Letters to the Editor
N EW S
Vol. 2, No. 52
Friday, December 30, 1966
This newspaper is a publication of
the VALLEY MIGRANT LEAGUE
P. O. Box 128
Woodburn, Oregon
VML phone 981-3171
Newspaper phone 981-97IT
WILL P. PAPE,
Executive Director
DON WILCOX, Editor
PRISCILLA CARRASCO, Asst. Editor
JUDI JARVILL, Editorial Assistant
and Circulation Manager
LEONORA GUINAZZO,
Translator
SUSIE PHILLIPS, Translator
The VALLEY MIGRANT LEAGUE,
sponsor of this newspaper, is a part
of the President's War on Poverty
and is funded by the Office of Eco
nomic Opportunity, Washington,
D. C.
OPPORTUNITY NEWS is pub
lished weekly for free distribution
to seasonal farm workers of this
area, and to persons associated
with the activities of the VALLEY
MIGRANT LEAGUE.
If you do not qualify for free
codes, please send $2.00 for a 1
year s"bscription. Group rates on
request.
SUPERVISORS OF VM L CENTERS
AUMSVILLE
HENRY WOODS,
Area Supervisor
phone 743-2111
DAYTO N
RUBEN CONTRERAS,
Area Supervisor
phone 864-2223
HILLSBORO
JOHN LITTLE,
Area Supervisor
phone 648-5080
INDEPENDENCE
LEON GURNEY,
Area. Supervisor
phone 838-1810
SALEM
IVAN WELLS,
Area Suoervisor
phone 585-1454
SANDY
KEN KILLARY,
Area Supervisor
phone 687-7471
WOODBURN
JUAN RUIZ,
Area Supervisor
phone 981-3171
Editor, Opportunity News;
I've just finished reading an ar
ticle written by Mr. Bustos. I am
in complete agreement with his
statements. I am like a good deal
of people in the area. We would
like to help but just don't know
how to go about it. Perhaps you
might have some suggestions as to
how I might participate. I am re
tired and.have quite a good deal
o f time.
The main thing that Mr. Bustos*
article did was to arouse my tem
per because some of our best
friends are Mexican. We have just
returned from Mexico where we
lived for most of the time with a
Mexican family and my w ife and I
intend to return to live there some
day. The fact that anyone would
treat them as inferiors up here riles
me. I am sure that no one who has
seen their ancient civilizations, had
contact with their culture and had
the privilege of being accepted as
a friend, would take this attitude,
I hope that there might be some
thing that you might suggest for
helping in some small way.
Sincerely,
Ray Fletcher
5047 S.E. Lafayette . St.
Portland, Oregon 97206,
Dear Mr. Wilcox:
I have long meant to write and
express my admiration for the good
job you are doing on Opportunity
News. I have kept a file o f.your
issues and have, from time to time,
given copies to educators who were
particularly interested -in migrants.
We w ill be having an article
-about migrant problems sometime
before summer and hope to borrow
information and pictures from you
again. . . .
A t present, I jusj, waWted to ex
press my appreciation for your work
and to send our check for a sub-,
scription. . . .
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Caroline Blakely
Editor, NEWS FOR YOU
Box 131
Syracuse, N. Y. 13210
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Many of our
readers would enjoy reading NEWS
FOR YOU, which Mrs. Caroline
Blakely edits. It is very clearly w rit
ten, and it gives lots of news. It is
easy to read, and that is the reason
that it goes to many parts of the
world. There is a Spanish language
edition.
- When VML planned to start a
newspaper, it arranged to borrow
one of Mrs. Blakely's assistants,
Katie Bartels, to help with the edit
ing. In this way, Opportunity News
gained some of the know-how from
this unusual newspaper. You can
subscribe to NEWS FOR YOU for 15
weeks for $1.25. Write to Mrs.
Blakely.)
Dear Mrs. Järviin
I want td thank you for the Op
portunity News.
When it comes to understanding
the problem of finding housing on
a meager budget, I know all about
that from A to Z. It's shameful in
these United States, which is said
to be the wealthiest nation . . . and
we call ourselves a Christian nation.
The many conditions which I've
seen, and which I've experienced
myself, are far from being "Chris
tian" in my opinion.
Our government has started
doing something about the housing
situation but it goes awfully slow.
Some of that money spent on going
to the moon could be better spent
right here on this' planet, Earth, for
the many human beings'in need
of it.
I have had experience, picking
hops in the Willamette Valley and
sleeping in a tent w ith straw on the
ground for a mattress. As a girl, I
picked berries in the hot sun to
earn money for school clothes, and
walked long distances to the field.
And I've also picked eraribetries
and picked prunes from the
ground And I've climbed trees to
pick cherries.
I'm still hoping to get some
clothing arid miscellaneous items
together for the Valley Migrant
League.
A Happy New Year to you and
your co-workers of the Opportunity
News;
Sincerely,
Mrs Marie M. Gerty
U 5 West 4 th Street
Albany, Oregon.
Sra. JarviTT
Quisiera darle gracias por ®
Opportunity News.
Guarido tiene qué entender e
problema- de hallar viviendas, eos
poco dinero todo la sé. Es una lás
tima en estos Estados Unidos, qu<
se dice es la nación más rica de
mundo . . . y la llamamos una na
ción cristiana. Las muchas situa
ciones que he visto y en que he
vivido, me parece lejos de ser
"cristianas,"
Nuestro gobierno ha empezado
un plan para mejorar, la situación
.
pero el progresó no es rápido. Se
podría usar mejor el dinero gozado
para llegar a la luna, aquí, en la
fierra; para las muchas personas
que lo necesita.
. - ' I ■'
Yo trabajaba en Ja valle Willa
mette y dormía en el suelo con un
colchón de paja. Cuando niña, tra
bajé en la cosecha de fresas para
ganar dinero y comprar ropa de
escuela, y andaba distancias largas
al campo. Y también he piscado |e
arándanos y Ciruelas del suelo y
subía árboles para piscar cerezas. e
li
Todavía tengo esperanza de 6b- c
tener ropa y cosas diversas por' el
Valley Migrant League.
Un feliz año nuevo a usted y a j.
todos del. Opportunity News.
Sinceramente,
Sra Marie .M. Gerty
115 West 4th Street
Albany, Orégon
¡,
,
M IG R A N T MINISTRY B O A R D ASKS*
CHURCH SERVICES IN SPANISH ‘
The Migrant Ministry made an
official statement last-month about
the work of churches with seasonal
farm workers. Here are some of the
recommendation?:
Local churches should be con
cerned with the problems of sea
sonal farm workers;
Special services should be given
in Spanish.
Churches of the Migrant Ministry
should look for new ways to co
operate with other Churches a n d
agencies in working with seasonal
farm laborers.
. Churches recognize the; right of
farm workers to belong To-unions.
Churches should be concerned
for the protection of both laborers
and growers aqainst violence, and
should work for state-and national
laws for the protection of both
groups
The Migrant. Ministry looks to the
state government to work out a
farm labor relations plan for Ore
gon.
El Migrant Ministry hizo una
declaración oficial el mes pasado
sobre la obra de las iglesias con los
migrantes. Aquí tiene algunas de
las recomendaciones:
Iglesias locales deben interesarse
con él problema de los migrantes.
Se deben presentar servicios es
peciales en español.
Iglesias de:| Migrant Ministry de
ben buscar maneras nuevas de co
operar con otras iglesias y agencias
que trabajan con los migrantes.
Iglesias se dan cuenta del dere
cho de los migrantes a pertenecer
a. uniones.
Iglesias deben interesarse con la
protección de ambos trabajadores
y cultivadores contra la violencia y
deben trabajar para leyes locales
y nacionales para proteger ambos
grupos.
El Migrant Ministry mira al go
bierno del estado para establecer
un plan de relaciones agriculturales
en Oregon.