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Three soldiers sitting on a rock or log near a forest. They are in military dress and are posing for the camera.
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Black and white photograph of an unidentified woman heading to work at Norton Airforce base during the 1940s. Her hair is short with a headband and she wears overalls. During World War II many women entered the workforce especially in the defense industry. While the common image was Rosie the Riveter, women workers were of all races and ethnicities. Due to federal rules against segregation in the defense industry, Mexican American, African American, Asian American and white women worked side by side on production lines.
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A portrait of an unidentified Mexican American naval seaman in military dress taken at a photography studio. The image is also a post card and has written on back "Daniel, Taken 3 months ago at Fresno"
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"The Guzman family home was located on Stuart Street (515) in Redlands. The house was near the family's Blacksmith shop owned by Carlos' father Epimenio. Connie Guzman McFarland recalled, 'My grandmother [Jesusita] was born in Magdalena, Mexico. That's where they have the coffin of San Francisco Javier .... When she came over, she was a little girl, she brought a sapling of a tree. And that tree, they planted it in front of their house. I think I have the picture of that. And that's why my mom and dad had this type of tree. In fact, those trees are planted, would you believe, at what they call the Catholic Hill at Hillside Cemetary.'" (Vasquez and Carpio, 21)
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The Guzman family home was located on Stuart Street (515) in Redlands. The house was near the family's Blacksmith shop owned by Carlos' father Epimenio. Connie Guzman McFarland recalled, "My grandmother [Jesusita] was born in Magdalena, Mexico. That's where they have the coffin of San Francisco Javier... When she came over, she was a little girl, she brought a sapling of a tree. And that tree, they planted it in front of their house. I think I have the picture of that. And that's why my mom and dad had this type of tree. In fact, those trees are planted, would you believe, at what they call the Catholic Hill at Hillside Cemetary."
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Black and white image of Rafael Gonzalez sitting on the lawn with his daughter Melinda on his lap in the early 1950s. Rafael Gonzalez apprenticed as a shoemaker in Mexico before coming to the United States as a Bracero in 1942. Gonzalez dreamed of returning home and establishing a business but was delayed during the war and was among a group of Braceros stranded in San Bernardino without a contract or transportation home. Later, Gonzales met Eunice Romero while working for her father, Jacinto Romero, at Fairbanks Ranch.
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Color image of Eunice and Rafael Gonzalez holding Bianca, their granddaughter, at their home on Ohio Street in the 1970s. Rafael Gonzalez apprenticed as a shoemaker in Mexico before coming to the United States as a Bracero in 1942. Gonzalez dreamed of returning home and establishing a business but was delayed during the war and was among a group of Braceros stranded in San Bernardino without a contract or transportation home. Later, Gonzales met Eunice Romero while working for her father, Jacinto Romero, at Fairbanks Ranch.
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Rafael Gonzalez is pictured here at Cone Camp in 1943. Gonzalez was recruited from Mexico City as part of the United States - Mexico Bracero labor program during World War II. "Coney Camp" as it was known to the local Mexican population, was a former jail and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) training center located on the banks of the Santa Ana River in East Highlands. Converted to house Mexican laborers, the facility held up to 1,500 men at a time. Despite federal mandates for reasonable living conditions, wages, and medical care many braceros like those living in Cone Camp lived in wooden barracks and sometimes in tents where the men endured severe winter weather and extreme heat in the summer. The Bracero Program officially ended in 1964.
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In this interview conducted by Audrey Maier, inquiries Christine Roque about her knowledge regarding her family’s history with the Citrus Industry and goes into depth about her personal experiences in advocating for her community in Redlands about the construction of warehouses and the fight against the building of a Super Walmart. Christine Roque details her memories of when her father and brothers worked in the Citrus Industry. She briefly mentions the role her father was promoted to and describes what his position entailed. The interview then transitions into a conversation about the beginnings of her involvement in her community and what that involvement looks like. Christine Roque mentions the different groups she was in attempts to push back on general plans and to advocate for equity for all of the different parts of Redlands. Lastly, the interview ends with a conversation about the negative effects of warehouses on people and the community and restates the negative impacts of the Citrus Industry.
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Eunice Romero (Gonzales), pictured on the left, as a child at Fairbanks Ranch.
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Eunice Romero (Gonzales) receives a degree from the University of La Verne in 1978. After raising a family, working as a laborer, and serving as a classroom aid in Redlands schools, Gonzales returned to college and earned a teaching credential. Years after retiring from the San Bernardino Unified School District, she recalled, "I didn't graduate from high school and well, I was like about 50 years old when a program was started through La Verne Colleges for bilingual educators, and I was lucky enough to know both languages fluently. So, I was able to participate in the program, which was - the acronym was SABER - and then I finished my college and I went into teaching."
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Ana Carlos drives around Bloomington and describes locations where businesses have begun development. She points out how some businesses are being built near schools and in areas where community events typically occur. Carlos also talks about developers harassing homeowners into selling their homes. Those who agreed to sell had their homes quickly demolished. Carlos points out that this seems like a scare tactic against neighboring homeowners who are refusing to sell their homes.
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Ana Carlos describes the hardships of being an activist. It takes over every part of her life, including her role as a mother. However, she is adamant about preventing businesses from taking over her city of Bloomington, California. Despite any negativity or discouragement she receives she continues to fight against developments like the "Bloomington Business Parks". Carlos also describes the importance of a community coming together to fight against big corporations
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Benjamin Luna’s neighborhood has been affected by a freeway and a growing train track built near their homes. The freeway and train track has been very disruptive. Luna has had to get psychiatric help because he is not able to sleep from the noise of trains and cars passing by. He is also worried about the long term effects of pollution being released into his neighborhood. He and his family are already getting constantly sick. He is unable to relocate because he cannot afford to live anywhere else. The tracks were built so close to his home without any of his knowledge or consent. He and his community's voices have gone ignored or unheard by city officials.
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Black and white class photograph of Lincoln School in Redlands, California. "Lincoln School in 1910 was officially segregated, but in Redlands, children from the Mexican colonia went to Lincoln, Lugonia, and Franklin Elementary, mixing with children of other ethnicities from their neighborhoods." (Vasquez and Carpio, 44)
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Black and white image of four men, including Armando Gonzales (batter, third from left) at Community Park. This image was taken during the 1947 Pony Major Championship held at the baseball fields at Community Park in Redlands. Like many baseball leagues across Southern California and the Southwest, Mexican adults and children played in segregated "Mexican Leagues" rather than integrated teams.
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"Joe and Irene Gonzales leave St. Mary's after their wedding in 1947." (Vasquez and Carpio, 32) Above the newlyweds, a quote is displayed above an entryway saying, "St. Mary's Church, built to the glory of God by the Mexican people of Redlands under the direction of the Rev. James Gray Pastor. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary by the Most Rev. Charles F. Buddy Bishop of San Diego on the feast of Christ the King," and "SILENCE IN THIS HOUSE OF GOD." On the back, it says "From the Studio of William Kingham, WM. Elmer Kingham 5 1/2 and 91/2 E. State St. Redlands, California."
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Henry Vasquez recounts his experiences as a teacher for several schools in the San Bernardino area, as well as the challenges his community was forced to overcome. Henry is Chicano, and is well connected with the Native American communities near his area. In his time, the state attempted to discourage bilingual education in an attempt to assimilate natives and immigrants. He, as well as several of his collegues, protested this change, and such attempts eventually halted. Henry advocates for the opening of more Indian Centers so that members of the Native communities can be better educated to fix the problems around them. He also criticizes the encroachment of warehouses on his community due to community concerns of pollution.
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Black and white postcard with an image of the corner of Orange and Colton in Redlands, California. Sunset Market, Winn's Drug Store, and the Casa Loma Service Station opened at the corner of Colton and Orange, on the site of the former Wyatt Opera House in the early 1930s. Aurelia Ruiz Reyes recalled other businesses that provided goods and services to the Mexican Colonia: "Don Sabas we used to call him. Well, that little store [on Colombia Street] belonged to that man first. No, no, it belonged to Japanese people, and then he took over. Then when the war came he took his son to Mexico, and that's when Tommy [Martinez] bought it. Tommy had it for a long time, and that was the only little store. This other man had a bakery of Mexican bread right there on Lawton Street in front of the House of Neighborly Service. My brother-in-law used to have a little gasoline station on Stuart Street right across from Sam's Cafe. Oh, there was the Resbalon, a bar where they used to have food, it was a wife's help for their husbands to go."
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A color postcard of Redlands, California, reading "Snow-capped San Bernardino Peak as seen from Orange and Colton Avenues." The picture also shows Winn's Drug Store, a fixture in the neighborhood. From its beginnings in the 1930s, the store had a soda fountain and grill that attracted people from all over for its pie, milkshakes, and local gossip. By the time the photograph on the postcard was taken, the freeway had created a permanent barrier between the north and south sides and made the imaginary line separating the town all too concrete and real.
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Lincoln School Choir provides a concert at the Divine Savior Presbyterian Church in Redlands, CA. The performance happened in 1967 or 1968. The black and white photograph shows 4-5-6 grades the choir was led by Mrs. Kanfmann, Lincoln school teacher, and Mrs. Baker provided accompaniment.
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Black and white photograph of Ronald, Robert, Vicki, Felix, and Nelda Roque in 1955. The back of the photograph lists their ages: Ronald, age 10; Robert. age 8; Vicki, age 5; Felix, age 9 and Nelda, age 14.
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Black and white photograph of brothers Ronald (age 10, center), Felix (age 9, right), and Robert (age 8, left) Roque.
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"Manuel Villegas, standing behind the second row of his Boy Scout troop, was an educator, health, and fitness advocate, and Olympic-class weight lifter. Villegas influenced a generation of young men and women with his determination and courage as he broke color barriers at locally segregated institutions before and after World War II. Known to all as 'Manny,' Villegas was a popular schoolteacher who donated much time to community service." (Vasquez and Carpio, 34) The Boy Scout troop pictured was for Mexican children while Redlands had another troop for white children this example of segregation was one that was seen in public pools, local barbershops, and other places in Redlands.
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Black and white photograph of Joe and Irene Gonzales's wedding at St. Mary's Church Redlands in 1947. The group photograph shows the newlyweds at the alter surrounded by their many attendants, including a ring bearer and flower girls.