Latinos in American Society and Culture

The Life and Narrative of Bert Corona

Mario T. García

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9780520916548
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Geschichte
• Subtopic: Lateinamerikanische & karibische Geschichte

Who is Bert Corona? Though not readily identified by most Americans, nor indeed by many Mexican Americans, Corona is a man of enormous political commitment whose activism has spanned much of this century. Now his voice can be heard by the wide audience it deserves. In this landmark publication—the first autobiography by a major figure in Chicano history—Bert Corona relates his life story. Corona was born in El Paso in 1918. Inspired by his parents' participation in the Mexican Revolution, he dedicated his life to fighting economic and social injustice. An early labor organizer among ethnic communities in southern California, Corona has agitated for labor and civil rights since the 1940s. His efforts continue today in campaigns to organize undocumented immigrants. This book evolved from a three-year oral history project between Bert Corona and historian Mario T. García. The result is a testimonio, a collaborative autobiography in which historical memories are preserved more through oral traditions than through written documents. Corona's story represents a collective memory of the Mexican-American community's struggle against discrimination and racism. His narration and García's analysis together provide a journey into the Mexican-American world. Bert Corona's reflections offer us an invaluable glimpse at the lifework of a major grass-roots American leader. His story is further enriched by biographical sketches of others whose names have been little recorded during six decades of American labor history. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1994.
Who is Bert Corona? Though not readily identified by most Americans, nor indeed by many Mexican Americans, Corona is a man of enormous political commitment whose activism has spanned much of this century. Now his voice can be heard by the wide audience it

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction Redefining American History: Bert Corona and Oppositional Narrative
• CHAPTER ONE Child of the Revolution
• CHAPTER TWO Border Education
• CHAPTER THREE Border Depression
• CHAPTER FOUR Welcome to L.A.
• CHAPTER FIVE Working for the Union
• CHAPTER SIX The Mexican-American Left
• CHAPTER SEVEN The War Years
• CHAPTER EIGHT Coming Home
• CHAPTER NINE The Active Fifties
• CHAPTER TEN New Frontiers
• CHAPTER ELEVEN Expectations and Frustrations
• CHAPTER TWELVE ¡Viva Kennedy!
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN Chicano Power
• CHAPTER FOURTEEN ¡Raza Sij Guerra No!
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN ¡Raza Sí, Migra No!
• CHAPTER SIXTEEN Pensamientos
• Afterword
• Index