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The Fruits of Our Labor

Between 1942 and 1964, more than 4 million braceros—“temporary” workers from rural areas of México— entered the United States with legal contracts. They were hired to work in the agriculture and railroad industries across the country. These were physical laborers, who picked the strawberries, lettuce, cotton, chiles and peaches that supplied all grocery stores across […]

Fruits of Our Labor/Los Frutos de Nuestro Trabajo (Español)

Traducido por Cris Avitia Camacho Entre 1942 y 1964, más de 4 millones de braceros—trabajadores “temporales” de zonas rurales de México—ingresaron legalmente a los Estados Unidos con contratos de trabajo. Fueron contratados para trabajar en la agricultura y en la industria ferroviaria en todo el país. Estos eran jornaleros que cosechaban fresas, lechuga, algodón, chiles […]

A history of reproductive surgery reveals institutionalized violence against racialized women

On Thursday, November 21, 2024, the UCLA Latin American Institute hosted a book presentation with Elizabeth O’Brien, a history professor at UCLA who recently published her new book Surgery & Salvation: The Roots of Reproductive Injustice in Mexico, 1770-1940 (UNC Press, 2023). The discussion was sponsored by the Center for Mexican Studies, the Latin American […]

Soy Cómo Quiero Ser

Todo empieza con el grito de mi tía Patty.  Her sudden outburst stops mami in her one-two step, throwing off her rhythm. She throws her arms down and exclaims “Pa-tty!” as if after all these years, she still can’t predict her sister’s shouts.  “Sorry sister, as you were,” she responds, raising the reason for her […]