Payday.JPG
Braceros receive their paychecks in this photo from 1956. The photo is part of "Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964," a traveling exhibition that will make its way to the Lakeshore Museum Center on Nov. 16.
(Leonard Nadel)
MUSKEGON, MI – The Lakeshore Museum will host a traveling exhibit that focuses on the largest Mexican guest-worker program in U.S. history.
This portrait of a "bracero" is part of "Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964," a traveling exhibition that will make its way to the Lakeshore Museum Center starting on Nov. 16.
Visitors can learn about the Farm Labor Program, also known as the Bracero Program, when "Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964" opens at the museum on Nov. 16.
The exhibit was organized by the National Museum of the American History in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, with support from the Smithsonian Latino Center.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the creation of the Bracero Program in 1943. At the time, the United States faced labor shortages while men fought in the Second World War, so the United States initiated a series of agreements with Mexico to recruit Mexican men to work on American farms and railroads. Those men eventually became known as "braceros," a term used in Mexico for manual laborers.
The Bracero Program allowed approximately 2 million Mexicans to enter the United States and work on short-term labor contracts.
The exhibit, presented in both English and Spanish, explores the braceros' contributions to communities in Mexico and the United States, the opportunities they had and the challenges they faced as guest workers during the war years and beyond.
"Bittersweet Harvest" includes 15 freestanding banners featuring oral histories, quotes and photographs by Leonard Nadel, who exposed employer violations endured by many braceros in 1956.
While "Bittersweet Harvest" is geared toward a national audience, the Lakeshore Museum Center will display photos and labels from its collection to show visitors how the Bracero Program impacted the Muskegon area.
"We're adding a section that's going to be specific to Muskegon County," said John McGarry, the museum's executive director. The artifacts on display will include photographs, documents and farming-related materials, he said.
In addition to exploring the history of the local Hispanic community, visitors who are Hispanic and who have Hispanic heritage are invited to contribute to the museum's "Memory Book Celebrating Hispanic Culture."
Those who choose to participate will be asked to answer four questions about their family's heritage. The memory book will be placed in the museum's archives.
McGarry said the exhibit was a way to reach out to Muskegon's Hispanic community and to learn about its history.
"The Lakeshore Museum Center displays and represents and interprets the history of all of Muskegon County and we have a large Hispanic community here and we thought this was a way to reach out to them," he said.
The museum will also host an opening reception for the exhibit from noon to 2 p.m. on Nov. 16. "Bittersweet Harvest" will be on display through Jan. 26.
The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
For more information, visit www.lakeshoremuseum.org or call (231) 722-0278.
Lisha Arino covers arts and entertainment, as well as other topics, as needed, for MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. Email her at larino@mlive.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.