Oral history interview, Lily and Lucia Villagran, 2013 (video and transcript)

Credits: 
Boulder County Latino History Project, Maria Rogers Oral History Program, and Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Boulder Public Library. Click on the above link to access complete bibliographic information.
Detailed Summary: 
Lucia Villagran was born in El Fresno, Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1926. Lily, her daughter, was born in Canutillo, Texas, in 1958. Lucia’s husband worked in the fields in New Mexico and came to Colorado in 1976 to work in the turkey processing plant in Longmont. They talk about working at the processing plant and an incident in which Lucia fell and was not treated adequately. They also talk about the union that was established in the early ‘90s that helped improve working conditions. They talk about their Mexican traditions and discrimination they’ve faced in Longmont, Colorado. They mention the two young Latino men who were killed by police officers in the 1980s and how El Comité was formed in reaction to that incident and the positive impact the El Comité has had on the community. Lucia and Lily express their belief that Latinos are more accepted in Boulder County, but that some racism remains.
ID: 
BCLHP-MKM-151
Location: 
Chihuahua
Mexico; Texas; New Mexico; Longmont
Date: 
8/8/2013
Time Period: 
1966-1970s
1980s-90s
2000-2013
Keywords: 
turkey plant
People Shown or Mentioned: 
Lily Villagran; Lucia Villagran
Location of Original: 
Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Boulder