Herminia Reza Contreras
Title
Herminia Reza Contreras
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Herminina Reza Contreras was born on May 5, 1920, in Douglas, Arizona; she had eight brothers and sisters; because her father worked for the railroads, her family moved to El Paso, Texas, when she was thirteen years old; in 1951, she began working with immigration services; later, in 1953, she went to work for the Department of Labor, and stayed there until 1963; both jobs entailed working closely with the bracero program.
Summary of Interview: Ms. Reza briefly recounts her childhood; when she was thirteen years old, she moved with her family from Douglas, Arizona to El Paso, Texas; in 1951, she began working with immigration services, where she was in constant contact with braceros; her boss recommended that she look for work with the Department of Labor, and later, in 1953, she did; while there, she worked for the administrative offices of Rio Vista, a processing center for braceros in Socorro, Texas; she provides a detailed description of the buildings and offices and of the processing procedures; her primary responsibility was to oversee the contracting aspect of the program; she was in charge of making sure the appropriate permits were in place in order for farmers and ranchers to hire braceros and that the proper amount of money for the contracts was received as well; the contractors were primarily from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming; in addition, she mentions the names of several employees she worked with, including Mr. Carlos Corella [See also No. XX]; she continued to work for the Department of Labor until 1963.
Summary of Interview: Ms. Reza briefly recounts her childhood; when she was thirteen years old, she moved with her family from Douglas, Arizona to El Paso, Texas; in 1951, she began working with immigration services, where she was in constant contact with braceros; her boss recommended that she look for work with the Department of Labor, and later, in 1953, she did; while there, she worked for the administrative offices of Rio Vista, a processing center for braceros in Socorro, Texas; she provides a detailed description of the buildings and offices and of the processing procedures; her primary responsibility was to oversee the contracting aspect of the program; she was in charge of making sure the appropriate permits were in place in order for farmers and ranchers to hire braceros and that the proper amount of money for the contracts was received as well; the contractors were primarily from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming; in addition, she mentions the names of several employees she worked with, including Mr. Carlos Corella [See also No. XX]; she continued to work for the Department of Labor until 1963.
Creator
Carrillo, Fernanda
Reza Contreras, Herminia
Date
2003-03-18
Subject
Department of Labor
Contributor
Cristóbal Borges
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
eng
title (Spanish)
Herminia Reza Contreras
creator (Spanish)
Carrillo, Fernanda
contributor (Spanish)
Cristóbal A. Borges
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Original Format
Mini Disc
Duration
30:07
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
Interviewer
Carrillo, Fernanda
Interviewee
Reza Contreras, Herminia
Location
El Paso, Texas
File Name Identifier
Reza_Contreras_ELP040
Citation
Carrillo, Fernanda and Reza Contreras, Herminia, “Herminia Reza Contreras,” Bracero History Archive, accessed April 24, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/es/items/show/55.