https://wiith-archive.ucsc.edu/files/original/e5354910d65075e07251c39e89ed7af8.jpg 1d1f908319a8e85e9731268a166f924b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Bersamin Family Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Manuel Bersamin Description An account of the resource Eulalio “Max” Valera Brazil Bersamin was born on December 14, 1911, in the municipality of Bangued, in the province ofAbra of the Philippines. His parents, Calixto and Hipolita Brazil Bersamin, had four other children: Paulino “Paul,” Alejandro “Alex,” Rosario, and Jovita Bersamin. In 1931, Max followed his two older brothers, Paulino and Alejandro, to Hawai‘i where they had been working on a sugar plantation in Wahiawa, O‘ahu. Eventually, the three brothers traveled to California and joined the migrant farm labor circuit. They first settled in Guadalupe before traveling throughout California, Arizona, and along the Pacific coast for work. During World War II, Max's brothers joined the First Filipino Infantry and served in the Pacific Theater. He, however, was unable to join due to a heart condition. Max, nonetheless, continued to labor in the fields for over fifty years. In 1946, while working in the Imperial Valley, Max met another manong, who introduced him to Victoria Quiroz Quintero, a Mexican woman who worked as a waitress in Mexicali. Victoria was born on March 6, 1917, in Mexcaltitán, Sinaloa, Mexico. She joined Max in the United States, and the two married in Lordsburg, New Mexico on April 27, 1947. Soon after, they settled in Watsonville. Together they raised five children: Linda Alcala (b. unknown) and Alba Reyes (b.1938)—both of whom were Victoria’s children from a previous relationship and were adopted by Max—Evangelina Harried (b. 1947), Juanita “Nita” Roberts (b.1948), and Manuel Bersamin (b. 1957). In Watsonville, Max continued to work in the fields while Victoria worked in the canneries, including J.J. Crosetti Frozen Foods. The family participated in Filipino community organizations including the Filipino Community of Watsonville and the Fil-Visayan Association of America. Max was an avid cook and prepared Filipino meals at family parties in the Pajaro Valley. He was also an active and passionate member of the United Farm Workers of America. As the first person in her family to settle in the United States, Victoria facilitated many family members’ migration. Her sisters, Maria de los Angeles Quintero Florendo and Alejandrina Quintero Bayuga, married other Watsonville manong, resulting in a large, mixed-race family network. Max passed in 1996, and Victoria in 2017. The Bersamin Family Collection was contributed to Watsonville is in the Heart by Max and Victoria Bersamin's son, Manuel, in 2021. The collection contains a total of thirteen items. This includes one oral history interview with Manuel during which he reflects on his father's life-long career as a migrant farm worker and his own experiences growing up in a mixed-race family in Watsonville. The collection also includes twelve photographs that document the Bersamin family's life and leisure, most notably Max's prized fighting roosters. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eulalio "Max" Bersamin Wearing an Apron and Holding a Rooster Description An account of the resource Eulalio "Max" Bersamin with his rooster. Max is wearing the apron that he usually wore to make dinner for his whole family. Max trained and cared for his roosters in between making meals. According to his son, Manuel Bersamin, Max ran his roosters on the kitchen's linoleum floor to build their leg strength. Cockfighting was a popular leisure activity among many ethnic groups including Filipino manongs. This photo is a reproduction Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unidentified Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1985 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Manuel Bersamin Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) is a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the city of Watsonville and the greater Pajaro Valley. Images were donated and digitally reproduced from private collections of individuals and families. Copyright remains with the original owners. All images included herein are intended for personal or educational use only. Any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use, by any means, without prior written permission is prohibited. Please note that the images on this website are not included at their full resolution. For permission to publish or reproduce and for higher resolution files, please contact the project director at wiith@ucsc.edu. If you are the rightful copyright holder of this item and its use online constitutes an infringement of your copyright, please contact the project director to discuss its removal from the archive. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 6.25x 4 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BER.2021.9 Watsonville