CRISPIN G. ESPINOSA...LA ENTRADA A USA DE BRACERO

CRISPIN G. ESPINOSA...LA ENTRADA A USA DE BRACERO

CONSUELO ESPINOSA

CONSUELO ESPINOSA

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

MY PAPA CAME TO THE US AS A BRACERO IN THE EARLY 1940'S FROM A SMALL VILLAGE IN MICHOCHAN, MEXICO...HE WAS AN ORPHAN AND BEGAN WORKING AS A YOUNG BOY IN MEXICO...HIS AUNT RAISED HIM...HE ONLY HAD A 3RD GRADE EDUCATION...BUT HE COULD READ AND WRITE...WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN...THE VILLAGE HAD BEEN BULLETED WITH FLIERS ABOUT WORK IN THE US...HE TOLD HIS AUNT HE WAS GOING TO FIND OUT IT...HE NEVER RETURNED HOME. THEY SAW A STRONG YOUNG MAN AND BOARDED HIM ON THE TRAIN WITH OTHERS AND HE BEGAN WORKING IN THE FIELDS OF SO. MONTEREY COUNTY. HE TOILED IN THE FIELDS WITH NO WATER, LITTLE FOOD AND OFTEN FILLED WITH MAGGETS...HE TOLD THE WORKERS NOT TO EAT THE FOOD...HE BECAME AN ADVOCATE FOR DECENT HUMAN CONDITIONS FOR THE BRACEROS...WHAT LITTLE MONEY HE MADE SENT IT BACK TO MEXICO. IN THE LATE 1940'S HE SETTLED IN SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA...HE WORKED AS COOK IN BOARDING HOUSE FOR BRACEROS BY NOW AND MET HIS WIFE, CARMEN MURO...THEY WOULD HAVE 8 CHILDREN...MANY OF HAVE RECEIVED A COLLEGE DEGREE, ONE A MASTER'S DEGREE...AND IN 2008 HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 95...STILL ABLE TO TELL HIS STORIES OF HIS JOURNEY INTO THE US. AT THE AGE OF OF 82 YEARS OLD HE BECAME A US CITIZEN...REALIZING HE NEVER GOING TO RETURN HOME TO MEXICO.