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Emma TenayucaLa Pasionara de Texas
Painting by Robert Shetterly
Early Life
Family’s residence in Texas predated both Mexican Independence from Spain and the Mexico-U.S. War
One of eleven children, Emma moved in with Grandparents to ease the financial burden on her family.
At age 7, she began visiting Plaza del Zacate in downtown San Antonio with her grandfather to hear speaches made by Magonistas
Getting Involved
Early 1930’s: Read Leo Tolstoy and Karl Marx while attending Brackenridge High School in San Antonio
In 1932-1933, at the age of 16 she is arrested for joining picket line to protest the working conditions of the mostly female employees at Finck Cigar Company
Founded Two International Ladies’ Garment workers unions
In her words:
"I was arrested a number of times. I
never thought in terms of fear. I thought in terms of justice.”
She was arrested 3 times!
Photo from Zinn Education Project Website
The Event that Changed Her Life
In 1938, Emma lead a strike on behalf of pecan shellers in a Texas food processing plant. This is known as the Pecan Shellers’ Strike
Source:
Pecan Shellers’ Strike, 1938
Texas Pecan
s50%
Rest of
U.S.50%
U.S. Pecan Pro-duction in 1938
San An-
tonio Area50%
Rest of Texas50%
Texas Pecan Pro-duction in 1938
Pecan Shellers’ Strike, 1938
Thousands of employees at hundreds of plants suffered:
Inadequate sanitary conditions (no indoor toilets or sinks)Crowded ConditionsPoor ventilationPoor illuminationBrown Dust caused high rates of tuberculosis
148/100,000 in San Antonio54/100,000 in the Rest of the U.S.
Pecan Shellers’ Strike, 1938
Pecan Shellers’ Strike, 1938
Reduction in Wages for Shellers was the final straw
Pre-1938 Wages:Pickers: $.06-.07/lb for pieces and halvesShellers: $.50/100 lbs
1938 Wages:Pickers: $.05-.06/lb for pieces and halvesShellers: $.40/100 lbs
Wages After the Strike was Settled:
Pickers: $.07-.08/lb for pieces and halvesShellers: $.25/hour of work
Pecan Shellers’ Strike, 1938
Reaction to the Strike:Strikers were gassed, arrested, and jailed
More than 700 arrests were made by City Officials
Strike Duration:37 Days
Pecan Shellers’
Strike, 1938• After the Strike,
mechanized shelling became the norm as unskilled labor became too expensive.
• Historians consider the Pecan Shellers’ Strike to be the first significant victory in the Mexican-American struggle for political and economic equality in this country.
Pecan Shellers’ Strike, 1938
1937 1938 1941 19480
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000Unskilled Workers Employed as Shellers and Crackers by Southern Pecan Shelling Company in San Antonio
“Unintended Consequences: The San Antonio Pecan Shellers Strike of 1938.” Patricia E. Gower. Web. 30 June 2014. http://www.uiw.edu/sanantonio/gower.html
In her words:
"What started out as an organization for equal
wages turned into a mass movement against
starvation, for a minimum-wage law, and it changed the character of West Side
San Antonio.”
Life After the Strike
Joined Communist Party because it advocated her passion for minority rights
Became Chairperson of Texas Communist Party in 1939
In San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium, a small meeting of the Texas Communist Party was attacked by 5,000 people who were “huntin’ Communists”
Escaped through a tunnel with the aid of city police
Blacklisted in San Antonio.
Mayor of San Antonio’s political career ended
Emma Tenayuca: Teacher
Communist Party Member, 1937-1946
Moved to Los Angeles after San Antonio and was Hounded by the FBI
Moved to San Francisco and majored in Education at San Francisco State College, earning a degree in 1952
Returned to San Antonio in 1960 and earned Masters in Education from Our Lady of the Lake University in 1974
Taught in Harlandale School District in San Antonio until she retired in 1982
Children’s Books Teach the Young
Image of Book Cover from Zinn Project Website
Murals Teach Us All
"Líderes de La Comunidad" Mural. 200 S. Colorado St., San Antonio, TX
Murals Teach Us All
Photo Credit: The Daily Chalupa Blog
Carmen Tafolla, San Antonio Poet Laureate,
writes:"La Pasionaria, we called her, because she was our passion, because she was our heart --
defendiendo a los pobres, speaking out at a time when
neither Mexicans nor women were expected to speak at all."
December 21, 1916 – July 23, 1999
Photo taken from Wikipedia article on Emma Tenayuca.
Annotated Bibliography