Page 2 - Grape Boycott News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

As a little girl, Jessica Govea had become accustomed to rising early and making her way to the fields with her family. During the cotton season, you could find her family dragging sacks of cotton along the long rows of fields in Kern County, California. Her father had travelled a long way from Mexico. He first worked in the United States as a contracted guest worker through the Bracero Program and then later as a migrant farmworker. Portrait of Jessica Govea. Courtesy of the Govea family When her family settled in Bakersfield, California, their home became an important place for organizing. ...

They want better drainage. >> no drainage, no street lights. basic services for most american neighborhoods, but not necessarily all of them. even if the residents are paying taxes. if they're not legal there may not be lights. >> they're old enough now, they have probably kids that are american citizens. they have grand kids that are american citizens. by them grouping together and asking for stuff that most people have, i mean, how can you not want to help the people? >> to have a huge group of people in this united states sometimes struggling to get street lights. >> one thing we find in or...

Now they have probably kids that are american citizens and have grand kids that are american citizen. by them grouping together and asking for stuff that most people have, i mean how can you not want to help these people? >> to have a huge group of people in this united states is sometimes struggling to get street lights? [ applause ] >> the one thing is that we find in organized the immigrant community, they are ready to be organized. but we have to somehow try to translate that power at a national level. >> in the 1960s, she famously galvanized the country by calling for a grape boycott. on ...