YOUNG VOICES MEDIA PROJECT |
OPINION |
By Precious Rios
Photos by Claudia Meléndez Salinas
For Luis Valdez, the moment that we’re living in the United States has a lot of similarities to the struggle to ban the short-handled hoe that broke the backs of thousands of farmworkers earlier this century. Valdez spoke about those similarities during a ceremony in Salinas to celebrate the banning of the tool.
“We’re talking about El Cortito, the short hoe, and we’re talking about the long hoe,” Valdez said, referring humorously to the current occupant of the White House, comparing him to a long-handled hoe that takes all and gives nothing to the workers.
“Campesinos would say, ‘Be careful with the hoe, because it’s all for here and none for there,’” gesturing with his hands that the “here” means oneself; “there” is to spread among others.
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The phrase condensed the essence of a celebration that took place June 10 at the Monterey County Board of Supervisors chambers, where many of those who fought to outlaw El Cortito were present. They were being celebrated for combating abusive systems much like many protesters are doing today.
Also known as “El Brazo del Diablo” (The Devil’s Arm in Spanish) by farmworkers, the short-handled hoe was used in sugar beet and lettuce fields in the early 20th century, according to the Oakland Museum of California. The Packer reported that by 1927, Salinas Valley accounted for 33% of the United States’ lettuce production, which means thousands of men used the cortito in local fields.
The lawsuit that led to outlawing the tool was led by California Rural Legal Assistance attorneys Maurice “Mo” Jourdane and Marty Glick, the late CRLA community worker Héctor de la Rosa and the late lead plaintiff, Sebastian Carmona from Soledad. After six years of hard work, the courts finally outlawed El Cortito’s use on April 7, 1975.
The team that made the feat possible was present on June 10, with another two honored posthumously. Ignacio Ornelas, a historian now working for the Special Collections Archive at Stanford University, recounted the history of El Cortito and its subsequent ban. Valdez, founder of El Teatro Campesino, compared the ongoing ICE protests happening nationwide to the long legal struggle that campesinos took against powerful agribusiness owners who wanted to retain use of El Cortito.
“A lot has changed,” Valdez said. “Many of our people have gone on to colleges and universities, many of our people are teaching our young people … This is the grassroots of social justice. When the people in the street can express their own reality. The American dream … is about how we treat each other.”
Following his presentation, Supervisor Luis Alejo presented Valdez with a lifetime achievement award.
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Musicians also honored
Waiting in the green room were the legendary Mexican norteño musicians Los Tigres del Norte. They received a lifetime recognition award for their achievements in defining regional Mexican music — with 40 million album sales, 24 No. 1 albums, and being the only Mexican band to win seven Grammy Awards, along with 12 Latin Grammys. Beyond its impressive numbers, the group is known for its lyrics that highlight important issues within the Latino community, including immigration, racism, the lives of migrant workers and more.
“It was here in Soledad, in Monterey County, where in 1968 they held their first performance in the United States, at the prison,” Alejo said in his introduction to the legendary band. “We are welcoming them back where they started, and it couldn’t be at a better place, or at a better time.”
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Los Tigres has used its music to advocate for immigrant communities, playing at immigrants rights rallies such as the one in the National Mall in 2013. Last month, a street was named after them in New York, and they performed a sold-out show in Madison Square Garden two days later. The local resolution presented to Los Tigres was given in part for its “lifetime achievements and exemplary advocacy for immigrant communities.”
Alejo declared June 10 as Los Tigres del Norte Day in Monterey County. Each of the members was given the mic to say a few words about the honor and what it meant to them. Speaking in Spanish, Jorge Hernández shared, “In our music, we continue to amplify voices and tell the stories of our countrymen who have roots in this country. Those voices deserve to be heard. They’re the songs we sing for you.”
The day ended in an atmosphere of hope. Each person who spoke conveyed their message of perseverance to the Latino community, not only within the chambers, but to the nation. Resistance lies not only in direct action, but in the courage to exist together in solidarity amid tyranny.
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