon. It was a moving meeting, in particular the description of the centers in Mexico where Braceros were processed or, as Mr. Perea described them, “concentration camps.” He described men waiting in long lines, scratching their palms raw with dried corn cobs (rough hands were considered signs of experience in the fields, and thus more advantageous for acceptance into the program), men having to strip naked and sprayed with “DDT” to get rid of pests (I question that it was DDT, but this should be researched), and in general being treated as animals. His father was also a participant in the Bracero program.
Evening: Met at Bear Mountain Pizza with Gabriel Garcia and two of his classmates at CSUB, Mónica Martinez and Sue Calderon. Mónica has been very involved in theater, and is the person who got Gabriel involved. Sue is a very close friend. It was a very fun night, filled with many stories of what it's like to grow up in Arvin. Mónica spoke about her love for Arvin, about the many sacrifices her parents made, and how proud of them she is for that – she spoke in particular about growing up without any money, but never feeling poor. There were also many funny stories about weddings (how big weddings are in Arvin, and how both Mónica and Sue dream of a small wedding, even though their parents would never allow it) and the unique bond between mothers and daughters in such a small, Mexican-American town.
Friday (12/30)
9:00 a.m. Interview with Ana Maria Arreola (mother of translator Javier Arreola), Jim McKee, and Wayne Beavers, two men in their seventies who were migrants from the Dust Bowl era. Ms. Arreola spoke about her family driving west from Texas to work in the fields, in a crowded car that broke down in Arizona, where her mom made tortillas by hand over a home-made grill. Much of the story reminded me of Dust Bowl migration stories. She also spoke about her life in the midst of the UFW struggles. Particularly moving was her memory of serving as a translator during the main community meetings of the UFW during the summer of 1973, which took place in the Lamont Park opposite the Boys and Girls Club. Mr. McKee spoke about his life in Oklahoma, and his struggle to make a living. Particularly moving was a story about a man coming to his father's farm and offering to sell him a nice truck for $700, but that, even if his father sold his land, his house, his horses, and everything he owned, he couldn‟t come up with $700. Mr. McKee said that he always dreamed of buying a nice truck and bringing it home to his father.
12:30 p.m. Interview with Gabriel's mom and aunt. They spoke about the village where they lived in Mexico, and their mother, and specifically talked about the day that Gabriel's aunt had to tell her mom that she was leaving for the US. The conversation was rushed , and had to take place at their mom's store in the main plaza of the town. They also shared details about the days of working in the fields and balancing child rearing, and going door to door at around 4:30 a.m. with “baby burritos” (babies wrapped in blankets) asking for neighbors to watch their children so that they could go to work.
5:00 p.m. Visited the Boys and Girls Club, to attend a planned pot luck for members of the South Kern Sol group. It was unattended, except for Andy Garcia and (briefly) Clara Bruno. I stayed anyway and saw selections of Andy's video of the interview with Mr. Calderon. I also was able to spend time with Amerika Niño, who grew up in Lamont, then went to NYU, and now is back to support her home town.
7:30 p.m.: Attended a drama class reunion thrown by Sheila McClure, the former drama teacher at Arvin High School. She's a legendary teacher and the students of those years are still remembered in the high school. In attendance were a number of folks who might be interested in participating the project: Araceli, who has significant experience as a Stage Manager in community theater, and would be interested in helping out in stage management; Paola, a community organizer and activist who lists as her occupation, “activist, actor, student, runner;” Jorge Guillen, a muralist and spoken word artist who is on the board of the Arts Council of Kern; Gerardo (Jerry) Kern, who does set design and set construction for local theater; and several others. Paola spoke about her life as an undocumented student, and what it has meant for her as a person and activist, and also why her father did not picket with the UFW; and others spoke about their experiences with race, class, and being at Arvin High. It was a very inspiring night. Additional notes: Ruben Carillo, not present, is apparently an enormously gifted musician and composer, who has orchestrated whole musicals; and Sheila‟s husband, Randy Lollar, is an experienced actor with an MFA in acting.
Saturday (12/30)
Visited mural by Jorge Guillen in Lamont: it's a strong piece that embraces 4 walls surrounding a single intersection, including an image of Zapatistas in front of a pastel landscape.
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