Sara Arrieta
Title
Sara Arrieta
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Sara Arrieta was born on May 25, 1943, in Lerdo, Durango, México; her father, Pedro Arrieta González, was a bracero; he was born in the same city, on June 27, 1902; Sara had sixteen brothers and sisters, but three of them passed away.
Summary of Interview: Sara’s father, Pedro Arrieta González, worked as a bracero; she vividly describes how poor she and her family were while she was growing up; there were times when they went days without eating, until her father was able to send them money from the United States; they were always happy to have him back home; prior to becoming a bracero, he made brooms; he repeatedly mentioned how fond he was of the United States, especially because it was so different; his first contract was in 1942, the year before Sara was born; she comments that virtually every time he returned home, he left her mom pregnant; he would frequently tell Sara about his different experiences in the United States, including an incident where he helped unload wounded soldiers from a train during World War II; while he was gone, which was often, his family also went through very difficult times; later, in 1967, Sara and her sister emigrated to the United States; after the bracero program ended, Pedro returned to México, and he continued making brooms; Sara also recalls that her father would come back home with boxes of clothes for the entire family; he would send money home by telegraph or by mail; in addition, he also told Sara about not being allowed into certain restaurants; consequently, neither Mexicans nor African Americans were permitted.
Summary of Interview: Sara’s father, Pedro Arrieta González, worked as a bracero; she vividly describes how poor she and her family were while she was growing up; there were times when they went days without eating, until her father was able to send them money from the United States; they were always happy to have him back home; prior to becoming a bracero, he made brooms; he repeatedly mentioned how fond he was of the United States, especially because it was so different; his first contract was in 1942, the year before Sara was born; she comments that virtually every time he returned home, he left her mom pregnant; he would frequently tell Sara about his different experiences in the United States, including an incident where he helped unload wounded soldiers from a train during World War II; while he was gone, which was often, his family also went through very difficult times; later, in 1967, Sara and her sister emigrated to the United States; after the bracero program ended, Pedro returned to México, and he continued making brooms; Sara also recalls that her father would come back home with boxes of clothes for the entire family; he would send money home by telegraph or by mail; in addition, he also told Sara about not being allowed into certain restaurants; consequently, neither Mexicans nor African Americans were permitted.
Creator
Valles, Alejandra
Arrieta, Sara
Date
2008-01-12
Subject
bracero
Contributor
Cristóbal Borges
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
Sara Arrieta
creator (Spanish)
Valles, Alejandra
contributor (Spanish)
Cristóbal Borges
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Duration
17:38
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
Interviewer
Valles, Alejandra
Interviewee
Arrieta, Sara
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
File Name Identifier
Arrieta_AZ009
Citation
Valles, Alejandra and Arrieta, Sara, “Sara Arrieta,” Bracero History Archive, accessed May 5, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/665.