1936 Fiesta From Litchfield
subject: fiesta
description: Black and white photograph of a truck with people standing in the bed. They're holding American flags.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Antonio Maese at Goodyear farm
subject: farm life
description: Picture of man with shovel releasing crop from a storage bin on the farm.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Baby Photo
subject: Photo
description: Baby photo of Belen Soto Moren standing on a chair outside.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Belen and Cousin
subject: family
description: Picture of Belen Soto Moreno and her cousin as young girls.
creator: Belen Soto moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Belen's Holy Communion
subject: Family
description: Picture of Belen Soto Moreno at her Holy Communion.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Belen on a Bike
subject: family
description: Belen Soto Moreno riding a bike.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Belen Playing Softball
subject: Family
description: Picture of Belen and friends with softball mits
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-03
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Working on the Farm
subject: farm
description: Two men using a tractor to move hay bales.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Children
subject: Family
description: Photo of four young girls.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Family
subject: Family
description: Photo of a Man, two women and a small boy standing in front of bookshelves.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: UTEB
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: UTEB
language: eng

Farmer
subject: Farming
description: Man in field (plowing?) working with horses.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: eng

Workers
subject: Photo
description: Workers using horses to move a structure.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: eng

Children
subject: Family
description: Four children posing outside a building.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: eng

Two Men
subject: Life
description: Two men posing in front of trees.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: eng

Soto Children
subject: Family
description: Photograph of Belen, Carmen and Ramon Soto as children.
creator: Belen Soto Moreno
source: Arizona
publisher: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
date: 2009-08-05
contributor: Kristen Chasse
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: eng

Bracero Art
creator: M. S. Phillips
contributor: M. S. Phillips
rights: Testing

My Papa the Bracero
creator: Silveria Arizona Ballaron
contributor: Silveria Arizona Ballaron
rights: Testing

Albert Martinez
creator: albert martinez
contributor: albert martinez
rights: Testing

Jonathan Abbott
subject: Discusses housing and social interactions with braceros at the Stallings farm in Arkansas.
creator: Brady Banta
date: 2008-09-24
rights: University of Texas at El Paso, Institute of Oral History
language: Eng

Ben Anthony, Jr.
subject: Discusses working alongside braceros
creator: Julie Weise
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: ENG

James Bourland
subject: Discusses working on a farm
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: ENG

Sam Ashworth
subject: Farmer
creator: Simon Hosken
date: 2008-09-23
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: ENG

Dolores Atkins

Thom E. Beasley
subject: Farmer
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Thom E. Beasley was born in 1949, in East Central Arkansas, between Hughes and Forrest City, Arkansas; his grandfather, father and uncle owned a farming partnership by the name of CJ Beasley and Sons; they had roughly five thousand acres of land, one thousand five hundred of which were dedicated to cotton alone; they hired workers throughout the duration of the bracero program. Summary of Interview: Mr. Beasley talks about his family as well as the farming partnership owned by his grandfather, father and uncle, by the name of CJ Beasley and Sons; although the bracero program began before Thom was born, he remembers braceros being around as he was growing up, until the program ended in 1964; the braceros came to the farm headquarters, and from there they were taken to tenant houses in school buses; they slept in bunk beds and were supplied with mattresses, blankets, cooking and heating stoves and propane; although there was no indoor plumbing, they did have outhouses; moreover, they stayed in the same places the year-round employees did; oftentimes, the same braceros were hired; Thom recalls that one of their biggest complaints was about the water, because it gave them gas due to the high levels of calcium and iron; if they were ever sick, they were taken to the doctor in town; the braceros’ daily routine consisted of making and eating breakfast very early, and then picking in the fields until 11:00 AM, at which point they made lunch and took a siesta until about 2:30 PM, before returning to pick until dark; there were never any problems with their siesta, because they prepared their food from scratch and still managed to out produce everyone else; braceros often picked an average of five hundred pounds of cotton per day; some picked up to seven hundred pounds; Thom repeatedly mentions how amazed and impressed they all were at the braceros’ work ethic; he also mentions a curious incident in which a few years after the program end…
creator: Melaney Bowman
date: 2008-09-26
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: English

Vance E. Beasley
subject: Farmer
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Vance E. Beasley was born on March 11, 1916, in Heber Springs, Arkansas; in 1927, his family moved to Heth, Arkansas; he was the third eldest of his six siblings, four brothers and two sisters; with the exception of one of his sisters, the rest of his siblings passed away; he was educated in public schools, but he often went in late and left early in order to help with the crops; in 1939, he graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in agriculture; soon after he married, and he and his wife had three children; he later went on to help his father and brother with their farming partnership, CJ Beasley and Sons. Summary of Interview: Mr. Beasley describes his family and what his life was like growing up; he also talks about his wife and children; during the midfifties, his father asked him to help with the family farm and the partnership of CJ Beasley and Sons; the dwindling labor supply led to their hiring of braceros, particularly for help with cotton, their primary crop; they took on thirty-five to forty braceros per season, and they stayed for contracts of roughly two and a half months; the farmers were required to provide basic necessities such as housing, bedding and cooking supplies; in addition, the braceros were given picking sacks, which were roughly seven feet long and could hold up to one hundred pounds; there was always at least one man in the group of braceros who spoke English and served as a leader; he would receive pay for all the workers and distribute it accordingly; he was also responsible for helping the men buy groceries; Vance repeatedly mentions the incredible work ethic of the braceros; they picked cotton better than any other workers; in fact, he mentions an instance in which he hired workers from Memphis, Tennessee, but they drank too much and did not pick the row of cotton as clean as the braceros did; he found it easier to pay them to leave; eventually, mechanization took over and eliminat…
creator: Mireya Loza
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: English