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About Opportunity news. (Woodburn, Oregon) 1965-1968 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1966)
Page 2 OPPORTUNITY NEWS, Friday, July 29, 1966 A letter to our readers from Darlene Harris, North Plains O P P O R T U N IT Y N EW S Voi. 2, No. 30 As a regular reader of your quite exceptionally factual and concise paper, I find little to disagree with. However, there sometimes comes along an article that demands re futation. Such as "HOW DID WE GET TO OREGON" by Priscilla Car rasco. Friday, July 29, 1966 This newspaper is a publication of the VALLEY MIGRANT LEAGUE P. O. Box 128 Woodburn, Oregon Valley Migrant League phone 981-3171 Newspaper phone 981-9711 Will P. Pape, Executive Director * * * ; Don Wilcox, Editor Rick Simon, Assistant Editor Priscilla Carrasco, Editorial Assistant and Circulation Manager Julie Behar, Editorial Assistant Leonora Guinazzo, Samuel Hernandez . Translations Judi Jarvill Secretary ♦ ♦ ♦ “We must open the doors of oppor tunity. But we must also equip our people to Walk through those doors.” Lyndon B. Johnson President United States “Surely, it is not beyond our re sources nor our ingenuity to include in our war against poverty these always ‘excluded’ Americans (the migrants).” Sargent Shriver Director Office of Economic Opportunity The VALLEY 'MIGRANT LEAGUE, sponsor of this newspaper, is a part of the President’s-W ar on Poverty and is funded by the Office of Economic Op portunity, Washington, D.C. OPPORTUNITY NEWS is published weekly, for free distribution to seasonal farm workers of this area, and to per sons interested in the activities of the VALLEY MIGRANT LEAGUE. I have never seen so much mis information dreamed up, or gathered up, or howevef the source might have been, come un der one heading. I am taking the advantage of "Freedom of Speech", a term which appljes to the press, and state that I am in clined to believe that Miss Carras co cannot, and must not, measure the State of Oregon with the usual yardstick. The farmers of Oregon need the farm workers and, in the same manner, these workers need the Oregon farms. I would suggest that this writer do some research on "HOW WE FARMERS GET THE PEOPLE TO OREGON", before she prints another article that does not fit and is not a straight source. Each of us must contribute some thing special to the farmers of Ore gon for their untiring effort, par ticularly to the abundant crops of food for these people to harvest, and the many hours of labor, and their near all profit of these crops, that go into the making of a labor camp. The tirirtg and expensive trips to the South to deliver the "sometimes near starvation diet" people to Oregon, but I have yet to hear a farmer make any com plaint. While I have no financial stake in this matter, it is personal with me. My son owns and operates ope of the larger labor camps and is among the group of farmers. My three sons were born and raised in the South, and we admire and re spect the entire Mexican race. No one could ever convince me that a Mexican mother would ever permit her little ones to ride on one bus while she rode on another one. They are devout mothers. And I quote, "We sat on blankets, we froze to death, we had no blank ets." No Mexican mother would ever let her little one freeze if there were blankets available. I rode one of the busses to the South and, on the return trip, with 42 passengers aboard. It was a tiring trip. For three days and nights I stayed up and awake to see that all were as comfortable as was possible. Each passenger was well aware of the long trip ahead of us, at the time of departure. Yes, our food on the return trip was cold. The busses are not equip ped to serve hot meals. Miss Carrasco is not familiar with her own people and their habits. She is far from being exact and writes as if she has vague ideas. She has used terms which cover up The gaps between measurable facts. Having been born and raised in the still poverty stricken areas of the South, I have a deep feeling for the Mexican people, especial A LITTLE STO R Y ly those that I see here now, that have food a plenty for their fami lies, after seeing with my own eyes the near starvation diet they were on before coming to Oregon. I thank God for this wonderful state of Oregon with its natural beauty and its many opportunities. May we never see the day the farmers of Oregon cannot provide these busses for the transportation of the Mexican people. I have spoken frankly and with feeling, to both audiences, the Ore gon farmer and the Mexican people, and I sincerely hope that I have not troubled Miss Carrasco., Let us all "see the best" and not harrass the good that the Oregon farmer is doing. By Darleen Harris Spanish-American Berry Farms Rt. 1, Box 279 Cornelius, Oregon Ph.: 331-2386 PRISCILLA CARRASCO REPLIES The article "How Did We Get To Oregon?" consisted of quotes from adults and children in one labor camp. Quotes gathered from the labor camp of Ron Tankersley, Dar leen Harris' son, would certainly be of value. The Opportunity News realizes that there are some growers and contractors who know their re sponsibility in their treatment of fellow humans who work for them. We shall continue to write until all growers and contractors accept this responsibility. — Priscilla Carrasco. U N C U E N TITO Here is a little story. Aquí está un cuentito. It begins with a baseball game near the schoolhouse. There was a slight accident. The baseball broke a window. When recess was over and the children returned to their seats, the teach er said, "Children, I want you to have a good time when you play baseball,, but I hope you won't break any more windows." ’ Then a boy in the back of the room jumped up angrily. He shouted, "You're accusing me! It's a lie! I didn't do it!" End of story. As we select material for this newspaper, a newspaper concerned with fhe welfare of migrant workers, We sometimes print pictures and words that say, figuratively (as the teacher said), "We hope that everyone w ill try lo avoid doing damage." We believe that most of the growers of our crops who read our news paper w ill understand that our words are needed and deserved. The children in the story — most of them — understood that the teacher ■vas being reasonable, even charitable. She was certainly not making an accusation against all of them. This would have been very unjust. Certainly, he children wanted to play baseball without breaking any windows. So let's get on with the game, whether it's baseball or harvesting crops - being careful to do no damage either to the property or to the lives of he people we're working with. -P-W. Empieza cori un partido de béis bol cerca de la escuela. Hubo un pequeño accidente. Se rompió un vidrio de una ventana. Al terminar la hora de recreo y volver a sus asientos, la maestra dijo a los niños, "Niños, quiero que se diviertan al jugar al béisbol, pero espero que no rompan más vidiros de las ventanas." En el fondo del cuarto un niño se puso de pie enfadado. Gritó- "Me está acusando! Es mentira! No lo hice!" El fin de cuento. Al escoger artículos . para este periódico que se interesa en el bienestar de los trabajadores mi gratorios, algunas veces impresa mos palabras y fotos que dicen, figurativamente (como dijo la pro fesora). "Esperamos que todos evi ten hacer daño." Creemos que la mayor parte de los agricultores quienes leen nues tro periódico comprenderán que lo que decimos es necesario y apro piado. Los niños del cuentito—la mayoi» parte—comprenderon que la maes tra era razonable, aún caritativa. Es cierto que no les estaba acusando a todos. Esto habría sido muy injusto. Ciertamente los niños querían jugar al béisbol sin romper ningu nos vidrios. Así, sigamos con el partido, sea uno de béisbol o uno de piscar co sechas-teniendo cuidado de no ha cer daño ni a la propiedad ni a la vida de las personas con quienes estamos trabajando. — D. W.
