While researching the farm worker movement, filmmaker came across several black and white photos. One woman, who appeared frequently in the photos, was later discovered to be Maria Moreno (00:17). And a new book of original song collaborations tell the stories of San Antonio West Side鈥檚 oldest residents (15:50).
Before Chavez And Huerta, There Was Moreno
The names and will forever come to mind when we think of the farm worker movement. In 1962, they founded the 鈥� which later became the 鈥� and it was the first successful farm workers union in America. But Chavez and Huerta were not the only ones, or even the first, to fight for farm workers鈥� rights.Maria Moreno was a mother of 12 and a devout Pentecostal. But it was her hard work in the fields that caught the attention and admiration of her Mexican-American, Filipino, African-American and peers. They selected her as their representative, making Moreno not only the first female organizer of the , but the first female leader of a farm worker union in the U.S.
Coyle鈥檚 curiosity of the little-known trailblazer in the 20th century farm worker movements ultimately led to the production of her documentary, 鈥� .鈥�
The West Side of San Antonio is predominantly poor and Hispanic, but many of its residents couldn鈥檛 imagine living anywhere else. In a new book of song collaborations, some of the area鈥檚 oldest residents shared their experiences, memories, and love for their neighborhood.
Norma Martinez can be reached at norma@tpr.org and on Twitter and Lauren Terrazas can be reached at lauren@tpr.org and on Twitter .
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