Gamez, Trinidad 1989-07-28

Trinidad Gámez talks about her family, education, cultural issues, work experiences, and difficulties Mexican-American people faced because of the lack of education and work opportunities. She also talks about segregation and exploitation of labor camp workers.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Trinidad Gamez

Additional Parties Recorded:

Date: July 28, 1989

Location: Plainview, Texas

Interviewer: Yolanda Romero

Length:

Abstract

Tape 1, Side 1: Family background; Childhood in Yorktown; Learned from grandmother; Mom worked with her dad because he was not a hard worker; Moved to Waco 1939; Charles Chaplin movies shown at school for only 1¢; Moved to San Antonio because of dad’s medical condition; Trinidad’s different responsibilities at work; Married in 1947 at the age of 18; Moved to Harper.
Tape 1, Side 2: Father-in-law, labor contractor; Labor camps in Harper; Discrimination in Harper; School discrimination; Folk healers.
Tape 2, Side 1: Teacher Aid work; Teacher’s negative attitude; High School, Harper; Importance of parents involved in school; Anglo domination of higher positions; Labor camps in Texas; Labor work contractors, before and after; Effects of field mechanization; Bilingual Education program; O.S.H.A. Program; Working as a Teacher Aid.
Tape 2, Side 2: Graduated from Junior College in 1974, South plains night school; Struggle as mother, wife, student, and worker; Trinidad’s children motivation to study; Teacher Aid Union; Limited opportunities to improve lives of Hispanics; Traditional roles in a family; Challenging traditional roles of women; Helping other women; Judicial system.
Tape 3, Side 1: Working with Texas Rural Legal Aid; 1950, election time and pressure tactics to gain Hispanic vote; Participating in political issues; School board direction, looking for changes in the town; Meeting in Lubbock with Southwest Voter Registration; Fighting for their rights to vote; Americo Gámez (son) and Hispanic organizations; Increasing Hispanic participation; Won a lawsuit against the City Hall Administration; Jesus Moya, Farmer’s Leader; Delia Gámez (daughter) working in Austin; Delia Gámez working in Chicago; Trinidad Gámez and the Texas Rural Legal Aid; Suits against labor contractors.
Tape Three, Side Two: The workers rights; San Lorenzo community, abuse of Mexican families; Ranchers unhappy about Texas Rural Legal Aid; Texas Rural Legal Aid’s cases; Positive changes to benefit Hispanics; Labor workers’ health problems; Children in labor camps; Abuse on labor workers; Trinidad’s future plans.
Range Dates:

Bulk Dates:

Access Information

Original Recording Format: audio cassette

Recording Format Notes: digitized; CD available in Reading Room

Transcript: drafts of Spanish and English transcripts available in Reading Room

---

Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.