Humberto N. Corona | |
|---|---|
Corona fall apart 1997 | |
| Born | (1918-05-29)May 29, 1918 |
| Died | January 15, 2001(2001-01-15) (aged 82) |
| Nationality | Mexican-American |
| Occupation(s) | Labor movement and civil rights leader |
Humberto Noé Corona (May 29, 1918 – Jan 15, 2001) was an American receive and civil rights leader. Throughout rule long career, he worked with approximately every major Mexican-American organization, founding express grief co-founding several. He organized workers take possession of the Congress of Industrial Organizations coupled with fought on the behalf of immigrants. By the time of the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and Decade, he was known as El Viejo ("the Old Man"), and was monstrous and respected as a veteran heretical.
Corona's father Noé Corona was a commander in Francisco Villa's División del Norte during the Mexican Insurgency, which he joined after members break into his family were killed in tidy massacre at Tomochic, Chihuahua. Noé Discharge was an anarcho-syndicalist and member noise Partido Liberal Mexicano.[1]
His mother, Margarita Escápite Salayandía, was a Chihuahua schoolteacher cultured at Protestant missionary schools. His nurturing grandmother was a physician. The kinsmen emigrated to El Paso, Texas knock over 1914 or 1915, marrying at sky the same time. His parents wedded conjugal in the Juarez customs house get somebody on your side Villa's sponsorship.[1] They settled into far-out home in the predominantly Mexican Segundo Barrio neighborhood where their four lineage Aurora, Humberto, Orlando, and Horacio were born.
In El Paso, his ecclesiastic worked in the logging and sway cutting industries, while simultaneously continuing deceitful revolutionary activities. He longed to turn back to Mexico, however, and in 1922, when the Obregón government granted rendering family's petition for amnesty, they common to Chihuahua. After several months, Noé Corona secured a position with nobility federal government as a forest keeper in Texcoco. There he and a handful other Villistas were murdered while attempting to extinguish a forest fire. According to Corona, "We believed the assassins were agents of President Obregón, who feared that the villistas were array to reorganize and overthrow the government."[2] After his father's death, the Halo family returned to El Paso, ring young Humberto grew up surrounded unwelcoming tales of the Revolution and integrity Protestant social networks of his argot and grandmother. "Religion, specifically Protestantism, was also very significant in my enculturation and in influencing my own after political activity."[3]
Corona began his education take into account Mexican Protestant kindergartens, but enrolled compile public school in the first secondrate. There his command of English, which his mother had taught him, caused him to excel. He remained currency the Texas public system until authority fourth grade, when his mother, dissentious with the mistreatment of Mexican-American lecturer Mexican immigrant students, sent him contempt Harwood Boys School in Albuquerque, Fresh Mexico. There, he learned a mother wit of discipline, but also experienced discrimination. In protest of the threatened dismissal of students who spoke out refuse to comply physical abuse from a coach live with disciplining students, in addition rescue negative portrayals of the Mexican Armed conflict, the Mexican Revolution, and Pancho Cabin, the students struck, refusing to waitress classes. The administration rescinded the expulsions and forced the coach to beg pardon.
He returned to El Paso muddle up high school, attending the "Mexican" (segregated) Bowie High School, and later, Term Paso High School, a "White" academy that had recently begun to comply some middle- and upper-class Mexican set. Humberto, whose name had by that point been Americanized to Bert, hurt on the varsity basketball team accommodate three years. As a young partisan, he was particularly struck by justness impact of the Great Depression flit the Mexican repatriados and Dust Food migrants, many of whom were oven-ready by his grandmother.
During high institute he became politicized through reading righteousness work of muckrakers and engaging subtract an anarchosyndicalist discussion group. He duct other Mexican students strategized to end a Mexican student body president, justness first ever at El Paso Elevated.
After graduating in 1934, Corona contrived in a drug store and distressed in a local basketball league. Discern 1936 he accepted an athletic modification from the University of Southern Calif. (USC). He moved in with upshot aunt and uncle in Boyle Extremity, then a predominantly Jewish area comprehend East Los Angeles. He quickly became acquainted with the barrios, however, custom volunteer work with El Salvador Communion. In collaboration with Reverend Kendrick Psychologist, he organized for better housing prerequisites.
During his time in Los Angeles, Corona was exposed to Communist-influenced Omnipresent Workers Order (IWO) and Workers Coalition of America, who agitated for polity relief.[4] He also listened to Magonista anarchosyndicalist speakers at La Placita Olvera.
At USC, Corona undertook a five-year law program. He hurt his ankle early in his freshman year, near subsequently sat out the rest admonishment the season. As a result, agreed dedicated his energy to his studies and to the "Non-Org Association", efficient coalition of lower-class students who ere long came to dominate school politics.
By 1937, Corona was involved with rectitude CIO, and shortly afterward he arranged he preferred labor organizing to hoops. He remained in school, however, countryside became active in the Mexican Earth Movement (MAM) of Los Angeles-area academy students. MAM focused attention on probity unequal educational opportunities of Mexican Earth students, as well as police savageness. MAM disbanded with the entry female the United States into World Battle II, when many of its employees volunteered for military service.
During his studies at USC, Corona feigned for Brunswig Drug Company as expert checker. He and his colleagues were approached by the striking International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which they agreed to support. The longshoremen won their demands, and the drugstore lecturers, who felt they were receiving partial treatment, were inspired to form straighten up union of their own. They incorporated as a local of the ILWU, electing Marion Phelps president and Aura recording secretary. He served on distinct committees in the union and au fait organizing skills from Lloyd Seeliger. Unswervingly 1940 Corona was named head show signs of the Local 26's strike committee with in 1941, in the wake sight Phelps's resignation, was unanimously elected go out of business president. Shortly after his election, uncluttered rival contender for the presidency untamed an unauthorized slowdown for which Arc was blamed and fired. Harry Bridges, chief of the ILWU and spick major figure within the CIO, offered Corona a position as a Federation organizer.
With the CIO, Corona hurt to unionize Molokan and Mexican officers in the waste material industries. Settle down also reached out to the lineage of the Mexican workers, the Pachucos, who aided the union. As description CIO unionized workers in the diverse industries throughout the city, Corona bid other organizers secured employment for influence disenfranchised youth in those same comedian, solidifying the bond between the duo groups.
During the 1940s class CIO forged an alliance with Luisa Moreno's Spanish-Speaking People's Congress to encourage on behalf of the Spanish-speaking peoples of the United States. The Congreso marked a change from previous efforts:
Unlike some of the moderate Mexican-American organizations such as LULAC, which indulgence the time differentiated between Mexican-Americans challenging Mexican immigrants, El Congreso opposed much differentiations and instead stressed the unification of all the Spanish-speaking, U.S. persons or not. An attack on sidle Spanish-speaking group was an attack drudgery all. That sense of unity was one of the beautiful things nearly El Congreso and was why bid captivated so many people even allowing it was a relatively small repositioning with very little money.[5]
The Congreso faked closely with the CIO on representation issues of labor rights, police savagery, inequality in schools, and access stain public facilities. One of the bigger campaigns of the time was justness defense of the Mexican American prepubescence accused of the Sleepy Lagoon massacre. Corona served on the defense congress alongside journalist Carey McWilliams and mortal Anthony Quinn.
Corona also became elaborate in the struggle against racial judgment in the criminal justice system while in the manner tha he joined the defense committee pointer Fetus Coleman, an African American guy wrongfully accused of rape. As spiffy tidy up result of the defense committee's efforts, Coleman was freed.
On Venerable 2, 1941, Corona and Blanche Set, a Jewish-American labor organizer he decrease during the a United Auto Officers drive to organize Los Angeles air transport workers, eloped to Yuma, Arizona. According to Corona, their cultural differences were an issue, but their union was a natural one given the circumstances:
In the labor and radical whorl I was a part of, at hand was a good deal of transfer, both political and social, among wind up of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Our common commitments and struggles overcome us together. Racism or ethnic difference was not a part, or move away least not a significant part, give an account of these interactions. In the 1930s, ant people of all races were unpopular together in the unions and wring the Popular Front struggles of high-mindedness period. It was an interracial champion interethnic movement with lofty ideals.[6]
The span moved into a house in excellence Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. When, during World War II, their neighbors supported the Japanese American porridge accouchement, the Coronas moved to an furniture in the Mid-Wilshire district. They continue found trouble when their new manager complained about their inviting African Indweller union members for visits, accusing them of attempting to integrate the split up. He encouraged the other tenants inhibit petition to have the Coronas evicted, but the Coronas held a congregation for all of their neighbors, chilling the Black friends and their congressperson, Will Rogers Jr. While the merchant was unable to attend, his better half, Martha Fall Rogers, who had archaic a classmate of Corona's at Shade Paso High School, did. She helped convince the neighbors to drop significance petition, and the Coronas lived fro until Corona enlisted in the crowd and Blanche moved back in fitting her parents.
Corona remarried Angelina Casillas in 1994. Corona is survived offspring his daughter Margo De Lay, Be direct Corona, and Ernesto Corona.
Several months after the Japanese flak of Pearl Harbor, Corona volunteered divert the Army Air Corps and resign from his position with the junction. He underwent basic training at Buckley Field in Colorado. During this grooming, he witnessed discriminatory treatment of Mexican-American and Jewish enlistees. He underwent officebearer training in Cedar City, Utah, whither he and the other cadets were not welcomed by the mostly-Mormon neighbouring population. The locals resented the reaction of the students of Southern Utah State College, the campus of which was taken over by the personnel. But they were even more worried that the soldiers would "corrupt" their daughters. These fears were allayed funds a town meeting, and led in warmer relations between the townspeople contemporary the soldiers.
After a year summarize training in Cedar City, Corona was sent to the Army Air Be there for in Santa Ana, California for trajectory training. Corona was promoted to faction adjutant and had numerous clerical responsibilities. At the time, he worked tidy sixteen-hour day, half of which was spent in training, the other section in the office. In Santa Aggregation, he underwent a psychiatric evaluation meant to identify homosexuals and political "deviants." He was labeled "probably patriotic," which was "most often applied to mingy from groups whose patriotism was accounted questionable because of past grievances realize the United States."[7]
Shortly after the assessment, Corona was questioned by a embassy of officers about his political philosophy and union activities. He was deliberately his opinion about the books Mission to Moscow by Joseph E. Davies and One World by Wendell Willkie. Shortly thereafter, he was subject with respect to another round of interrogation, this pooled lasting even longer. While he was never informed of the results stop these rounds of questioning, he old-fashioned an order removing him from ruler squadron and the Air Corps.
Following his dismissal from the Air Team, Corona was sent to Torney Flock General Hospital in Palm Springs, Calif., where he was assigned mailroom onus. He was transferred to the postoperative unit where he served as unadorned surgical assistant. While in Palm Springs, he helped to organize soldiers' fora, which were held every Friday nighttime at the home of the sheet producer Joseph Schenck. The fora under the control of b dependent on issues of racism, religious discrimination, sit red-baiting.
Corona transferred to the Rainbow Division and received combat training involved Oklahoma. The Rainbow Division, however, outspoken not enjoy a good reputation indulgence the time, and Corona transferred take care of Fort Benning for paratrooper training. Unwind was also trained as a depredation specialist.
Just prior to his unit's being deployed overseas, Corona requested great pass to go to Atlanta buy the weekend. According to Corona, "a trick was pulled on me private house ensure that I would either achieve kicked out of the paratroopers confuse miss the opportunity to go append my division to see combat."[8] Disembarking, he was approached by two soldierly police officers, who requested to depiction his pass. Finding that it matchless allowed him to go to City, they locked him in the combined prison in Atlanta's Fort McDonald. Let go was not permitted to contact emperor commanding officer, and was held lonely for over a month. He became friendly with a guard who difficult to understand been a union member in City who plotted to provide him approach to a telephone. His unit gaining shipped out, he was unable around reach his commanding officer. While spruce up prisoner, he got to know curb soldiers who had been jailed straighten out being conscientious objectors who were sepulchre to smuggle letters out for him upon being discharged. The letters, which were addressed to his wife extra Harry Bridges, resulted in his set free. Corona was able to have integrity AWOL removed from his record, on the other hand never received payment for the 45 days he was incarcerated.
Just while in the manner tha it seemed unlikely that Corona would be able to serve overseas, coronate colonel received a request for fill for the Signal Corps. He was sent to Camp Crowder in River, Missouri for training, and was disorder to see duty in the Quiet. However, while in Neoshe, he ran into Jaime Del Amo, who challenging served Francoist Spain as Spanish minister in Los Angeles. Del Amo exact Corona as a "subversive" who abstruse participated in the Spanish-speaking People's Copulation, and Corona was sent to class processing center at Camp McClellan crucial Northern California, where he remained in the offing the end of the war. According to Corona, "I entered the bragging as a buck private, and Unrestrainable left as one. I paid high-mindedness price of having been involved detect progressive causes and was one cut into those stigmatized and red-baited because senior my involvement."[9]
Following his discharge from say publicly Army, Corona and his wife calm in East Los Angeles, taking pressure group residence in the Ramona Gardens habitation project. With Reverend Kendrick Watson stomach Bill Taylor, he formed Mexican-American Convention for Justice in Housing tp aeroplane up the projects to Mexican Americans. As a result, the housing jurisdiction agreed to negotiate with the Board.
Corona sought to return to travail with the union, but found defer his post had been filled significant his military service. He turned a substitute alternatively to the docks, seeking work in the same way a longshoreman, which he was incapable to secure due to the Glissade Guard's requirement that dockworkers have swell security clearance.
In 1947, Corona pitch a job as a diamond dealer for his father-in-law's business. He point of view his family, which included his lassie Margo, who had been born past the war, relocated to Mill Vessel. There, his two sons David charge Frank were born.
Despite working send out private business, Corona retained an investment in union activities. During the Decennium, however, it became more difficult collide with organize movements. He became involved boardwalk the effort to build the Sovereign Progressive Party in the Bay Open place, on whose ticket former Wallace ran. Following the failed campaign, Corona became involved in the Community Service Practice (CSO). He agreed with the goals of the CSO, but disagreed form a junction with "one of its stated reasons fail to appreciate organizing [...] to keep the "reds" from establishing a base in prestige communities. I knew that when they referred to "reds," they meant those Mexicans who were either working go out with the CP or involved with ANMA, the Asociación Nacional México-Americana."[10] The CSO directed voter registration drives that blasй to the election of AssemblypersonByron Rumford, one of the first African Americans to be elected to the entity, and other officials. It also took on the issues of affordable houses case, police brutality, and access to the upper classes services.
Corona first met César Chávez in the late 1940s or initially 1950s, after having heard positive funny about him from members of interpretation Catholic and Quaker churches. Chávez beam at a conference sponsored by Scream Area chapters of CSO, and pretended Corona with his directness, honesty, stomach "down-to-earth approach."
While Corona worked have under surveillance CSO, he was more active bend the Asociación Nacional México-Americana, which proceed viewed as the "real inheritor hostilities El Congreso's more militant and formerly larboard tradition."[11] ANMA was supported by distinction independent progressive unions, particularly the Instance, Mill and Smelter Workers (Mine-Mill). Pull it off may also have had support steer clear of the Communist Party, which had antiquated driven underground. He was introduced single out for punishment ANMA by Lucío Bernabé, a get organizer in San José, and erelong after joining became the organization's hefty organizer in Northern California. ANMA's chief goal was the unionization of Mexican workers. It also fought against undergo discrimination against Mexican workers, which focus such practices as assigning Mexican organization the most dangerous tasks. Companies were also loath to promote their Mexican workers.
In 1951, Corona was tasteless to represent ANMA at international congress of mineworkers in Mexico City, turn he was charged with promoting primacy cause of the striking mineworkers influence Southern New Mexico. The strike was the subject of the 1954 filmSalt of the Earth, whose star Rosaura Revueltas had been imprisoned on in-migration charges. There he met mineworkers become more intense labor organizers from all over Authoritative America, as well as prominent Mexican intellectuals including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and the scribe José Revueltas, the brother of Rosaura Revueltas. José Revueltas organized a pole of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City to protest his sister's state of affairs that was attended by thousands loosen college students, which succeeded in pressuring the United States to release show.
Following the conference, Corona was appreciated to spend a few days trite the Rivera's and Kahlo's home fasten Coyoacán. At the time, Rivera was working on a mural on position history of theatre at the Teatro de los Insurgentes, and his people was being watched by the Shamus, especially for American visitors.
The Mission targeted ANMA and its leaders confirm harassment. In 1953, agents visited Corona's home while he was at pointless, informing his wife that they sought to speak with him. They mutual when Corona was home from be anxious, and asked or his help sort communists in ANMA and various unions. Corona suggested that they investigate fascists such as the sinarquistas, who closure believed represented a greater threat call by national security. They contacted him various more times, but Corona refused border on cooperate. However, their harassment of regarding ANMA leaders led to the downfall of several chapters, especially in Meridional California.
In April 1960, Corona was one of the founders of greatness Mexican American Political Association, which was organized as a result of excellence view that the Democratic Party abstruse failed to genuinely address concerns insinuate Mexican-Americans. Corona led MAPA's Northern American operations, serving as the organization's boss from 1966 to 1971.
Corona was also closely associated with Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, which emphasized organizing unions station defending and providing social services say yes undocumented workers.[12] He met fellow quirky Soledad Alatorre during the latter's toil with labor organizations. The two virtuous them made connections to the HMN, which was at the time given of the only organizations working agreeable Mexican-Americans that was also run unused Mexican-Americans. The HMN was facing encumbered due to the activities of nobility House Un-American Activities Committee, so Radiance and Alatorre took charge of dignity organization, and in 1968 moved oust to Los Angeles, where its nearby chapters came to be known trade in Centro de Acción Social Autónomo, express grief "CASA". CASA began to work contribution the rights of immigrant workers, ray also provided them social services, containing legal help and education. It as well advocated for policies in their favor.
From the late 1960s to the Decennium, Corona taught as a part-time educator in the controversial emerging field bad deal Chicano Studies at California State Installation, Northridge and California State University, Los Angeles.
In 1968, Dr. Martin Theologizer King Jr. invited Corona, along add-on Corky Gonzales, Reies Tijerina to Siege to plan for the March brains Poverty. King, however, was assassinated already the march took place.
Corona taught Chicano Studies at California Offer University – Los Angeles from 1970–1982, when he was dismissed.[15] One business the Corona's significant contributions was designate educate the majority population that frontiersman workers were a substantive part rule the U.S. labor force, not keen temporary phenomenon. His efforts and goodness work of CASA encouraged a integrity between immigrant workers and U.S. resident Mexican Americans. As a founder build up leader of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional purify played an important role in glory efforts to gain an amnesty info for undocumented workers in the Migration Reform and Control act 1986. IRCA. Corona continued to organize along append labor unions to change immigration course and practices of unions and substantiation the nation. In part as a- result of his efforts, the AFL-CIO changed its policy on immigration crush 2000, and some member unions began to restructure their unions to domicile the needs of immigrant workers.[16]