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Unscripted Journey: Our Trek North

IMAGE: Some of us with our mother in a photo taken for a local crossing permit. Circa 1950s. There were no triple walls then, in 1962, the year we crossed the border between Mexicali and Calexico in our way to a place that promised us a better future. Triple walls are abundant now in myriad spots along the geopolitical line that defines where Mexico begins and the United States ends. And vice versa. There was…
Pedro Chavez
March 29, 2020
AnécdotasEspañol

Travesía al norte: quinta parte

IMAGEN: Paisaje muy parecido al del huerto repleto de higueras en Figarden, California.   ÚLTIMOS DOS PÁRRAFOS DE LA CUARTA PARTE: No recuerdo quién lo dijo, pero creo que fue nuestra madre. Comentó que un perfecto extraño no sólo nos había dado una cordial bienvenida, sino que nos había tenido confianza y también proporcionado un lugar donde quedarnos y crédito para comprar comida mientras empezábamos a trabajar. Y ni siquiera era mexicano u originario de algún…
Pedro Chavez
January 17, 2018
ColumnsStories

The Trek North: Part Three

PHOTO: Figs on a tree branch, similar to the ones we picked in Figarden, California. Getty Images.     It took about an hour to get to Delano after leaving Bakersfield. We were all hungry, but for some reason food no longer mattered much, especially for those of us that were older. We wanted to find work. The local farm employment office gave us the name and address of a Mexican labor contractor that needed…
Pedro Chavez
December 1, 2015