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Strawberry fields in Salinas, CA |
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El Teatro Campesino Comes to Salinas Public Library
Photo credit: April Esparza
- Date: Saturday May 16
- Time: 2:00 pm
- Place: Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Rd, Salinas
- Free!
On Saturday, May 16, SALINAS STORIES welcomes El Teatro Campesino to the Salinas Public Library for a free performance of the classic 1965 Acto, “Las Tres Uvas.” This Acto, written by Luis Valdez in the founding year of El Teatro Campesino, was first performed in 1965 on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento during a UFW march in the early days of the farmworkers movement.
In “Las Tres Uvas,” a luscious green grape, a bitter ripe grape and a wise old raisin come to life, and a persistent union organizer tries to convince a campesina to join the strike and let the grapes rot on the vine rather than cross the picket line. “Las Tres Uvas” will be performed on Saturday, May 16 at 2:00 pm at Cesar Chavez Library, at 615 Williams Road in Salinas. For more information, call 758-7345. Free.
This performance is part of the SALINAS STORIES program as it examines ”A City Emerges: Salinas, 1960-1985.” From April-June, several activities, films and a community conversation are exploring this tumultuous period in the history of Salinas, as the farmworkers movement, labor and grower concerns often came into conflict.
Movies in the Chavez: Walkout
On Thursday, May 14th, 5:00 p.m., Walkout, a film with a powerful message that resonates 38 years after the events it depicts occurred,
will be shown at the Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Rd, Salinas, 758-7345.
Walkout is the stirring true story of the Chicano students of East LA, who in 1968 staged several dramatic walkouts in their
high schools to protest academic prejudice and dire school conditions. Aided by a popular and progressive young teacher,
Sal Castro, Paula Crisostomo and a group of young Chicano activists battle parents, teachers, bureaucrats, the police and
public opinion to make their point. Along the way, the students learn profound lessons about embracing their own identity and standing up for
what they believe in. Set in 1968, a tumultuous year that shook America to its foundation,
Walkout is a vivid reminder that people can change the world.
Other upcoming programs include:
- APRIL 14–MAY 30 Library Exhibition: Bracero History Memorabilia of the Bracero Program, through which over 4 million Mexican farm workers traveled north to work the fields of the U.S. from 1942–1964. El Gabilan Library, 1400 N. Main St., Salinas 758-7302
- APRIL 14–MAY 31 Library Exhibition: The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, one of the least-studied social movements of the 60s, sought farm workers’ rights, enhanced education, and voting and political rights. Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Road, Salinas. 758-7345
- SUNDAY, MAY 31, 1:30 pm THE STRUGGLE IN THE FIELDS: COMMUNITY STORIES Hear personal stories of the unionization struggles in Salinas from 1960-1985: The farmworkers movement and Cesar Chavez, growers, and the farmworkers themselves. Spanish translation available. Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Road, Salinas. 758-7345
- JUNE 1–JUNE 30 LIBRARY EXHIBITION: The Chicano Social Movement, by MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), the populist intellectual movement of the 70s. Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Road, Salinas. 758-7345
- FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 6–7:00 pm FILM: “FIELD DISCLOSURES” This documentary film premiere explores the human story behind the UFW and agricultural business labor struggles in the Salinas Valley through interviews with people on all sides of the issue. The film was commissioned by the National Steinbeck Center and was made by students of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University. National Steinbeck Center, 1 Main Street, 775-4721
- SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2–3:00 pm FILM: “BRACERO STORIES”: Memorabilia of the Bracero Program, through which over
4 million Mexican farm workers traveled north to work the fields of the U.S. from 1942–1964.
John Steinbeck Library , 350 Lincoln Ave., Salinas 758-7311
BOOKMOBILE LAUNCHED
Thanks to Measure V, the Salinas Public Library now has a bookmobile. The bookmobile follows a two-week cycle at various
locations around the city from Tuesdays through Thursdays. The schedule and maps are available at
www.salinasbookmobile.blogspot.com
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