https://wiith-archive.ucsc.edu/files/original/6aafaee22d472174a0a1dd41efc05d20.pdf d5e8c05d88a6be1def406bd89093432c 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. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Steve McKay Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Manuel Bersamin Location The location of the interview Zoom Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data .mp4 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 2:01:26 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview [03:42] Eulalio “Max” Bersamin’s participation in the California manong migrant farm workers’ circuit [06:45] Max’s background in the Philippines and his migration history [08:16] Ilocano enclaves in California and their leisure activities [09:56] Max’s impetus for immigrating to Hawai’i and California for work [13:39] Max’s reasons for settling in Watsonville [16:02] How Max met his wife, Victoria Quintero, a Mexican woman who was working in Mexicali [18:33] Max and Victoria’s meeting, marriage proposal, migration to Watsonville, and wedding in New Mexico [22:43] Max’s silences about the struggles and discrimination he endured [23:56] Manuel’s experience learning about his father’s history of resistance and labor [25:24] Feelings about their mixed-race, mestizo identities while growing up in Watsonville [27:55] Max’s experience with labor resistance and the histories of labor organizing in Watsonville and in the Salinas Valley [3014] Manuel’s reflections on why Max never wanted to become a US citizen [31:27] Recognizing Filipino involvement in the farm workers movement and Filipino labor history in the Salinas Valley [37:35] Growing up in Watsonville in a mixed-race, blended family [40:43] Filipino foods Max made for his family and fellow manongs [49:57] Max’s favorite leisure activity, cock fighting [51:13] Reflections on grappling with mixed-race identity, assimilation, and feelings of isolation among immigrant and first-gen folks [1:03:52] Max’s fifty year career as a farm worker [1:07:58] Divisions in the Watsonville Filipino community between descendants of the manong generation and post-1965 immigrants [1:25:15] Downtown Watsonville redevelopment and the destruction of Philippine Gardens [1:28:24] United Farm Workers in the Salinas Valley and Max’s participation in the union [1:44:01] Manuel’s work with UFW during his political career [1:45:51] Reflections on why Max joined the union while other Filipinos did not [1:54:58] The importance of preserving the history of manongs and labor organizing in Watsonville and the Salinas Valley URL <span style="font-weight: 400;">Link to audio recording on escholarship: </span><a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rj1t0w4#supplemental" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manuel Bersamin interviewed by Dr. Steven McKay</a> 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 Manuel Bersamin interviewed by Steve McKay Description An account of the resource In this interview, originally recorded on Zoom, Manuel Bersamin speaks with Watsonville is in the Heart team member, Dr. Steve McKay. Manuel discusses his father, Eulalio “Max” Bersamin’s migration history— including his early life in Bangued, Philippines, and his labor migration to Hawai‘i and California. He describes Max’s over fifty-year career as a migrant farm laborer in Central California. Manuel explains how his father married Victoria Quintero, a Mexican woman whom he met in Mexicali. After migrating to Watsonville with Max, Victoria helped many other family members immigrate to the US resulting in a large, mixed-race family unit. Manuel discusses his and his family’s mixed-race, “mestizo” identity. He also reflects on the manongs’ experiences as they endured racism and poor labor conditions. He discusses their leisure activities including gambling, cockfighting, and cooking. Finally, Manuel speaks about his father’s disillusionment with the “American Dream” as well as his resilience and resistance. Notably, he discusses Max’s passionate involvement in the United Farm Workers (UFW). Throughout the interview, Manuel explains the ways that Max's resistance and union participation influenced his activism and careers as a Watsonville City Council member (2003-2012), mayor of Watsonville (2006-2007), and currently as a grant program director at Hartnell Community College. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Manuel Bersamin and Steve McKay Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 6, 2021 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 greater Pajaro Valley. All oral history interviews are donated to WIITH by the narrators. Copyright is held by WIITH. Oral history interview recordings and transcripts are available for unrestricted use and reproduction by educators and researchers. Please note that the recordings on this website are provided via escholarship. For access to oral history audio files, please contact the project director at wiith@ucsc.edu. If you are an oral history narrator and would like to remove your interview from the archive website, please contact the project director. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BER.2012.13 Agriculture Hawai'i Mexicali Race Racism Salinas Strikes United Farm Workers Watsonville